In Person: Stührling Original Tuskegee Skymaster – $89.99 – $129.00
Overall, Overstock seems to have the lowest prices on these things. Yet the Skymaster featured here was found on BeyondTheRack for $89.99, but that might affect the warranty. This specific color combo is going for $129 on Amazon.
It’s the umlaut. But Stührling Original is as European as Mötley Crüe. Sure, Tommy Lee was born in Greece, but he was moved to California when he was a year old. Stuhrling throws “Swiss” around on their site a lot, but read closely and you’ll notice something’s missing:
At Stuhrling Original, we respect the art and tradition of the Swiss watchmaking legend. All of our fine timepieces are produced with the utmost attention to detail and excellence by making the most of Swiss engineering, Swiss technology, and Swiss artisanship. Our factory is run with strict Swiss supervision with the overriding mission of maintaining the high standards previously set in Switzerland.
That’s a hell of a lot of words, yet none of them combine to say these watches are made in Switzerland. That’s because they aren’t, and that shouldn’t be any shock if you look at the price point. Where are they from? There’s “no made in” stamp on these, so use your powers of deduction. Parts Unknown is perfectly acceptable.
Some Stuhrling’s have gotten just awful reviews online. But they seem to have a winner with their Tuskegee Skymaster series. There’s really only two drawbacks:
- They’re BIG. 46mm. But they do wear a little smaller.
- The Leather band is rigor mortis stiff out of the box.
But that’s it for complaints. It looks terrific, and details like a vertical day window at 6 o’clock, a three date cutout, red tipped hands, and aviation inspired large numerals all add to the styling. The color of the dial’s markings is actually a real vintage looking light cream color. Not white. The crown and stem feel so-so as you move the day and date around, but it doesn’t feel like it’s about to bust either. The oscillating weight swings smoothly, and the crystal is a synthetic called “Krysterna.” It’s hackable, and seems to hold power decently well. Let it sit for a day or so and it didn’t stop or seem to slow.
Automatic, great looking, and a good size for guys with wrists that dwarf a Timex weekender. All for less than The J. Crew Quartz Timex, which is also probably made in China.
Thoughts on Stuhrling as a brand? Anyone with direct experience? Leave it all below in the comments…
Included in the impressive packaging is a 2-year warranty, but you’re on the hook for repair S&H to the tune of $20.
I’m intrigued enough to try….though, after a stellar initial showing, my Orient has lost its phenomenal timekeeping skills. I might be back on the “top quality top dollar” watch train.
I have owned two Stührling watches for about two years now, and have had no problems with them so far, for what that is worth.
I picked up a couple of Stuhrlings from Gilt earlier in the year for $80-$85 each. They look great and have no problems with them, but it is obviously early days…
Intrigued. Have trouble trusting sub 100$ watches, but that one looks slick.
Entry level automatic? Try the Vostok Amphibia for $50-$65 plus shipping. Russian watch that is pure utility but still a good looking diver. A little research shows that the watch nuts love them because they’re reliable and virtually indestructible. Plus, the Cyrillic writing on the face is cool.
I’ve said it in a previous post (about Timex?) that these budget houses make some terrific looking watches, but then spoil it with their brand name. Call me a snob on the Timex but I won’t wear their watches because the word Timex appears.
This is a great looking watch, in fact one of my favorite faces of any sub-$500 watch, but the name Stuhrling…? It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
BTW I bought a Seiko 5 at overstock.com a year or so ago and got the 4 year warranty for very little. So far it’s running perfectly, but if anything goes wrong that thing will be going back for a full replacement.
My experience shows that when a watch fails to indicate a country of origin, it is almost certainly made in China. Not a good thing or a bad thing, just a thing.
I wanna see a pic of a little Timex on someone with a thick wrist, because I’m just weird that way…
I own several Stuhrling watches (all quartz) and have had no problems. They are really well-designed IMO and I get many compliments on them. All were purchased from Overstock.com. I went with quartz over automatics as there are more mixed reviews on the automatics.
joe, how much of these reviewed products do you own? i’d be interested to see your watch collection if you buy all of these
ditto! let’s have a post featuring your personal watch collection.
that band is tuuuurrible.
You’re a snob.
Suprised to see a Sturling on Dappered. Those are met with a lot of negativity in the watch aficionado world. I’m sure they’re good quality, but the major gripe with them is the way they put the word “SWISS” all over their bs ads, when they’re obviously made in China. A made in China watch is completely fine, as is Japanese made watch, etc. But the way they’re marketed is super sleezy. I couldn’t bring myself to wear that thing if it was given to me for free. That watch is about as Swiss as nachos and sushi.
Shame on me for not seeing “Red Tails” in the theater, but movie theaters are so expensive these days. I like the look of this watch, although I’m admittedly not a watch connoisseur.
The difference between a watch made in Japan and China is… the Japanese movement doesn’t make you think it’s Swiss. If you’re buying a watch to look good and not keep accurate time… then buy a Sturhling. If you want automatic accuracy and good looks… then buy a Grand Seiko.
Agreed. Although, if I’m spending $90 to $130 I’d MUCH rather have an Orient.
Two things: 1. Seems pretty accurate for me so far. 2. Pretty sure our price points are a bit different here.
Watches less than a 100 are a big gamble but then again i bought a nice,clean skagen about 2 years ago and works/looks fine
I bought a Stuhrling from Overstock a couple years ago– I had to return it immediately for a replacement because it basically broke in my hands. Same thing repeated again and again, and I finally just asked for my money back after trying several replacements, each breaking in a different way. I wanted so much to love the watch, it was so striking and beautiful, but it the poor quality (and quality control) was really unacceptable.
Agree. $90-130 for a quartz or automatic opens up some doors. I personally would rather have a Seiko Auto or Citizen Eco Drive for $90-$130.
Timex is what it is and I appreciate that. Stuhrling is kind of gross for trying to be expensive and sold at a discount.