Sternglas Kanton Review - A Great Watch That I Can’t Justify Buying
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Last time I checked out Sternglas, I was left with a really good impression. I reviewed another automatic of theirs, the Naos, which looked great, had good build quality and justified its retail price. Sternglas recently contacted me, offering to loan me out their latest release the Swiss-made Kanton. In several ways, this watch has equally impressed me; however, one factor has pretty much made those irrelevant.
So, let’s run through the size and specs to give you an idea of what this watch feels like.
Your Kanton will arrive in this lovely packaging, featuring a black wooden box. This opens to reveal the watch within.
WATCH SIZE
Sternglas continue their great sizing; this case coming in at a smidgeon under 39mm in diameter (38.8mm). The lug to lug is 44.6mm and the depth is 12.7mm. Overall then, this is quite a compact watch and is similar in size to the previous watch I reviewed, albeit this Kanton does have a slightly longer lug to lug size. As such, this will still suit small to average wrists very well, though might be a tad more wearable than the Naos for those of you with larger wrists. I think this is a great size that doesn’t dominate your wrist and gives a more classic look than some of the huge watches offered by other brands.
CASE
This piece is constructed of 316L stainless steel, which feels of good quality. The case is polished throughout, although it feels slightly plain. While this has the potential to be a really good-looking case, I’d like to see them be a little more experimental and try out some different finishes on certain areas. The crown is also smooth, without any embossing, but functions very well indeed; however, it does protrude more from the case compared to that on its predecessor.
The rear of the case is secured in place by 6 screws, providing a low 3ATM water resistance, which is okay for this style of watch, but nothing special. Essentially, the watch is just splash-resistant. Pleasingly, covering the dial is a piece of double-domed sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. As I recently explained in my beginner's glass guide, this is my favourite type of watch glass. It will keep this watch looking exquisite for a long time. The anti-reflective coating used also does a great job of maintaining the legibility of the dial in direct light.
STRAP
Included in the package is this plush German-made leather strap. This one is a lovely colour and texture, with stitching that suits this watch well. It does seem better quality than that included in the previous Sternglas watch; though given my short loan time with this one, I can’t really comment on the long-term durability of it.
DIAL
That brings us to arguably the most important parts of this watch; the looks and the movement. These microbrands often lack in terms of brand prestige and heritage, so often rely on these factors to give their watches more of a unique selling point. Sternglas watches tend to have that German Bauhaus look and this model is no exception. You have a rather small chapter ring sitting around the edge of this curved dial. Outside of the applied lume pips at every 90 degrees, everything else is simply printed onto the dial. While I understand they are going for that clean look, I would like to have seen a little more craftsmanship here, I think they could have done more with this; maybe with some small applied indices, for instance.
It is to be noted, that when it comes to legibility they have gone for form over function. The hour markers, with their accompanying minute references, are very small; making them tricky to read properly at a glance. I think these are there for visual interest, more than anything else though; so it’s not much of an issue.
The main body of the dial has a silver sheen to it, which looks okay but it’s not quite to my taste. The date window is unusual in the sense that it doesn’t replace the 6 o'clock hour marker but instead is situated directly above it. The date wheel is white, which matches the light tone of the dial rather well. I wonder how this piece would look without this here. The handset is pretty plain and suits the style of this piece, it also features slim sections of lume.
As a whole, I think the watch looks pleasant, but in my opinion, the Naos I previously reviewed has a look that I definitely prefer. The design looks a little more unique and it’s more to my taste.
MOVEMENT
One of the best features of this Kanton is the STP 1-11 automatic movement contained within. This is essentially an improved version of the popular ETA 2824 and is seen in many watches around this price range or even higher. It’s a notable improvement on the Miyota used in the other Sternglas. This caliber moves the second hand along at 28,800 beats per hour. The finishing on this is exemplary, with the custom ‘Sternglas’ engraved rotor being a nice touch. You can expect this to be accurate within 15 seconds per day, usually closer to half of that, with a decent 44-hour power reserve. The same movement is present on a watch I reviewed a while back from The Fifth and I’ll talk about that one in a moment.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE STERNGLAS KANTON AUTOMATIC
So, I think this is a nice watch, but the real question is does it live up to the staggering retail price of £722? When I put this next to the Naos, I really can’t justify the huge price difference between the two. I was a bit taken aback at first when I saw how much they were asking for this watch. £700 is a lot of money to spend on a timepiece, so I was expecting a truly premium watch; unfortunately, I don’t think the aesthetic and finishing are quite there. Unlike with other heritage brands, this watch will also lose a large portion of its value if you ever decided to resell it; so I think you’d really have to love it to part with such cash and unfortunately, I don’t love this watch.
I understand that it’s ‘Swiss-Made’ and contains that great movement, however, I still think that retail price is unreasonable for a brand that most people likely haven’t heard of. If you’re looking for a Swiss-Made, microbrand dress watch with this movement inside, I’d go for the Blue Auto from The Fifth that I reviewed last year. In my opinion, that piece has better finishing and looks more expensive, despite being less than half the cost of this Kanton. Admittedly, you do get a different look, but to me, that just feels like a better way to spend your money. There are other options, such as the famous Junghans Max Bill automatic; which can be acquired for a similar price and will retain its value much better over time.
I’m positive that this would be a much more tempting proposition if it were priced below £400. Imagine if this were £299? Boom, they’d have a winner! Maybe that isn’t possible for the brand, but at the moment, at this price, I can’t recommend this watch to you. I like Sternglas as a brand but I’m not one to particularly care about the ‘Swiss-Made’ label, so I’d be happy sticking to the Naos.
