Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Stowa Chrono ABT 24H Limited Edition
The best of both worlds, as Stowa ties itself to German high-end car specialist ABT.
Cars and watches seem to be a perfect fit, a match made in heaven, as they say. Historically, there’s always been a deep connection between the two, as timing is essential in motorsports, so it’s only natural that brands explore this in many ways. Car-themed watches are not uncommon, as brands often strike partnerships with manufacturers, racing teams, championships or individual racing drivers. German watch manufacturer Stowa now partners up with ABT Sportsline, a German household racing and tuning name. ABT Sportsline, or ABT in short, is known for its expertise in modifying and tuning road cars (mostly Audis and Lamborghinis) as well as taking them racing. Very successfully, might I say, as they have won multiple races and titles in DTM, touring car racing and endurance racing. The collaboration between the two comes into fruition with this new Stowa Chrono ABT 24H Limited Edition, celebrating the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring.
The Chrono ABT 24H Limited Edition adopts a predominantly black theme. Its 44mm-wide x 16mm-thick case is glass bead-blasted and then DLC-coated for a stealthy look. A neat styling element is the hollowed-out lugs, lightening the case a touch. The stout exterior is topped by a sloped bezel, also in black, of course, with an engraved minute scale. The crown and pushers follow suit in terms of blackness, and a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating covers the dial. Around the back, a screw-in sapphire crystal caseback reveals the movement, which I’ll get to in a bit.
The dial of the Chrono ABT 24H L.E. is finished in matte black with a printed pattern of Y’s for decoration, inspired by design elements in some of the latest Lamborghinis (see above), cars with which ABT has extensive experience. The applied markers and hour and minute hands are finished in black, with Super-LumiNova C3 inserts that emit a green glow at night. The chronograph indications are red for both the scales and the hands, and at the bottom, there’s a circular recessed section for the date. Interestingly, the window itself is rectangular and reveals a black disc with white numerals. The finishing touches are the glossy black minute markers and the red-and-white ABT 24H logo.
Beating away inside the case is a Sellita SW510 automatic chronograph movement, which, of course, is based on the architecture of the famous Valjoux 7750. It runs at a frequency of 28,800vph and has a power reserve of 48 hours. The finishing includes German ribbing, blued screws and polished and brushed surfaces. The rotor is also signed with Stowa’s name and logo, the fact that it’s a chrono, the logo of ABT and the watch’s limitation.
Stowa puts the Chrono ABT 24H Limited Edition on a black rubber strap with a raised centre section and a black DLC-coated pin buckle. It is limited to 50 pieces only and retails for EUR 3,490, including VAT (German, which is 19%).
For more information, please visit Stowa.de.
3 responses
Unfortunately, stowa has gone way down in quality control, and isn’t the watch company they pretend to be. Their customer service is also sadly lacking. Overall, they’re a disappointment. The marine watch I purchased from them sits at the bottom of a drawer, unwearable, as it’s winding crown is defective, and while they couldn’t be bothered to fix it!
Expensive for what it is ,what with a Swiss movement,a printed or CNC case,what’s made in Germany?
I read that it recently changed ownership.
I have the old Marine Original 6498 still ticking away after20 odd years,case made by George on his trusty centre lathe no doubt.
Shouldn’t be too hard to fix for a skilled watchmaker.
Asking 3.5K euros for a made where ever and a Sellita Movement. Is it really worth the price?