Stauer Watches Review: Thoughts On An Affordable Watch Brand

Introduction to Stauer Watches

You’d be forgiven for drawing a blank when hearing the name Stauer, especially if you’re not based in the US. You’d also be forgiven as they’re a fairly new company (in watch terms.)

Back in 2002, founder Michael Bisceglia purchased a blue topaz bracelet for his wife at a whopping $1,700! It was only on a later trip to Bali, he came across a jeweller that could not only match the bracelet, but actually improve upon the original for a fraction of the price!

Stauer was born, with the company priding itself on their direct sourcing and in-house crafting of precious gemstones. Following the success of the low-price jewellery pieces, the brand expanded to a vast range of luxury-inspired products including apparel, collectables and even artisan foods. 

But it’s their watch line we’re interested in of course! Covering a breadth of automatic, quartz and digital pieces, the Stauer range has something for everyone. Operating predominantly within the $100-$200 range, they’re up against big names such as Citizen and Tissot. 

We’re going to run through our top 5 Stauer watches, showcasing why they’re up there with some of the best budget watches around, take a look at how the brand matches up against its rivals and explore where you can get your hands on your very own Stauer!

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• Stauer Evergreen Diver
• Stauer Meteorite Watch
• Stauer Centurion Hybrid
• Stauer Graves ’33
• Stauer Titanium Atomic
• Why Stauer?

Stauer Evergreen Diver

The first watch we’re taking a look at is one of Stauer’s many entries into the diving watch market, the Evergreen Diver. Modelled on the popularity of high-end, green-dialled dive watches, the Evergreen Diver matches a gold-plated stainless steel bracelet, case, hands and markings against the deep green face and bezel we’re all familiar with. 

You get all the features you’d expect from an entry-level dive watch, with a decent level of water resistance, large indicators on the bezel and a date window at the 3 o’clock position. If you’re looking for an entry-level dive watch that incorporates modern green dial stylings and performs well in the water, the Evergreen Diver could be a great option for you!

• 44mm Case Diameter
• 14mm Case Thickness
• 19mm Band Width
• Mineral Crystal
• 600ft Water Resistance

Stauer Meteorite Watch

Our second pick from the Stauer range is a watch with a difference, such a difference in fact that we don’t think you’ll find a watch like it on the market. The watch face is made from a fragment of the Muonionalusta meteor; a meteor which came crashing down to Earth thousands of years ago.

This watch isn’t just a gimmick piece for Satuer though, the meteor texture gives the face a unique design style, offering a rough, crisscrossing effect not seen on any other watch out there! This watch is more than just its face though, incorporating features such as a rotating bezel and a date indicator whilst being matched nicely with a brown leather strap! 

• 44mm Case Diameter
• 13mm Case Thickness
• 22mm Band Width
• Mineral Crystal
• Water Resistant to 10 ATM

Stauer Centurion Hybrid

Moving towards something different, the Stauer Centurion is a hybrid piece, combining both analog time keeping with digital date and stopwatch functions. It’s designed to be multi-purpose and rugid with Stauer themselves saying: 

“This watch doesn’t do dainty! Its inspiration should come from things like dirt and axes. Firefighters and belt sanders.”

It combines toughness with functionality well, bringing together a heavy-duty chrome-detailed bezel, LCD backlighting and a tough black cotton band. This watch really is a jack of all trades; not looking out of place on a building site, an office or the sports field. If you’re looking for a watch that brings together hybrid features, a sleek design and robustness, the Centurion might just be the watch you’re looking for at a bargain price! 

• Band Width 24mm
• Case Diameter 47mm
• Case Thickness 17mm
• Mineral Crystal
• Quartz Movement

Stauer Graves ’33

As you’re probably gathering by now, Stauer doesn’t do ‘normal’ watches and this next one is no different. The Graves ‘33 is based on some pretty impressive history. Back in 1933, millionaire Henry Graves commissioned an 8-year-long project to create the most advanced watch of the time. It later sold for $11m and then a whopping $23m at a modern auction. 

With fear of this watch ending up in a private collection, Stauer modelled their Graves ‘33 as a homage to the classic piece. It’s most striking design feature is the oval face, which goes on to combine gold-plated stainless steel with a red/brown leather strap for a classy finish. On the face you’ll find full day, date, month and sun/moon indicators all behind blue hour, minutes and second hands. 

If you like vintage design, this is definitely a piece for you and further enhances Stauer’s unique range of watch designs. 

• Band Width 20mm
• Case Diameter 39mm
• Jewels: 27
• Mineral Crystal
• Kinetic Movement

Stauer Titanium Atomic

To finish our round up of Stauer pieces let’s take a look at their Titanium Atomic watch. Syncing up directly with the world’s most accurate clock, the F-1 U.S. Atomic Clock in Boulder, Colorado, Stauer’s Atomic watch is the absolute height of accuracy!

From a design perspective, the titanium body and bracelet gives it a classic sports watch look and feel with the combination of the digital date display, ‘square-style’ numbers and luminous green markings giving it a digital twist. 

It has a circular dial texture that again gives it a unique look with its titanium construction meaning it’s incredibly lightweight at just 74 grams! If you’re after an accurate sports watch with a bit of a difference, the Titanium Atomic could be the watch for you! 

• Titanium Case
• Mineral Crystal
• Atomic Movement
• Water Resistant to 3 ATM
• Highly Accurate

Why Stauer?

At the start of this article we mentioned some big-name rivals within the budget watch market, so we thought we’d take a brief look at how Staur matches up! 

Stauer vs Citizen

Citizen are most well known for their Eco-Drive movement, utilising day-to-day light capture to keep their watches moving. If solar power is influencing your buying decision, Stauer will leave you empty handed as they don’t sell any solar watches. But Stauer do have a great range of different movement types covering quartz, automatic, kinetic & digital so you have far more variety! 

Stauer vs Casio 

Another big contender at this price point is Casio. Famous for their G-Shock range, Casio are the best option if you’re looking for something tough and reliable. Like Stauer, they sell a number of different ‘hybrid’ options, combining analogue hands and digital displays well. If durability is your leading buying decision certain items in the Staur range might serve you well, such as the Centurion, but Casio will be your safest bet! 

Stauer vs Tissot

On the dress watch side of things, Tissot are a great choice at the higher end of the $100-$200 range, offering great quality swiss models. As we’ve seen during this roundup Stauer also offer a range of dress watches suitable for more formal occasions. If your primary concern is the movement and build quality, go for Tissot! But, if you want a dress watch that stands out, like the Graves ‘33, Stauer might just be the brand for you! 

To Finish Up…

So despite their relative infancy, Stauer offers a really diverse watch range and can compete with established names in the budget market. 

What really stands out with Stauer is their unique design style ,with watches like the Meteorite and the Graves ‘33 offering unique twists you’re unlikely to find anywhere else on the market! Given their budget status, don’t expect Rolex levels of quality, either inside or out, but as a day-to-day beater with a bit of a twist, Stauer could be right for you! 

As always, why you’re here why not check out the latest luxury watches we’ve got in stock by heading over to the Watch & Bullion store now!