The Best Flieger Under $500?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
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I love a flieger, and this one is really rather good for the money. Spec it your way, built to order, hand finished, Made in Germany, classic looks, less than $500USD? Obviously it doesn't have the lineage of a Stowa or a Laco, but how much is that worth to you? Double? It makes a very strong case for itself and I'm keen to sample something else from the company. Cheers, Jody
If you order after July 1 the german VAT is reduced from 19% to 16%, so you can save a little by waiting.
That's a spectacular service information for a Dane! (25% here).
you are a saint
Don't expect too much, most of the profit will be taken by the dealer, experts say that you might save 2%
Irrelevant for UK/USA buyers as we are not in the EU, but thanks.
If you're looking for a flieger, that's a pretty darn difficult watch to pass over!! Made in Germany, Swiss movement, thermally blued hands, domed sapphire, choices galore... I think they've hit the nail on the head with this one!
Edit: And the strap dimension change is 100% perfect.
You basically summarized the video instead of leaving a comment lol
@@martinc.720 I'm considering starting a new watch enthusiast's blog where instead of creating my own content, I just summarise JOMW's videos... think it'll take off?? 😂
... Perhaps with the hearing impaired?😁
Who am I kidding, Jody's Scottish accented "Helllooooo!" is 95% the success of this channel!
Jody: Hello!
Me: SOLD
I just received my Dekla flieger (type A) few days ago. Stunning watch, well finished. And the movement (eta 2801 manual winding) is very accurate: -1s/day!
Wow that's really good
i just bought type b 44" but i have doubts jajajaja do you still use this watch?
@@EARP87 yes, I still use it
After a year, how do you find it? :)
After over a year, I still find it a stunning watch. Accurate and beautiful. I would buy it again.
That case back cracks me up... that is possibly the most German caseback ever. Here's the brand, your spec, nice legible columns no frills, just here ya go!
This could be the watch I have been waiting for. Well done Dekla, and thanks for the video.
Wow, I had not heard of this brand. I honestly find this more appealing than spending $1K on a (admittedly beautiful) Stova or saving and getting a Miyota movement Laco. I love all the customization options too. Thanks for letting us know about this one.
The misalignment of the studs compared to the stitching on one side of the strap would drive me crazy.
I have the bronze Type A San Martin with the blue sunburst dial, sub seconds at 6, the price was a high priority for me but I happened to think this was the most beautiful version I'd seen & that was good enough for me. It's a stunning bit of kit, I'm very happy.
Archimede is an excellent choice for a German flieger, as well. The Ickler cases are absolute top notch. Impressed that DEKLA got the lume pattern correct from the original 55mm iterations from the 1930s.
I have several Archimede watches. They're beautifully made, but their flieger, while very nice, cannot be ordered without the "Archimede" name on the dial. This is just not right for a flieger, and kills the deal for me.
@@scottparis6355You can get their pilot watch without their logo
Nice to see more Dekla videos on TH-cam. Thanks for the review!
Last year I picked up the Aristo 3H80 type B German made Ronda movement flieger from Mark at Longislandwatch (about $135) and I am happy with it. Next flieger for me will be either the Citizen Nighthawk or the Seiko Flightmaster. After that I may consider a Stowa or Messerschmitt or a Laco - although this may be gorgeous replacement for those options. If I want a traditional flieger I would want a German one for the lineage.
I love the German Fliegers, and this Dekla certainly is appealing. I own a Laco, which I bought from Mark at LIW on Black Friday sale, and I always appreciate the heritage that it brings, albeit with a Japanese Miyota movement. Stowa and IWC are my grail Fliegers but far beyond my affordability, so Laco hits the spot for me.
After I saw this review, I bought this watch 42mm. And it finally was delivered it today. I am satisfied for quality. I want to say thank you for your recommendation.
Im all over their website like a rash now 😂 i've fallen in love with them! I cant belive how different they look when you change the strap colour! I want one 😂
The proper blued hands do it for me.
You are right, I wasnt expecting that at $500
You can hardly tell it's got blued hands against that black dial
@@MyAlan999 yeah the light has to be right. But when it is it looks much better than paint.
Anthony Coates - can’t believe someone else noticed that! 👍🏼 me too!
Nice watch! I’d have it. I took a different direction for my flieger. I ordered a sapphire display back case, dial, thermally blued hands, crown, a decorated ETA 6497-1 movement from Switzerland (all parts)and an original pattern strap from Germany. I made it myself. It was a fun process. It’s as unique as a flieger can be and I’m pretty sure it’s better than most. It cost me about $600 but I didn’t waste money on branding and I didn’t feed the pirate/slave factories in China. Win win! This Dekla seems like a very good option for those that don’t want to take the long way around.
Where did you order from?
Mythicregard, it’s an ebay store in Arch, Switzerland. B_line55cc is the seller.
Dekla is great value for the money. I've had my 42 mm Type B Old Radium for about a year and it's still my "go-to" daily. For a Flieger, it's more about hitting all the design marks and specs rather than what you can add to an already established design and they do get a lot right. It's rugged, super legible, accurate...and those thermally blued hands. I also went for the FL23883 engraving because if you're gonna go Flieger, might as well go full Flieger. Nice review!
An interesting alternative would be the Laco Aachen for 340 Euros. No ETA but a Miyota movement and 5 instead of 10 ATM water resistance, but saphire crystal and also type B. Plus, you get a proper heritage and it's also made in Germany. I think I'd go for the Aachen, as I'm as budgety as it gets, I don't have any problems with a Japanese movement instead of a Swiss one and I don't need any fancy shmancy case options. :)
Yeah, I reviewed the Aachen a while ago and liked it. The Miyota is not in the same league at the ETA in this one, but it has the lineage in spades. Cheers!
@@JustOneMoreWatch True, there are worlds between the two movements. But honestly, on a daily basis, a proper regulated Miyota 8000 series is fine for me. Looking forward to the next video!
Really authentic looking watch! I was seriously considering on of the Laco’s or Stowa. For this price I think I’d go this way. Nice watch!
same here mate
Thanks for the recommendation! Bought two, one for me and one for my son. We did a "Guys" trip to Germany last year, and looked at watches while there but didn't find anything that felt quite right. These are great. They took a couple months to arrive, but it was well worth the wait.
I just pulled the trigger on the Laco, 39mm basic pilot watch. I chose because of price, it's just going to be a weekday/work watch. I love the ease of reading the dial, i hoping the lume impresses me.
Interesting. Thank you. I have an Archimede flieger. You might ask why ... well, I thought their modern interpretation of the flieger looked better than the affordable ones from Laco and Stowa and I wanted a watch I could use to tell the time with ease. I ditched the (nice) original strap for a good mesh. Perfect.
Had Dekla been on my radar (he heheh) I would have seriously considered one. Their blue dial variants look great - and the thermally blued hands do too.
To anyone considering a flieger - get the thermally blued hands. You will enjoy them. Really.
I own a couple of flieger watches and for my tastes you really want one a bit larger than 40mm unless you have a very small wrist. I just don’t think they look right at 40mm. The originals were a whopping 55mm. While that size is totally impractical for anyone not wearing one over your flight jacket, I do think they need to be a bit larger than you otherwise might wear. Mine are 43 and 44. Of the two I own one is an auto and the other hand wind. Of the two I enjoy the hand wind much better. Again the originals had hand winding movements so it just gets you a bit closer to the original and such a big crown just begs for a hand wind movement. The Dekla just seems to be an amazing watch for the price as they aren’t much more expensive than the Chinese ones and you get a lot more plus customization.
This is what I kept telling people about.
Instead, most will want a Flieger that is 40mm or even 36mm.😅
A Flieger less than 40mm, or 39mm is called a “dress watch”. 😅😅😅
We can consider 38mm but 38mm is the Dirty Dozen size. So really, getting a less than 39mm Flieger is just a dress watch, or call it a Bauhaus if you will. 😊
Good review. The badly placed rivets on the buckle side of the strap would bother me. It shouldn't have made it past QC.
That is a stunner. Really like the looks of this one. I will add this to the list.
Thanks Jodi.
All my Fliegers and Glycine Airmans have 22mm lug widths. Also the Laco, while not as customisable, offers models in two diameters as well as A and B dials for 410 USD each list.
Very nice flieger. I have a Geckota flieger and it is very nicely finished with a ETA-2824. Only two dial types and on case size so this Dekla is a good all around option. I like shorter L2L too!
Thank you for a great review Jody - another option is Stowa occasionally has sales - this week they had the Flieger Classic 40 for ~$500
Big flieger fan, sad that I sold my stowa 40mm. What I loved about that is the lumed seconds hand. That is the only thing that Dekla is missing unfortunately. I recently got the san martin 39mm pilot watch(150$ shipped) and has fantastic lume but also none on the seconds hand :(. The san martin also had those sharp point lugs tips, very annoying i had to sand it down.
I do love Fliegers. Especially the Type-B dial style. Even though this is cheaper than other Fliegers it's still a bit too expensive for me. So I picked up the 'Escapement Time' Flieger Type-B instead. I'm really impressed with it for the money too. Bar the movement, obviously, it's pretty similar to this one.
Too expensive for me too.
Hello Jody.
That was not at all half bad with all the options, love the blued hands.
Now, as I am in Sweden it feels almost like a roadtrip over the weekend to pick one up in Germany.
Maybe not due to budget restraints.
Today I'm rocking my Seiko SRPC85K1...... I'm loving this watch. For now.
I think this is the best value watch to ve featured in your channel, Awesome
Great looking classic watch. I was bummed to see that in barely over a year and a half since you posted your video that the prices are over a hundred dollars up in cost. Nice watch though, but I'm having a difficult time justifying buying one as much as I like them. Gotta give it some more thought. Thanks for the video!
I'm really impressed by value proposition this watch represents over Laco and Stowa. Thanks for sharing!
Lovely looking watch! I agree definitely need to get a Flieger in the collection 🤙🏻
I just bought a PT5000 powered Escapement Time Type B. Really well finished. 42mm, great lume. Just over £100… I reckon that’s possibly your best bet, even more so than the San Martin…
Perfect! Always fancied a flieger. Sweet spot for size, price and value for me.
Great video! Which video did you do on a “44mm flieger “?
I'm very tempted! Especially since I love the look of the blue dial with the old radium style lume! It's also at a price where I feel comfortable trying it out to see if I want the Laco eventually.
Never been too crazy about flieger watches, but if I had to pick one this would be it. Their website and choices are very good. But what really caught my eye is their "Tactical" watches...very nice! Thanks for introducing a brand I wasn't aware of...and another great vid!!
Excellent review, I hope they take your feedback about the sharp spots. That said I love what Dekla are doing here.
I do like the Stowa and the Laco but you're right...that is a steep mark up for those names. This is much more palatable!
I love the look of these Jody!!! There is soooooooo much dial though!!!! Looks too big on my wrist I reckon! Love the beadblasted case!!! The crown is sweet to!!!!! I have a Hammy Cooper I just don’t wear because it’s big!!, reality it’s not but looks it!;) I like the Laco39 . Great video !!
I'm will probably go with a Stowa Flieger Type B with date and hand-winding movement! This combination is something you don't see very often. But Dekla is very great value, look also at Archimede Uhren, also from Germany!.
This one would be my choice of Flieger watch. Laco was and still is my grail flieger, but this one hits the spot, for real.
I bought one of these, (although mine is a Type A). It's easily as good as a Stowa or Archimede.
(mine was US$600.)
Bur be aware, it took two months from order to delivery.
Edit: Mine has 20mm lugs, and all the edges are nicely finished; no sharp edges.
I think this is the way to go for B-uhren. Perfect balance of quality/price. If you want an actual war-time watch I would look for a 1930s Helvetia pilots watch. They did them in 41mm (and let’s face it who can carry off a 55mm original B-uhr) and they usually have a rotating bezel and those lovely war-time painted numerals that you get on old Zenith Specials but usually much cheaper.
I love type B Fleigers!! I had hoped for a Laco, but the prices keep going up, so I’m thinking this might be my answer. How good was the build? You’ve handled them all, can you tell a difference between this one and the top German brands? How large a wrist will it fit?
I’m waiting for the sponsored content alert......ah there it is Jody doesn’t disappoint LOL. Thanks mate at least you save me from scrolling through the entire horological universe.
Atm there is a San Martin flieger type B with nh35 on a leather strap for 103$ after discounts which sounds pretty tempting and i might buy one. 100$ for SM is super good deal on it's own.
This looks great. Thermally blued hands. Many custom options. Swiss movement. 20mm lugs/strap. What's not to like? I have smaller wrists and like smaller watches especially ones that are all dial as I think those look larger on wrist. Think this might look like a plate on mine. I'm tempted by this nonetheless.
I’m between this, the Laco Aachen, or a San Martin. This Dekla is a serious contender!
For the price, you can't beat it! I like my laco, but for 500 euros you can't beat it!
It's as if they'd been reading my mind. 40mm option ... faux-thentic Luftwaffe/RLM engravings on the side and back (plus no silly see-through caseback), multiple colour-options for the dial and hands, Swiss auto and a very reasonable price. I think I could live without the lineage here, especially since all those LW-watches more or less look the same when it comes to the basic design. Thanks, Jody... this one is definitely going in the "to buy" bookmarks-folder. :)
Love the watch, thanks for another great informative video
Love it and the price is great! Display caseback is my preference though
It looks like the rivets on the strap are decorative only as they don't go all the way through the strap plus on the 12 o'clock side they are misaligned which would drive a watch guy crazy.
Gorgeous watch. Thank you 🙏
Spooky. Nice review Jodie. My San Martin with bronze case arrived yesterday. I love it. It's currently sitting in the kitchen in a zip lock bag with a hard boiled egg. Cost £130 in the Ali Express sale. My moans and niggles are only that I wish there was a bit of a dome on the crystal and I wish it had an onion crown. I have a complaint with you though Jodie. My wife is next to me as I watch this video. I told her it was a real cheapy, way less than even the £130. I had to quickly turn down the volume as you went on to talk about the price of the San Martin. I think I got away with it, and she wont read this.😄
AHAHAA! I quickly turned down the volume,,, Hahahaa!
Great review as always, I like Flieger's a lot but have not picked one up yet will think about this one
I am trying to reduce my collection, but only manage to add watches after watching your videos :D
I am very impressed with their watch offerings, they have also really nice Panerai military look-alike watch as well.
Looks like I found my next Flieger watch :D I think Dekla has a great mix of good price and quality.
A lovely Flieger there, Jodie.
I personally would pass and save up for the Stowa Bronze Flieger. That watch really is sensational.
Having said that the Dekla will find plenty of owners at that price/spec.
I think this is a great Flieger since it is made in Germany and can be customised to your liking! Might not have the historical link but has all the proper looks. Cheers
Wristwatch Check. The Seiko SNK 809 on steel. Its a Flieger Type B. 100% Fleiger looks and lovely silver on black. $100 USD or thereabouts. Not rare . Just went to the cupboard to get a beer. Lingered to admire the lume. The only non Fleiger detail is thats its small sub 40mm. Suits me though . All the best everyone . Richard
Gorgeous watch. I'd buy the cheaper Laco Basic Bielefield with the longer power reserve movement option though.
Those blued hands are amazing, looks well worth that price!
I still prefer the Stowa Classic Flieger no logo, no date, handwind.
They just had a sale where they sold used watches at reduced prices. I was too slow to grab one. Hella bad day
you can choose the movement and the finishes of the watch on their site.
I'd go for the Geckota, the price with the 100m and the practicality is the winner. I do prefer this one you are reviewing to the Laco and Stowa options though.
Very nice, Jody! If I ever decide to go flieger, I know where I’m going to get it.
San Martin and other Asian Specials - Wouldn't waste my time and money.
Budget-range Laco - Wouldn't waste my time and money
Dekla - Best cost to value flieger in the affordable zone. When you just want a flieger for kicks.
Archimede - Doesn't have the value of a Dekla or the reputation of a Stowa.
Stowa - When you're serious about a flieger but want some modern design touches.
Mid to high range Laco - When you're serious about a flieger and want something as reasonably close to a reproduction as possible.
IWC - When you're a stockbroker from Frankfurt and need good legibility for something next to your Porsche keys.
I appreciate the concision of your comment, but please elaborate on what's lacking from the budget Lacos.
@@Mythicregard Mainly the low-grade Miyota movement inside but also non-blued hands and some non-historical touches on the dial. Dekla is better value here.
Great value, I prefer the solid case back on a fleiger.
Great sales pitch for Dekla towards the end 👍. Nice watch. I'd be going for one of the more affordable Laco's that would more than scratch the itch. However this is certainly not a bad watch at all and I'm sure whoever gets one will enjoy
Probably the best fleiger you can buy from the sound of it. If those were more my kind of watch I'd get this one for sure
You do a great job mate. Keep it up!
Thanks mate!
You should check out steeldive fliger from aliexpress. I paid for mine about 85 dollars on sale. With steeldive you get 39 mm case, 200m water resist, good lume, NH35 and sapphire with some blue AR coating. Also case is well machined. Cant go wrong with this.
I agreed that most fliegers look similar, however, there are 2 features that set them apart. The first is hand proportions. Most better brands get the hour and second hands right. Meaning that reach to the very edge of their respective markers. However, only a few get the minute hand right. Most have a thick dark edge around the lume area. This makes the minute hand appears short since you can't see the blued or black edge most of the time. This Dekla is too thick. Laco's is perfect. Escapement Time is pretty good too. The second definitive feature is case shape. Well, here, Laco takes the cake. Nobody else does it more authentic than those straight lugs.
Check out the Hruodland Flieger. I just got one and it has these and more for under $200. Amazing value.
Great Flieger. Love the visible second hand !!!
Jodi, you need to check out Geckota's Type-B. Same specs as this (sapphire, ETA, thermally blued hands) but with a really impressively finished case and some great dial options that differentiate it from the same old matte black dials like this (I had a gorgeous sunburst grey dial version). I think it is truly the best in this range. Better scale with 20mm lugs, too.
I like the Dekla but I'll steer you towards a watch I just purchased: the Helson Squadron.
ETA 2824, 42mm, super thin/lightweight, easily legible with great lume, sapphire, 100m WR, screwdown crown and an Italian leather strap that tapers all for $499 US (I scored it during their recent sale for $424 so an even better buy at that price imho).
I'm still in my honeymoon phase with this watch but it's not going anywhere, it's absolutely amazing and I strongly recommend you look into it.
Thanks for another great review (and I'll be looking forward to your Helson Squadron review in the future)!!
Not really a flieger though, is it?
Totally different watch
@@StuntpilootStef Not a "true" Fleiger with the Type A/B dial perhaps but it is a Flieger style in my opinion.
@@nintendokings See my comment to StuntpilootStef. (Plus, I never said it was a Flieger in my original comment.)
Great review Jody 👍 !
Where’s my Cronos gang at! Shoutout from the Isle of Man in the UK 🇬🇧
You shoul look into the Aristo models, also made in Germany, with Swiss movements, and in a very good price range, of course you won't have the history, but for budget concern ones like me, also Aristo is a very good option
And I just got an A dail.... Many thanks for the tip!
Good review. The Stowa has been on the list for a while and I'd have to think about the movement provided in any alternative, but this looks good, especially at 40mm with a 20mm strap.
There is another good option. Tisell makes some good Fliegers as well. All based on the solid MIYOTA 90S5.
Love it 👍👍👍
Nicely done review, Jody. Very nice. I looked on their website. 40 mil would be a good size for my wrist. As the 42 I tried on from a friend I think it was by Tisell a little too large for me and they seem to be out of stock all the time for their version. I just paid my dental bill and it was more than this watch. So I am broke again. I have just about every kind of watch but not a Flieger. I would love to have one. This is the best I have seen as far as quality and price. Anyway, the price converted from 416 Euros is $468 for price in US dollars today. Guess the dollar is falling, it used to only be a slight difference.
I love a flieger. I've two Laco basic B-types, the Bielefied 39 and the Palermo 39. I also have a Laco Valencia 39, Laco watches are great.
I want to buy a nice A-type for Christmas though. The Dekla A-type is €620 delivered to Ireland. The Stowa classics are €1125 but their modern model the Versus would be €765 delivered and it's beautiful. I can actually get a Laco Originals Heidelberg 39 from an AD for €744 delivered. With Dekla I've much more options. I'd have to pay an extra €150 to Stowa for a handwound movement. I'd spec on a handwound movement and sapphire caseback onto the Dekla and it would cost me €680 delivered so my choices are between that and the Laco. I don't think there's a wrong choice though. They're all amazing watches.
I’d be going for the Laco Aachen 39mm, gorgeous blue dial and in house movement and it’s cheaper and from one of the original 5
I thought it had a Miyota 8000?
Just looked on Long Island watches store it says Laco movement’s, unless they use a miyota and modify it maybe, custom rotor!?
@@matthewbessey681 I can confirm it is a Miyota with a custom rotor. Laco just renames it. Still a fine watch; just not a Swiss movement.
I have been looking at a Dekla for a while. I have a white dial Stowa type which is awesome
I love the look of the Flieger type B and would prefer not to have the heritage - the thought of explaining to my mum what was on my wrist when she was bombed out of her home twice by the Luftwaffe fills me with horror!
Dutch?
I once had a Steinhart Flieger that had the same issue with rather sharp edges on the lugs. (A great watch otherwise)
Do you still like the old radium lume? It looks really orange on their website.
I am swearing off dive watches for now these are just right up my alley
I was considering the Stowa Marine Original with the Unitas movement but recently noticed that Dekla offers a very similar watch for about half the price. This gives me pause. The only thing you don't get on the Dekla vs. the Stowa - at least spec wise - is a swan neck regulator and gold logo engraving on one of the plates.
You should review one of the aristo watches. Also another brand that offers German made affordable watches
Very nice video, as per usual. You make some very good points and it is a real quandary. I'd pay the premium for either the Stowa or Laco, though. Just my $.02. I like to support companies with heritage that are making competitive products. But you are right to highlight the price differential and others would be perfectly justified to view it differently. Horses for courses!
About that heritage...
Nice piece and especially nice to have some choices, alsmost custom-made...anyway, it is still the Laco Leipzig for me for being more historically acurate...the Dekla-case is not fully satisfying...
By the way, having only half of the indexes lumed is acurate as far as I know.
Had a Laco Aachen 42 for a while last year. Felt great, despite the fairly low spec. Wore beautifully, and had bonkers lume. However, shortly after getting it I went off on a diver fad, and I stopped wearing it.
Sold it to fund another diver, but now six months later I'm off my diver fad and have a glaring hole in the collection.
On balance, would probably get another Laco. 300 or so quid I think represents a better waste of money for something that won't get a lot of wrist time.
I just bought a second Laco Aachen for around £250 (first was black dialed and I've ordered a blue one now), which makes it even better value.
Mark Saxby where’d you get it for £250?
@@nintendokings timebyme (French based company)
Great review, the Dekla Flieger has more going for it than the supposedly heritage brands. I got the family to order me a Direnzo Eclipse for my birthday. Looks like the Dekla will be for Christmas. Take a holiday Jody before you bankrupt us.