Bauhaus design, though never really leaving the spotlight, is certainly in a bit of a renaissance these days, with its focus on stylistic simplicity and function appealing to contemporary audiences just as successfully as it did during its heyday a full century ago. German watchmaker Stowa, however, is taking the history and legacy of the style in a more defined direction, with their latest Antea Classic KS in rose gold and anthracite.
According to the brand, they’ve been making Bahaus-style watches in Germany since 1937, and argue that perhaps the State School of Design (the originator of Bauhaus, which existed from 1919 to 1933) was a more direct influence on watchmakers of the 1930s than previously thought. In celebration of that marriage of influential German design and horology, Stowa has been producing a modernized version of its first Bauhaus watch since 2004. The new Antea Classic KS references continue that tightly-wound history, with new touches to appeal to current trends in watchmaking and design.
Since the original 1937 model wore a copper dial in a chrome-plated case, Stowa has reintroduced a version of that color combination with the new references. Both feature a highly-polished 35.5mm (44.6mm lug-to-lug) stainless steel case, which envelops the sunburst dial in either rose gold or anthracite. Temperature-blued steel hands sweep around the dial, pointing to thin and tall white Roman numerals with no indexes between each hour, giving the dial a very clean, minimalist look. A small seconds subdial sits at the 6 o’clock position, overlapped by the “VI” numeral and also featuring a blue hand.
Inside the Antea Classic KS is a Peseux 7001 hand-wound movement, held in by a screw-down caseback and controlled by the crown at the 3 o’clock position. Two strap options complete the package: a hand-stitched leather strap or a Milanaise polished bracelet, both straddling the 18mm lug width.
Though I’m hardly an art historian or dress-watch expert, the blue hands steal the show, in my opinion, especially set against the rose gold dial, where the contrast is more extreme and visually interesting. Still, the anthracite version brings a necessary gravitas that perhaps better suits the Bauhaus sensibilities that the design originated from back in 1937. Either choice is sure to please fans of the German school of design, and of Stowa’s catalog, and both will likely wear well with cocktail attire, or gallery-attending get ups. With democratic sizing, appealing pricing, and a thoughtfully incorporated history, the Stowa Antea Classic KS in rose gold and anthracite is a worthwhile continuation of the Bauhaus style, and of Stowa’s own legacy.
The Stowa Antea Classic KS in rose gold and anthracite is available now and retails for approximately $ 1,365 (EUR 1,200) when optioned with the leather strap, and $ 1,445 (EUR 1,270) with the bracelet. Stowa
