I have taken for granted the idea of wearing a watch since being an adult. I remember my father getting me a Caravelle by Bulova when I was a kid. I don't remember how old I was or what the occasion was. All I remember was that it was an automatic mechanical watch and it kept great time. Since then I've owned a Seiko with a quartz movement, a Swatch and various LCD Casio watches. The last Casio I owned was too hard to adjust and I gave up wearing a watch.
Recently I've had my eyes looking at automatic mechanical watches again. Money being an issue, keeps me from looking for anything in the Rolex category but I was looking at moderately-priced Hamiltons. Last week I went to Las Vegas with my wife and I saw a watch that intrigued me in the SkyMall catalog on the airplane. It is the Stauer Meisterzeit and it is advertised for only $99.
See the ad from Stauer here.
Okay, some of you will probably question my gullibility after reading the ad, but I actually caught the nonsensical marketing hype and stuck to the things that made me want this watch. I read forums from watch connoisseurs who dogged the quality of "Chinese-made" Stauers to the buyers who likened the watch to the "finest ever made." Here is my review of the watch (so far) and a comparison of the marketing hype to the real thing.
This is part one of my review. I will write part two in a month or so. The watch arrived five days after I ordered it online. It looks like it came directly from Stauer. The box it came in really doesn't remind me of the typical watch box but it is nicer than boxes I've seen. The instructions are presented in a fancy envelope along with a card stating its excellence in reproduction. Supposedly this watch is a reproduction of one made 82 years ago. According to the story one survived and it was meticulously reproduced using 31 million dollar machinery. I cannot verify any of this and I doubt it's true.
The next claim is that the automatic movement is based on a patent from 1923. I did some research and learned that John Harwood patented the automatic movement in 1923 and it was for a "bumper movement" that was used in thousands of Harwood watches and made more famous by Omega watches. Bumper movements have been criticized and have since been replaced by the full 360 degree movements that were made popular by the original Rolex patent in 1930. Fortunately when I received the watch it had a full-360 degree movement. The other thought I had was that if Harwood was the one who made seven of these watches, why didn't he reproduce it when he made thousands of plain-looking watches until his company went out of business?
I have come to the conclusion that the ad is all hype but if one wants a nice looking watch and is careful with it, this watch is rather nice. It is water-resistant down to thirty meters but there is no claim of it being shock-resistant. It only has a thirty-day guarantee, which is something else that bothers me. That's where I did notice reviews. Customers were happy that theirs were still running fine after owning one over a year. I will have to be careful with this watch.
The second hand "sweeps" at five increments-per-second like a Rolex. The face is big but the date window is tiny and the watch is rather thick. None of this bothers me much. The watch face is one of the nicest I've ever seen. The band is genuine leather although I don't think it's fully leather. The band was real stiff when it arrived but it broke in quickly and is comfortable after one day's wear. The side buttons are the right size for my wrist. The watch was running when it arrived but I wound it fully before putting it on. Some have said the wind doesn't last long after the watch is taken off but since it was running when I got it, I don't think it's that bad. I can't rate its accuracy but I will do it at my followup review. It's a mechanical watch so I expect to adjust it on a regular basis.
Overall my first impression of this watch is good. I didn't have high expectations when I bought it so for what it is, it's very nice. I don't like the marketing decision because it's dishonest to call this watch a limited edition and state that it takes six months to make this watch. A $100 watch? Did Stauer get a $500 million loan from the government? It takes six months to make an expensive watch. That's why they're expensive. The intellectual dishonesty of the ad is a turnoff. But don't go by the ad. The watch is very nice and works fine (so far.)
30 day return policy. One year guarantee.
ReplyDeleteHi Gary:
I bought my Meisterzeit almost a year ago, and also thought the guarantee was for 30 days. I broke the crystal (my fault) and went to a local repair shop. They informed me that due to the unique shape I'd have to get the crystal from the manufacturer. I called Stauer, who informed me that they don't carry the parts, however that since I'd owned it less than a year I should simply return it with a note and they'd exchange it for a new one for free. When I asked about the 30 day warranty she stated that was just that you had 30 days to determine that you were satisfied and return for a refund, but the watch was under warranty for a year. That's good new's, but with all of the creative writing they do in their ads, you'd think they would work that in!
Hey Gary,
DeleteI recieved mine as a Christmas present from my mother over 3yrs ago. I've worn it pretty regular and it still works just like the day it came out of the box. I'm thinking of buying another from them. Its a nice watch at a cheap price.