No love for Chronograph 1938?

[Melchior]

The delivery by FedEx was also such a headache, that I don't think I have the strenght of will to return the watch to Stowa for the correct crown to be fitted !!

[sager]

Wow. Seems like you had a not-so-good experience. Sorry to hear that.

Nevertheless, I still think that you should return the watch though and have the crown replaced.

[Melchior]

Hi sager,
You are right. I really must return this watch to Stowa, the onion crown does look so wrong, and it will always annoy me.
I hope your experience with Stowa is a happier one and your 1938Chrono lives up to expectations.
Despite the bracelet and the crown being wrong, it is a beautiful watch.
M.

[drickster]

I love my airman, love the 1938 and would like my next watch to be a bicompax chrono. But with Stowa's generally inaccurate wait time and the cost of this beautiful watch I have a hard time making the leap. At roughly $2400 US, the watch now falls into a different category for me which puts it close to me getting a couple of other watches I really want and may be willing to take the leap for.

My collection now is small and the most expensive piece is nowhere near this price. So for me to take the plunge on a piece that is 2-3x more expensive I would need to have some comfort that I am getting something truly awesome that will retain more of it's value. Looks wise and build quality I believe I would (absent the crown issue mentioned above). But to me the wait time is a disatisfier. Not that there is one- i kind of like that- oozes exclusivity and by hand and personal touch, etc. But the fact that it is so inaccurate gets to me. It just feels like either they are blatantly reporting short/ truly best case wait times or they really have no idea how to predict these things. This makes me personally question the long term viability of the brand. I'm not into watches as an investment, but would like to think that my daughters can inherit my watches and be able to find anything on the brand in 30 years. I know there are no guarantees, but it seems more likely that won't be the case if Stowa cannot solve their production delivery timeline issues. Again this is how my mind works and I am not advocating, but the OP asked and so that is my reason.

Please flame gently :)

[Renisin]

No reason to flame you as there are too many happy Stowa customers on this site!!!!!!! The wait time is up front and they don't ask for your paymant until your watch is ready for shipment!!! As for the brand it has been around since 1927 and the way things are going for Stowa and their leadership they will be around for many years to come!!

The 1938 represents a watch which is made like watches used to be made with craftsmanship and backed by Blue ribbon customer service! If you find a watch that is comparable to the 1938 be prepared to spend around 5000.00 or more dollars.

Best Regards,

Ren
QUOTE=drickster;5060849]I love my airman, love the 1938 and would like my next watch to be a bicompax chrono. But with Stowa's generally inaccurate wait time and the cost of this beautiful watch I have a hard time making the leap. At roughly $2400 US, the watch now falls into a different category for me which puts it close to me getting a couple of other watches I really want and may be willing to take the leap for.

My collection now is small and the most expensive piece is nowhere near this price. So for me to take the plunge on a piece that is 2-3x more expensive I would need to have some comfort that I am getting something truly awesome that will retain more of it's value. Looks wise and build quality I believe I would (absent the crown issue mentioned above). But to me the wait time is a disatisfier. Not that there is one- i kind of like that- oozes exclusivity and by hand and personal touch, etc. But the fact that it is so inaccurate gets to me. It just feels like either they are blatantly reporting short/ truly best case wait times or they really have no idea how to predict these things. This makes me personally question the long term viability of the brand. I'm not into watches as an investment, but would like to think that my daughters can inherit my watches and be able to find anything on the brand in 30 years. I know there are no guarantees, but it seems more likely that won't be the case if Stowa cannot solve their production delivery timeline issues. Again this is how my mind works and I am not advocating, but the OP asked and so that is my reason.

Please flame gently :)[/QUOTE]

[drickster]

Thanks Renisin, As I mentioned I'm a happy Stowa customer too! I'm just a little hesitent to take it up a notch with them at this point. I would be absolutely thrilled to change that hesitation.

No reason to flame you as there are too many happy Stowa customers on this site!!!!!!! The wait time is up front and they don't ask for your paymant until your watch is ready for shipment!!! As for the brand it has been around since 1927 and the way things are going for Stowa and their leadership they will be around for many years to come!!

The 1938 represents a watch which is made like watches used to be made with craftsmanship and backed by Blue ribbon customer service! If you find a watch that is comparable to the 1938 be prepared to spend around 5000.00 or more dollars.

Best Regards,

Ren
QUOTE=drickster;5060849]I love my airman, love the 1938 and would like my next watch to be a bicompax chrono. But with Stowa's generally inaccurate wait time and the cost of this beautiful watch I have a hard time making the leap. At roughly $2400 US, the watch now falls into a different category for me which puts it close to me getting a couple of other watches I really want and may be willing to take the leap for.

My collection now is small and the most expensive piece is nowhere near this price. So for me to take the plunge on a piece that is 2-3x more expensive I would need to have some comfort that I am getting something truly awesome that will retain more of it's value. Looks wise and build quality I believe I would (absent the crown issue mentioned above). But to me the wait time is a disatisfier. Not that there is one- i kind of like that- oozes exclusivity and by hand and personal touch, etc. But the fact that it is so inaccurate gets to me. It just feels like either they are blatantly reporting short/ truly best case wait times or they really have no idea how to predict these things. This makes me personally question the long term viability of the brand. I'm not into watches as an investment, but would like to think that my daughters can inherit my watches and be able to find anything on the brand in 30 years. I know there are no guarantees, but it seems more likely that won't be the case if Stowa cannot solve their production delivery timeline issues. Again this is how my mind works and I am not advocating, but the OP asked and so that is my reason.

Please flame gently :)

[/QUOTE]

[flyingpicasso]

The delivery by FedEx was also such a headache, that I don't think I have the strenght of will to return the watch to Stowa for the correct crown to be fitted !!

I would do it anyway. As much as I like the onion crown on some models, I think the original signed crown works better on this one. Besides, if that's the one you were expecting then that's the one you should get. Hope everything works out.

[cycloneracing]

I ordered this watch too. I also have recieved the email requesting for payment. I guess they did a run of this watch and got a few finished! As mentioned earlier in this thread I ordered mid February so I am happy with the delivery time.

Regarding Onion Crown, I believe (from memory here) that Mike Stuffler has two of these, one with onion crown and one without. I actually like the onion crown because I have the other standard crown (with logo) on my MO. So it would be good to have something different (I asked for the Onion crown in fact!)

I will post some pics in this thread when I get it here in Australia (hope that is OK with the OP - but sure it will be! Who doesn't like watch pictures??!)

[Melchior]

If STOWA are going to alter the specification of the watch from that advertised on their website then they should inform the customer before the goods are sent.
For the watch I ordered their website says:

technische Daten
Krone: Edelstahl mit STOWA Logo

After waiting five-and-a-half months I have been sent a watch with the wrong crown and a mesh bracelet that doesn't fit.
I know people here will tell me: "it's all part of the Stowa experience." I do hope that other people on this Forum have a better Stowa experience.

[pjw]

I'd have one in a heartbeat if I could afford it. I do think it's well priced but it's a bit too much for an impulse buy and there's a lot of distractions out there. Definitely high on the wish list though