We have to stop producing the Antea Automatic Creme and Black

[Jörg Schauer]

Hello everybody,

with immedeate effect we have to stop to produce the Antea creme automatic and Antea black automatic.
(the actual delivery time was now end of october 2011 !, this situation is no longer accectable for our clients as well)

here is our official statement in German and Englisch:

ENGLISCH

From today on we have to stop to sell this models in our Onlineshop.
We are sorry for this decision, but we have no chance to keep the production for this watch alive.
ETA/Switzerland as our mainsupplier can´t provide us with enough movements for this modell.
As soon as we have maybe a special offer for additional movements we will produce it again.
In 2010 we have had 400 movements for this modell, this year we don´t have it.
We can´t take the movements from our other watches because if we use them we loose to much conversion.

Unfortunately we have the same problem for the chronometer movements, there is even another swiss decision coming up:
From now on, we won't get any new COSC movements from Switzerland.
In order to get furthermore official tested movements from Switzerland, we should have to decorate our watches with the lettering "Made In Switzerland" and the assembling has to be made there as well.
We will with immediate effect renounce swiss chronometer movements, because this is not our intention and logistical impossible.
Of course we review the option to let our watches test in Glashütte with the german chronometer testing.

DEUTSCH

ETA als unser Hauptlieferant liefert leider zu wenig 2824-2 Uhrwerke für dieses Model im Jahr 2011.
Dieses Jahr hatten wir durch eine Mischkalkulation die Möglichkeit noch ca. 400 Uhren zu bauen, in 2011 fehlen uns leider diese Uhrwerke und wir müßen die vorhandenen in andere Modelle einbauen, sonst fehlt uns der nötige Umsatz.
Sobald wir zusätzliche Werke kaufen dürfen,(von ETA oder aus anderen Quellen) können und wollen wir das Modell wieder anbieten.

Leider gilt das gleiche auch für die Chronometervariante, hier kommt sogar noch eine neue Entscheidung der Schweiz erschwerend hinzu:
Ab sofort werden wir keine Chronometerwerke aus der Schweiz mehr bekommen.
Um weiterhin die offiziell geprüften Werke aus der Schweiz zu bekommen, müßten wir auf unseren Uhren den Schriftzug MADE IN SWITZERLAND aufbringen und die Montage der Uhren müßte in der Schweiz geschehen.
Das dies nicht in unserem Sinne bzw. logistisch unmöglich ist, werden wir zukünftig auf Schweizer Chronometerwerke verzichten.
Natürlich prüfen wir, unsere Uhren mit der deutschen Chronometerprüfung in Glashütte zertifizieren zu lassen.

Best regards your STOWA Team

Of Course this occurs only new orders, all orders which have been confirmed will be delivered .-)

[Sean779]

Good for you, you standing up to them, the Swiss. They're not the only ones can test watches. For a neutral country, the Swiss are easy-going till you ask them to open their wallet .

[hart-metall]

They're not the only ones can test watches.

It's even worse: the Swiss COSC just tests the naked movement - the influence during mounting it in the case afterwards is completely left aside. As a result, the mark "Chronometer" can be worth nothing, if the watchmaker mistreates the movement during the installation.

Contrary to this, the german Chronometer-test at Glashütte tests the complete finished watch - in this case the watch really earns the "Chronometer".

[Sean779]

It's even worse: the Swiss COSC just tests the naked movement - the influence during mounting it in the case afterwards is completely left aside. As a result, the mark "Chronometer" can be worth nothing, if the watchmaker mistreates the movement during the installation.

Contrary to this, the german Chronometer-test at Glashütte tests the complete finished watch - in this case the watch really earns the "Chronometer".

I didn't know that. Good for Glashutte. No matter how careful a watchmaker is, to have them taken out of the equation (installing the COSC movement) produces a better shot at real-life accuracy. The Swiss have opened a door due to their, perhaps, smugness, that Glashutte can improve and capitalize on...like, as you say, testing the COSC movement when it's actually in the case. I think Glashutte is going to get the Swiss up off their ass--they should have improved COSC decades ago (bring the certified movement closer to the watch it's actually going to be in DUH?) The Swiss can't lose the prestige of COSC, but they've set themselves up to lose it, they weren't watching their shop.

[jeble]

Does this include Antea watches that are currently on order?

[Jörg Schauer]

Dear jeble ,

this annlouncement has only effect on new orders, I have to edit the information given above.

best regards

jörg

[DCOmegafan]

What would it take for one of the companies that makes movements to become a viable alternative to ETA and provide ETA real competition? I am guessing that none of the other movement makers can make movement cheap enough to compete with ETA unless it were to make the movements at a sufficiently large scale to obtain real economies. There would have to be a critical mass of watch makers who are willing/able to commit to purchasing enough movements per year to make ramping up production worth the risk. Is that possible?


Everything is possible. However you can't just flip ETA and buy Sellita, Sellita right now can't answer the rising demand of the SW 200 which is the equivalent to the ETA 2824-2.

Sellita movements: http://www.sellita.ch/index.php?opti...mid=22&lang=en

[interested_party]

Sad news, I always liked the creme and black. Great value for money.

Correct me if I'm wrong though, the creme and black were powered by the 2824-2. The same movement as the 365 and 390. Were they a different grade to the 365 and 390? Or has the volume you can get your hands on reduced?

I understand you want to use the available stock in the higher priced watches. Legitimate decision. Do you see this continuing? I.e., will you have to pull the 365 and 390 in a couple of years?

I don't mean for my questions to sound rude. And of course, feel free not to answer them. Just interested.

[skywatch]

Sob... I was saving up for an Antea Creme. Beautiful watch. I hope you can get a new non-ETA source of movements for those soon, or release a similar Bauhaus design near that price someday? I'm a fan.

[brainless]

Hi skywatch,

you can keep on saving - STOWA only stop building the "cheap" Antea.
The better equipped version ( silvered dial, blued hands, German silver rotor Stowa style, etc.) is still on sale:

Antea - STOWA GmbH & Co.KG


Volker