Stowa

Stowa was founded in 1927 in Hornberg, in Germany's Kinzigtal valley, by Walter Storz — the brand name is formed from his own initials, STOrz WAlter. The company relocated to Pforzheim in 1935 and, in 1937, adopted the pared-back Bauhaus-influenced design language that still defines its watches. From 1939, Stowa became one of only five manufacturers — alongside A. Lange & Söhne, Laco, Wempe and IWC — authorized to build the Beobachtungsuhr (B-Uhr), the large 55mm navigation watch issued to Luftwaffe pilots. The Pforzheim facility on Bismarckstrasse was destroyed during the bombing of the city on 23 February 1945, and production moved to Rheinfelden, where a new headquarters was built in 1951 and expanded in 1954 and 1966. Stowa's modern lineup centers on its Flieger collection, a continuation of the historic B-Uhr design, alongside Bauhaus-styled pieces such as the Antea. The company came under the Tempus Arte group in July 2021, and in 2023 returned its operations to Pforzheim — the city where it spent most of its history — with a manufacturing site and small company museum established in nearby Engelsbrand in 2009.