One cannot begin to review the Stowa Antea Kleine Sekunde without first taking a look at the Bauhaus school of design. Dating back to 1919, the Bauhaus movement began when Walter Gropius opened the physical Bauhaus school in Weimar, Germany. Bringing together art, design, craft, and functionality, the Bauhaus movement produced some of the most memorable designs in recent history and to this day, whether it’s the White City of Tel Aviv or the latest Apple product, the Bauhaus design philosophy remains far-reaching and pervasive.

In the watch world, the Bauhaus influence is undeniable, especially when it comes to German watchmakers who, when compared to their Swiss counterparts, prefer cleaner designs to bling and excess. Stowa, founded in 1935 by Walter Storz, is one of those brands, and it has followed a Bauhaus-influenced design philosophy for most of its existence.
Today, Stowa is under the helm of veteran watchmaker Jörg Schauer, who developed Stowa’s current lineup by tapping into the brand’s history, bringing back updated versions of beloved designs like the Flieger series and the Seatime. Though not as talked about as their sportier models, Stowa’s Antea line – influenced by a design found in the Stowa archives dating back to the 1930s – is a true Bauhaus gem, with the Kleine Sekunde silver-dialed model anchoring the collection. So, how does Stowa’s Bauhaus inspired entry stand up? Let’s find out.
At first glance I thought this was a Nomos! I feel Stowa stole the design from them and slightly adapted it… But that may just be my thinking here.
The design of the dial originally came from A.Lange:
http://www.clubnomos.de/images/sonst/gw_01.jpg
The design of the dial isn’t the exclusive design of any watchmaking company. It probably emerged in the first half of the twentieth century in the Pforzheimer dial industry.
Stowa FAQ
http://www.stowa.de/lshop,inline,138556650732532,en,1385567741-12888,,FAQ,75,,.htm
And Stowa did produce an Antea-like watch in the 30s.
Timeless beauty! It was worth wainting for one for half a year in my case… It was only minus buying one: WAITING. 100% agree with your opinion abuot the crown – wisely designed!
Great looking watch that I’ve had on my ‘want list’ for a while. It’s also an attribute that it’s the correct size for thin wristed people like me who really don’t like the wrist monsters or bling.
I’d love to see a comparison reivew of this Stowa and the Nomos Tangente.
Despite the different price points, I agree, that would be a great read!
Thanks for the excellent breakdown!. I’ve always been on the fence about buying one and this definitely helps sway things.
im wearing mine right now 🙂 waiting time felt like ages
maybe i should get one of those horween straps
I want to buy one for my own Antea KS. Where can I buy the Horween shell cordovan strap featured on this review?
The horween shell cordovan strap seen here is from fluco, which can be found through a number of e stores.
Thank you!
Absolutely beautiful watch from a great company. I’m still waiting for my Stowa flieger to be delivered, but I am seriously considering buying this too.
You guys should do some Stowa video reviews.
I too would like to see a comparison between the Stowa Antea KS and the Nomos Orion.
They’re very similar the Nomos is twice the price. A direct comparison by the same reviewer would be helpful.