STOWA was Founded in 1927 by Walter Storz with its current headquarters in Pforzheim, Germany. The name is a blend of its founder - Sto from his last name, Wa from his first. The brand is known for traditional pilot’s and Bauhaus watches. The primary models were the Marine Beobachtungsuhr (Observation Watch) and 55mm Pilot-B Watches, and STOWA was one of only five pilot watch manufacturers who were allowed to build these watches (A. Lange & Söhne, Laco, Wempe and IWC were the others).
Today, there are six collections that start with the traditional Pilot and continue with Marine, Classic, Chronograph, Sports and Bauhaus. The Pilot line includes faithful reproductions of flieger models with many customization options that range from either automatic or hand-wound movements, rotor/gear engravings and more. Prices generally fall between EUR 1,000 and 1,500 with a few exceptions.
In 1996, Jörg Schauer became the owner of STOWA and guided its collections until 2021, when it became a part of Tempus Arte Group with Lang & Heyne. STOWA is one of Germany’s most popular luxurious yet attainable watchmakers with a direct connection to its historic portfolio.
Featured articles
