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As an extension to the Stowa Flieger Poison I have posted earlier, I would like to do a short comparison between the "Stowa Flieger No-logo and Date" and the "Fortis Flieger Automatic" since I have both on hand. I am selling the Fortis as I could more afford to keep just one though it does not mean that the Fortis is the worse of the two.
Ironically, Fortis was the first watch that got me introduced to Fliegers. I did not know about this genre of watches at all before that. I went straight for the pruchase before learning more on the Fliegers. Yeah, the distinctive WWII German Luftwaffe heritage (isn't that much a noble cause but nonetheless charming in its own sense) and the big five - IWC, A Lang and Sohne, Wempe, Laco and Stowa. The price difference between the first two and the last two brands are so wide that it feels odd. I am not sure if that's the case in the 1940's. I know nothing much about the elusive Wempe though. Of course, there are others who jumped into the Flieger bandwagon such as Archimedes, Tourby and Steinhart. Enough said about Fliegers...
Here we go...
Side by side:
The first difference worth mentioning is that Fortis is a Swiss with a hundred years of history (on 2012) while Stowa is a German with a Swiss heart (typically). Both watches are of 40mm though Fortis is moving on to 42's. Both are similarly priced, though there's a typically few months wait for a Stowa, and based on the ETA 2824-2. Unlike the German Fliegers, Fortis has a rather different interpretation of a Flieger. It has a very classic look but when placed side by side with a Stowa, it looks very modern.
The dials:
Maybe I could summarize my opinions as follows, no winners nor losers here:
"Feel"
Fortis: Pretty dense (probably due to a metal alloy movement spacer) and tool-like.
Stowa: Slimmer and more exquisite feeling. Could easily pose as a dress watch. Almost a sin to use as a beater.
Case work
Fortis: Finishing is decent - a bit more industrial. Lugs appear a little more abruptly extended from the case though it's more similar to the original Flieger.
Stowa: Almost perfectly finished for its price - the matt, fine and evenly brushed appearance can draw you into it. Lugs are nicely streamlined and extended from the case.
Hands
Fortis: A very modern interpretation. Not sure of the material used here but presumably some matt plastic. The pivot point is almost invisible with just a very tiny dot of silver. The non-superluminova areas tend to blend with the dial. The non-symmetrical diamond shape extends inwards. The orange second hands is cool though not lume-coated.
Stowa: The most loved blue-tempered hands. It takes on different shades of blue under different lighting - shining in vibrant blue at times and nearly black otherwise. The non-symmetrical diamond shape extends outwards. The second hands while lume-coated feels a bit odd to me. Probably it's due to the dipped-in-lume/Pocky stick feel. The Stowa Flieger Chronograph has a better execution with white second hand.
Dial and Markers
Fortis: Dial is almost as simple as a commercial watch could get with the minimal wordings. Markers are one of the clearest and easiest to read. I was very surprised how precise I could tell the time off when I wore it for the first time compared to my other analogs. It's like I could very easily say it's now "three-fourty-six and thirty-two seconds" to my wife. No bleeding or imperfection of markers observed at macro-scorpic level.
Stowa: Dial is ordered to be void of any wordings and no commercial (I prefer to call Stowa as a micro-brand that offers very personalised service and customization and does not sell off-the shelf watches compared to "commercial" brands) watches gets cooler than this. The date window at the six o'clock makes it more symmetrical and special than the usual three o'clock position. No bleeding or imperfection of markers observed at macro-scorpic level.
Crown
Fortis: Crown and stem is very robust and hefty. Also requires a higher torque to wind.
Stowa: Onion crown is beautiful. In real life, it looks much smaller and exquisite. However, it can be a little hard to pull out and requires less torque than the Fortis to wind.
Back-plate
Fortis: Nicely embossed. Screwed down. Yeah, you can't really make it "upright".
Stowa: I opted for a steel back as I do not like display backs. Screw-held back means the back could be positioned "upright". Laser-engraved wordings are very fine and detailed.
That's all for now. Do comment and feel free to ask any questions.
Ironically, Fortis was the first watch that got me introduced to Fliegers. I did not know about this genre of watches at all before that. I went straight for the pruchase before learning more on the Fliegers. Yeah, the distinctive WWII German Luftwaffe heritage (isn't that much a noble cause but nonetheless charming in its own sense) and the big five - IWC, A Lang and Sohne, Wempe, Laco and Stowa. The price difference between the first two and the last two brands are so wide that it feels odd. I am not sure if that's the case in the 1940's. I know nothing much about the elusive Wempe though. Of course, there are others who jumped into the Flieger bandwagon such as Archimedes, Tourby and Steinhart. Enough said about Fliegers...
Here we go...
Side by side:
The first difference worth mentioning is that Fortis is a Swiss with a hundred years of history (on 2012) while Stowa is a German with a Swiss heart (typically). Both watches are of 40mm though Fortis is moving on to 42's. Both are similarly priced, though there's a typically few months wait for a Stowa, and based on the ETA 2824-2. Unlike the German Fliegers, Fortis has a rather different interpretation of a Flieger. It has a very classic look but when placed side by side with a Stowa, it looks very modern.
The dials:
Maybe I could summarize my opinions as follows, no winners nor losers here:
"Feel"
Fortis: Pretty dense (probably due to a metal alloy movement spacer) and tool-like.
Stowa: Slimmer and more exquisite feeling. Could easily pose as a dress watch. Almost a sin to use as a beater.
Case work
Fortis: Finishing is decent - a bit more industrial. Lugs appear a little more abruptly extended from the case though it's more similar to the original Flieger.
Stowa: Almost perfectly finished for its price - the matt, fine and evenly brushed appearance can draw you into it. Lugs are nicely streamlined and extended from the case.
Hands
Fortis: A very modern interpretation. Not sure of the material used here but presumably some matt plastic. The pivot point is almost invisible with just a very tiny dot of silver. The non-superluminova areas tend to blend with the dial. The non-symmetrical diamond shape extends inwards. The orange second hands is cool though not lume-coated.
Stowa: The most loved blue-tempered hands. It takes on different shades of blue under different lighting - shining in vibrant blue at times and nearly black otherwise. The non-symmetrical diamond shape extends outwards. The second hands while lume-coated feels a bit odd to me. Probably it's due to the dipped-in-lume/Pocky stick feel. The Stowa Flieger Chronograph has a better execution with white second hand.
Dial and Markers
Fortis: Dial is almost as simple as a commercial watch could get with the minimal wordings. Markers are one of the clearest and easiest to read. I was very surprised how precise I could tell the time off when I wore it for the first time compared to my other analogs. It's like I could very easily say it's now "three-fourty-six and thirty-two seconds" to my wife. No bleeding or imperfection of markers observed at macro-scorpic level.
Stowa: Dial is ordered to be void of any wordings and no commercial (I prefer to call Stowa as a micro-brand that offers very personalised service and customization and does not sell off-the shelf watches compared to "commercial" brands) watches gets cooler than this. The date window at the six o'clock makes it more symmetrical and special than the usual three o'clock position. No bleeding or imperfection of markers observed at macro-scorpic level.
Crown
Fortis: Crown and stem is very robust and hefty. Also requires a higher torque to wind.
Stowa: Onion crown is beautiful. In real life, it looks much smaller and exquisite. However, it can be a little hard to pull out and requires less torque than the Fortis to wind.
Back-plate
Fortis: Nicely embossed. Screwed down. Yeah, you can't really make it "upright".
Stowa: I opted for a steel back as I do not like display backs. Screw-held back means the back could be positioned "upright". Laser-engraved wordings are very fine and detailed.
That's all for now. Do comment and feel free to ask any questions.
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