# Stowa Partitio review



## Bobby75 (Jun 26, 2011)

Hi all,

Picked up my Stowa Partito after the usual few months of wait (as can be seen from my recent photo in the Stowa forum) Today however, I thought I would post a review of not just the watch but the overall experience with buying from Stowa as this is now my second Stowa watch.

My first Stowa was the Antea KS which I picked up last autumn and was pretty impressed with. I always had an eye for the Partitio however and loved some of the posted photos around the internet of this watch and just knew I would pick it up one day.

I placed an order early in the year with an expected delivery date of June (My birthday being in June I thought I would treat myself) As usual there is the wait of a few months which personally I don't mind at all as it gives me a bit of time to put some money aside for the watch and arrange other things. The thing I do like about Stowa is they are very professional in how they deal with you and if you do have a question during the waiting period within business hours you always get a response.

My watch was actually ready a few weeks before the expected date which caught me a bit off guard as I had arranged other things. I contacted Stowa and asked them if they could hold it for a couple of weeks which they did. Again, calm reasonable and professional I just love dealing with Stowa!

Probably the only "Negative" I could possibly say would be I didn't realise it was sent until I got a FedEx e-mail (Now I am being really petty here!) It took about 2 days to arrive in the UK. One other thing I should mention that's a bit different from when I got my Antea KS last year is now when you get your e-mail that your Stowa is ready you pay your money and wait a couple of weeks for dispatch. In the past you paid your money and the watch was sent, no big deal for me but just something to mention.

Anyway the watch arrived in a huge FedEx box and inside the usual Stowa box which personally I love and still have my Antea KS box. From what I understand its based on the old Stowa pocket watch boxes and I love the retro look of it.

My first impressions of the watch were very good indeed, in fact I must confess I have took a bit of a preference to this over the Antea KS. The watch is 37mm but the 10mm case means its bigger than the KS and feels heavier than it too. The round simple case is lovely and I do like the black strap which even though I am sure is the same as the brown one on the KS it feels nicer than it too. I may get a croc strap for the KS in the future (I had intended to wear the original strap on it until it needed a service then send it back to Stowa to change for a croc strap)

Some people have suggested the Partitio is a bit of a military watch. Presumably because of the black dial and lume on hands and numerals. I personally don't see it and too me looks every bit a nice gentleman's watch for daily use. The lume is very powerful though I have not tested it for any period of time nor in any extreme conditions. The best watches I have come across for lume have been my old Pulsar G10, a couple of Seiko's and one of Eddies Precista watches (18Q)

The fact the second hand is long is also nice. I hate those stubby seconds hands in the centre I almost wish they hadn't bothered you need a seconds hand that goes to the case edge it just makes it more accurate.

I chose the automatic option though I know hand wind is available. I didn't go for this as the dial has "automatic" on it so I thought having a hand wind movement inside would make it a bit daft. In spite of worry about smudges on the dial I chose black over white as I didn't like the "vintage" look of the lume on the white. Had they chosen normal colouring I may have changed my mind. Also the black one is in the Stowa museum so this looks more faithful to the original. I prefer that there is no date on the watch, it makes it more of a casual watch and I do think these days, a date is a bit redundant on a watch and is just another thing to potentially go wrong.

All in all I have been very impressed with this watch. I was planning on wearing it today to a family photo shoot with my son but my wife insisted on the Antea KS. The watch goes very well with a nice casual jacket or shirt or even a suit. Aside from following orders I chose the Antea today over the Partito because I was wearing a blue tie and a summer jacket and the silver dial and flame blue hands looked a better combination!

Don't be put off by the supposed small size of the watch, I am 6ft 2 and it certainly does not appear small on my wrist.

Just one photo for now (Because of the larger polished case its a nightmare to photograph!) I will try and take a few more later.


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## Churlish (Oct 9, 2013)

Great choice and a wonderful write-up. The Partitio is such a beautiful watch. Enjoy it in good health!


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## hidden830726 (Oct 23, 2013)

Wear in good health. Thanks for the review

But this thread seriously deserve More pics.

Edited: More pics instead of My pics


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## flappylove (Mar 25, 2010)

A real beauty the Partitio. For reference the handwinding doesn't say automatic on it, obviously that would be daft. It says 'Handaufzug'.
And as someone has posted previously there are original white dial versions dating back also so both black and white have historical relevance.
Nice write up, both versions are special.


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## Michael81 (Apr 11, 2014)

Great write up, great watch. This may well edge out the Antea for me. It's too close to call.


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## Rattrapante Pete (Sep 5, 2013)

Great post, OP, thank you. I have both the black auto and the white HW - the ONLY complaint I have about either is that the crown is verging on being too small for hand-winding (another poster cited this as the reason he sold his). For the black one this is not a real issue - the 2824 doesn't need to be wound often if I'm wearing it regularly. And the white one I can manage. But I'm young. Will I still be as happy about cranking that crown when I'm 70?

Regardless, I have been wearing my Partitios almost exclusively since I got them (in rapid succession a month ago). They are handsome, discreet, and versatile watches. I am seriously considering selling a few watches on the basis these two have taken over most of the rotation - the white is beautiful, and the black even more so, and they go with all my outfits. Argh.


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## brainless (Jan 3, 2008)

Referring to his review I sent a PM to _Bobby75_.
He asked me to publish this PM - so here it is:



> Hello Bobby75,
> 
> congrats on your fine new watch!
> 
> ...


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## Kid_A (Mar 2, 2014)

great watch.


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## Bradjhomes (Jun 18, 2011)

Nice review. Probably the Stowa I lust after the least, but it looks good nonetheless


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## Bobby75 (Jun 26, 2011)

Hi Volker,

Yes, I think your PM would be useful to anyone else considering buying the Partitio and unsure over the black or the white.


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## Francois Boucher (Feb 15, 2006)

WR is 5 Atm. Does that watch have a screw-down crown?


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## StufflerMike (Mar 23, 2010)

No.


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## Fikk (Jul 3, 2013)

Nice pick. I'm wearing the black handwinding Partitio at the moment and can't get enough of it even though it had less wrist time since I bought an Antea a month ago.


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## brainless (Jan 3, 2008)

Fikk said:


> Nice pick. I'm wearing the black handwinding Partitio at the moment and can't get enough of it even though it had less wrist time since I bought an Antea a month ago.


Why?
You've got two attractive watches and you've got two wrists, haven't you!?

Volker ;-)


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## CM HUNTER (May 16, 2011)

Definitely comes across as more of a gentleman's field watch to me. Not dressy, but still unpretentious and dignified. I would run with that premise and get the black auto version as well. Great looking, simple, vintage appeal. What's not to love about a Partitio?


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## Mike2 (Mar 15, 2013)

Rattrapante Pete said:


> Great post, OP, thank you. I have both the black auto and the white HW - the ONLY complaint I have about either is that the crown is verging on being too small for hand-winding (another poster cited this as the reason he sold his). For the black one this is not a real issue - the 2824 doesn't need to be wound often if I'm wearing it regularly. And the white one I can manage. But I'm young. Will I still be as happy about cranking that crown when I'm 70?
> 
> Regardless, I have been wearing my Partitios almost exclusively since I got them (in rapid succession a month ago). They are handsome, discreet, and versatile watches. I am seriously considering selling a few watches on the basis these two have taken over most of the rotation - the white is beautiful, and the black even more so, and they go with all my outfits. Argh.


I am considering one now and it is great to hear from someone who has both. Do you find that the watch wears large given the lugs and dial? I have a 6.75" wrist and prefer pieces on the smaller side.


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## Unce_Turbo_997 (Oct 18, 2010)

Great review Bobby75. Hodinkee just did an excellent review of the Partitio black auto as a "value proposition."


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## hoplite (May 11, 2014)

A few points based on my new black auto. It's slightly small on my 7" wrist, so should be perfect on 6.75". The crown and manual winding feel aren't optimal, but they don't need to be on the auto. No doubt it's a value proposition, and that aspect can be enhanced (especially if you're buying it as a keeper) by ordering with a top grade movement. I had 1.9 SPD best fit rate out of the box for the first week, worn 24-7 except for showers. See daily rates below. The only complaint with mine is the second hand, which is not well finished and sometimes hard to see, but it's not bad enough to warrant a trip back for correction. All other aspects are exceptional for the price.


1.0​1.1​2.0​3.2​1.8​1.8​1.5​


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## IRBilldozer (Feb 17, 2013)

Partitio has been a hot topic lately all over the place it seems. Those Hodinkee photos made the watch look much more amazing than any photos I had seen before. That article was so persuasive that I canceled my Marine Auto and had the order changed to a black Partitio which I had been considering before.


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## flyingpicasso (Jun 28, 2010)

IRBilldozer said:


> Partitio has been a hot topic lately all over the place it seems. Those Hodinkee photos made the watch look much more amazing than any photos I had seen before. That article was so persuasive that I canceled my Marine Auto and had the order changed to a black Partitio which I had been considering before.


You realize you are still going to want the Marine eventually, right? There is definitely room for both in a collection. Is the wait time any different since you changed?


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## IRBilldozer (Feb 17, 2013)

flyingpicasso said:


> You realize you are still going to want the Marine eventually, right? There is definitely room for both in a collection. Is the wait time any different since you changed?


Yeah you are right I may make it back to the Marine some day. But for now my Tangente more than takes care of my blued steel fix. No difference in wait time. They were both dud in mid October according to the site and I had only placed my order about a week ago.


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## flyingpicasso (Jun 28, 2010)

IRBilldozer said:


> Yeah you are right I may make it back to the Marine some day. But for now my Tangente more than takes care of my blued steel fix. No difference in wait time. They were both dud in mid October according to the site and I had only placed my order about a week ago.


Oh, yeah, with a silver dial Tangente and a black dial Partitio you are good to go. I actually did something similar--I bought my silver dial Marine, then black dial Nomos Club to add some variety. I'm very glad I went that route. You will too, no doubt. (I see you have a Damasko too...very nice!)


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## Nokie (Jul 4, 2011)

Very good review and pictures. Very informative.


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