Tutima, founded in 1927 by Dr. Ernst Kurtz, is a high-end luxury brand known for making high quality, reliable, and durable watches. Based in Glashutte, Germany, Tutima is a known competitor of high-end Swiss brands.
Design/Size
The Airport Chronograph is a modern take on Tutima’s Classic Chronograph. The watch has a 43mm diameter and a height of 16mm. This makes the watch more suitable for a person with larger wrists. The case is made of stainless steel. On the right side of the case, you will find two function buttons and the crown. The Two buttons operate the Chronograph. The top button starts and stops the chronograph and the bottom button resets the chronograph. These two buttons are very stiff and hard to push, just as you would expect to find on a high-end chronograph. Tutima added this extra function to allow this watch to be worn for diving. The screw down crown operates the time, date, and also winds the watch. This watch is able to be worn up to 20 atm.
On the left side, you will find the word Chronometer engraved in the case, this timepiece is an Officially certified German chronometer according to DIN norm 8319.
The bezel on the watch has the bidirectional rotation, you will also find a luminous marking and a red paint strip at the top of the bezel. You will find a numeric marker at 10-minute intervals on the bezel and you will find hash marks on the five-minute intervals. I am very fond of this bezel. It has 60 clicks and is very tight and sturdy, making sure that it stays in place. The watch has a domed sapphire crystal which is anti-reflective, protecting the dial. The watch has an exhibition case back which has a gear-like appearance.
The dial is a velvet black color. There are 3 hands. Hour, minute and second for the chronograph. You will find 13 hashes, One hash at every hour. At 12o’clock you will find a double hash. These hashes and hands are all luminous. When looking at the dial, you will notice 3 sub dials. These are placed below 12 o’clock, next too 9 o’clock, and above 6 o’clock. The subdial at 9 o’clock displays seconds for the actual time. The other two sub dials are for the chronograph. They are the 30-minute counter and the 12-hour counter. The 12-hour subdial has white hash markers at every hour with red numbers and a red border. When looking at the 12-hour subdial you will find that 1-5 and 7-11 hours are on the outside of the dial, while 6 hours is inside the dial. You will also notice that the 12-hour marker is an arrow. Below the 12-hour counter you will find that it says “Made in Germany” between 5 and 7 o’clock. The dial also has a date display. This date display is directly next to 3 o’clock. Next to this date display you will find Tutima’s logo.
Tutima Movement
The Airport Chronograph has a Cal. Tutima 320 movement. This is an automatic movement chronograph with hand winding as well. You will find the movement has 25 jewels and polished screws. When looking through the exhibition case back you will find an antique grey rotor with a gold seal. When this watch is fully wound, it will have a power reserve of 44 hours. When on the wrist you can feel the rotor moving around, although it is very subtle. The watch has a sweep second counter which looks very smooth to the eye.
Craftsmanship
- Straps/Bands:
The Airport Chronograph has 3 different strap choices. The first is a stainless-steel bracelet. This bracelet has a folding clasp. The second strap is a Leather strap with a folding clasp. The strap is a black leather with white full body stitching. The final strap Is a red and black Kevlar with a folding clasp. On the front of the strap, you will find a cross-hatched design. This crosshatch design is bordered by a smooth piece of Kevlar with red full body stitching. My watch came with the Kevlar strap. This strap broke in very quickly. It was extremely comfortable, very soft and lightweight. The strap has 2 loops. The folding clasp has 8 different holes for adjustability. This strap seems better for someone with larger wrists.
- Presentation:
The Tutima came in a white rectangular box. The box has Tutima’s name and logo printed on it. When I opened this box, I found a leather-like display case. Upon opening this case I found the watch wrapped up nicely. The inside of the box was lined with a nice cushioned felt which protected the watch.
My Thoughts
I have had this watch for a few weeks now. I have had absolutely no problem with it. I have worn it every day. Going to work, or relaxing. It Is very comfortable and reliable. It has a quality build and a well-known movement. I have found that the strap doesn’t really heat up or make my wrist sweat.
Conclusion
If you are in search of a pilot style watch, I would definitely suggest this. It has a quality high-quality movement and build. For its price of $5100, you are getting everything you could want in a watch.
To have a closer look or to check out the full range head over to Tutima’s official website here.
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