STOWA Takes Inspiration from the Black Forest for Three Exciting Watches

The Black Forest is one of Germany’s most recognizable landscapes. Covering more than 2,300 square miles across Baden-Württemberg, the region of dense woods, dark lakes, and small towns has long been an inspiration for fairy tales — and now for STOWA’s latest series of releases. Using the Black Forest as the backdrop for this collection, the German watch brand has introduced three watches, each inspired by a different natural beauty of the region. From blue natural springs to the bioluminescent glow found in dark forests, the Black Forest series is a celebration of the mystique and natural beauty of its namesake.

The first of the series is the Flieger Verus Black Forest Lagoon, a 40mm pilot’s watch inspired by the Blautopf, one of Baden-Württemberg’s best-known blue bodies of water. The watch uses a black-coated stainless steel case with a matte, glass-bead blasted finish and a black dial. The numerals and minute markers are glossy black, while the pilot’s triangle, hands, and optional logo and date window are finished in turquoise. At night, the black Super-LumiNova gives the numerals and minute markers a restrained blue glow, with the turquoise hands and pilot’s triangle standing out more clearly.

The Flieger Verus Black Forest Foxfire also uses the same 40mm Verus platform, here utilizing green instead of blue. Its inspiration comes from foxfire, the bioluminescent glow produced by fungi on decaying wood in dark, damp forests. STOWA uses this inspiration as the springboard for the watch’s green hands and a matching pilot’s triangle at 12 o’clock. The black numerals and minute markers are also treated with luminous material, giving the dial a subtler green glow at night, mimicking the foxfire in its natural setting.

Both Verus models use a black-coated stainless steel case, sapphire crystal, and open caseback. Movement options include an automatic Sellita SW200, available in either “basic” or “top” grade, as well as a hand-wound Sellita SW210.

To complete the series, STOWA has released the Chrono Black Forest Moon. Built in a 41mm stainless steel case with a black DLC-coated surface, the watch combines a chronograph with a moonphase display, rotating date, and calendar function (all powered by an automatic Valjoux 7751 movement). The dial uses a three-dimensional moon-surface texture, while the moonphase display glows orange-red in the dark, referencing the color of a blood moon during a total lunar eclipse. The numerals, hour and minute hands, small seconds, and rotating date use white Super-LumiNova. 

All three watches are available now through STOWA’s website. The Flieger Verus Black Forest Lagoon and Flieger Verus Black Forest Foxfire each start at 966,39 €, while the Chrono Black Forest Moon is priced at 2.512,61 €.