Steinhart Nav-B Uhr II 44m Automatic... Super flieger for 360€

[Pakz]

In the beginning, there was the Speedmaster... My first horological love... a pilot watch. It took me into the rabbit hole and many other followed. But still, pilot watches...

Then the IWC big pilot arrived. And so I discovered, while researching it, the history and myth surrounding the “Beobachtungs-uhrenâ€, (Observers watches), with their sterile dial, big white hands and markers, very large (originally 55mm)... Everything so that the "observer" in a plane, his eyes fixed to the horizon most of the time, could read the hour (and second) precisely, without loosing too much time for their eyes to accommodate.

The design was mostly fixed by the Luftwaffe and arround 1200 pieces were bought from five different companies: IWC, but also Stowa, Laco, Wempe and A. Lange und Söhne. Having seen the original pieces, the look of the "big pilot" was suddenly too busy for my lust...

So I looked on the internet and found that a certain number of companies were making "homages" to these watches, most of them more accurate (and less expensive) than the IWC big pilot. Stowa and Laco from the original makers... but they had reduced too much their models. And then came Steinhart. This small German business, created and managed by Gunter Steinhart, makes a full range of "fliegers" with ETA movements.

The original B-Uhren had hand wind movements, so the 6497 is quite often used. But the central second is a key feature... As I'm not opposed to automatic (doesn't show, here), the ETA 2824-2 being a solid and quite precise movement... I went for the Nav B II 44mm automatic.

It arrived today!

Now, to the compulsory wristies

And the similarly "must do" lume shot (superluminova C1)

 

[Wiz]

Grats Pakz, awesome watch and awesome value for the money! I'm really into Stowa myself

 

[Pakz]

Thanks, Wiz!
I considered Stowa for a moment, but two things blocked me:
- Their flieger is only 40mm... really too small relative to the original (55mm !).
- For one good third more than the Steinhart, the only thing it offers is that 50m waterproofing, the golden engraving on the ETA... And "name legitimacy"...

However, if you're really into lume, the Stowa is better since it's superluminova C3 (looks greenish in daylight but glows like a torch) vs. superluminova C1 on the Steinhart (real white in daylight, but not as strong as C3)...

If you're in straps... Well suffice to say that Steinhart's straps are really great! Thick, supple, well make and good looking... I'll certainly buy more from him! (Maybe at the same time I get one Ocean GMT... I could do with this when travelling abroad.)

 

[Wiz]

Oh, you'reright, I didn't realized it is so small! That's a shame... I love the finish of their movements on the manual winds.

 

[warpedpig]

Looks fantastic...Steinhart is hard to beat with regards to bang for your buck...I may pick up one of their Big Pilot's in the future. I really like the "Pink Gold" version..hehehe

 

[ochaves]

Any idea if it's possible to order the Steihardts waterprofed from factory (of course paying more $)?

Regards

 

[tommy_boy]

Any idea if it's possible to order the Steihardts waterprofed from factory (of course paying more $)?

Regards

You can ask them. But if it doesn't have a screw down crown, and has a clear case back, I'd not expect much.

Most pilots don't go under water with their watches!

 

[Pakz]

You can ask them. But if it doesn't have a screw down crown, and has a clear case back, I'd not expect much.

Most pilots don't go under water with their watches!

Yes, I expect that the things are a bit waterproof, however, but not enough to really take a hot shower or swim with them...

By construction I suppose that there are no gaskets at the crown, nor (maybe) for the caseback. Even if you added gaskets everywhere with silicone grease, that wouldn't become a diver, it's not designed for it

However, if you want good divers, Steinhart has a full ligne of such watches. Some Rolex-inspired stuff, waterproof to 300m, and their own specific deep diver, the Triton 100ATM, waterproofed to 100ATM... 1000m. I'll probably get myself one of their GMT divers some times in the future... Very convenient for travelling everywhere!

 

[ochaves]

You can ask them. But if it doesn't have a screw down crown, and has a clear case back, I'd not expect much.

Most pilots don't go under water with their watches!

Yes, that's my problem. I'm not a pilot but I love the design of pilots watches and I want to use it as a dealy beater, not worriyng about if it get wet.

For instance, you have the Hamilton Khaki Pilot, which is a pilot watch with good WR (200m). Sadly, I still can't afford the mechanical version.

Regards

 

[Pakz]

After 2 weeks with the watch, I'm back for some additional comments!

- I love it!!! It's stayed on my wrist constantly since I've received it.

- The strap is really nice. At first it smelled a bit of chemicals (certainly the plastic-y substance used for sealing the sides), but not any more. It's supple, nicely finished, and looks great with it semi-vintage surface.

- The watch keeps excellent time. Steinhart doesn't indicate what grade of ETA movement they use in the papers, but it seems it's the Elaborate grade, given for + or - 7 seconds a day in 3 positions. However, against an atomic clock my watch has gained 3 seconds over the 2 weeks I've had it, never drifting more than 2 seconds on a given day... GREAAATT !!

- The crystal is really growing on me. OK, it's AR coated only on the inside so there's some reflections. But it's really clear, and the AR is perfectly colourless and quite efficient nevertheless.

Only (little and anticipated) disappointment: the Lume. Superluminova C1 is OK immediately after charge, but looses it's glow very fast. However, after that quick initial decay, it holds a limited charge that's sufficient for reading in a very dark room for the length of the night.... And, most importantly, it's really of a beautiful pure white in daylight.


Overall, I'm extremely satisfied. It's really a lot of watch for the money... I'm now considering buying another watch from Steinhart... I'm hesitating between the various ocean GMT models... the "normal" Ocean GMT is great but has C1 lume (so not too great). The "vintage" one is great, has C3 lume (the best, even if greenish in daylight), but the bezel is fixed (so only 2 time zones, not 3 like the others)... And the 44mm is a bit large and seems to look a bit "unbalanced"... More expansive too. But has the rotating bezel and the BGW9 lume which is quite white, glows a nice blue in the dark, and comes close second to C3 in terms of "power"...

Anyway, I won't get this watch until September or October, so I've got plenty of time to make up my mind...

 

[Pakz]

that last post needed a pic...
So here it comes!