Davosa is a Swiss watch company with a century-old history, which during this time has maintained its independence. Alas, I viewed it with skepticism—mostly as a hommage Rolex maker. But now I hold the Simplex model in my hands, and I understand: I shouldn’t have underestimated Davosa.
Based on the Luftwaffe
The Davosa Simplex is based on the design of the German Beobachtungsuhren (B-Uhr, “air observer's watch”) type A. The B-Uhr was produced by order of the Luftwaffe and issued to navigators for the duration of the flight. Initially, the B-Uhr was made by five companies (A. Lange & Söhne, Laco, Stowa, Wempe and IWC), now similar watches are made by all of the above and many others - the design is popular, and the copyright holder, fortunately, was liquidated in 1945.
Military watches were made standard: diameter 55 mm, large crown (to change the time without taking off gloves), light markers with lume on a black background, etc. Davosa has played with everything except the recognizable markings - the result is not so much a B-Uhr, but a casual watch in their style. I must say, they turned out well.
Dial: best readability I've seen
I never understood the “boring” B-Uhr, but I picked up the Simplex and I like it! The hands are so thin and pressed so tightly against the dial that they seem to be painted on it in 2D. Combined with the obviously well-designed diamond shape, the readability is the best I've seen.
The dial is nothing more remarkable. The hands are either painted metal or plastic, evenly cut, with evenly poured lume. The markings are neatly drawn, but without overhead elements. It is completely covered with a phosphor, which burns with fire after exposure, but after an hour it barely glows—it’s barely enough to tell the time. The dial is simply black: no enamel, no guilloché, no texture. Flat sapphire crystal, seemingly without anti-reflection. Well, okay, it’s simply unrealistic to spoil the readability of B-Uhr with some kind of glare.
In general, there is nothing to complain about and nothing to admire - just what you need for an instrument watch. Although, for me, the absolutely non-historical white holes of the date and day of the week apertures not only break the markings, but also simply spoil the laconic dial. Yes, it’s practical - the inscriptions are easy to read and are placed exactly in the middle of the windows - but it doesn’t look good at all.
Housing: high quality and simple
Simplex lives up to its name (simple - “simple”, English): just a watch, but well made. The side edges and ears are finely satin-finished. Unlike historical B-Uhr, the welt is polished. It looks good in combination with satin, but there is a risk of scratches (the similarly finished Longines Conquest only collects them on the road). But in general, the watch has nothing special to boast about: there is neither a beautiful alternation of different types of finishes, nor clever chamfers. But there are no problems.
Although I’m lying, there is one. Anyone who has worn Amphibia 170962 knows: the sharp edges of the case rub the strap between the lugs. So, the ten times more expensive Davos have the same thing. Yes, no one except the owner can see the wear, but it’s a shame for the strap - because it’s fantastic! Dense, flexible, it covers the hand well. I would call it perfect, but it’s loose on my hand: one hole is missing, so the watch rotates a little on the wrist.
The crown here is large, pilot-style, but not historical. It is shaped like a flower, and at the end a polished logo shines on a rough matte background - beautiful. It’s convenient to twist it, but when you bend your arm, it’s quite noticeable on your wrist.
The ears are bent down, but not enough: the case sits acceptably on my hand and nothing more. It’s good that Davosa didn’t chase the historical size of 55 mm! And since we’re talking about the convenience of the watch, let’s also mention the water resistance: 50 m.
There is a transparent cover at the back, but in vain: it is not historical, and there is nothing to show - the mechanism is not decorated, except for the logo on the rotor. It would be better to close it with a blank lid with a thematic engraving. The only thing I like here is the small logo at the edge of the lid. Few people arrange logos this way, making them so small and neat. Bravo!
Overall the case, with its 44mm diameter and 10,8mm thickness, feels pleasantly flat. I think this is the cumulative effect of the thin thickness, shallow dial, flat hands and painted markings. And although “flat” is usually an insult, here it is a compliment: even in terms of size, there is nothing superfluous in the watch.
Movement: Swiss made workhorse
The Davosa Simplex is powered by the Swiss automatic caliber ETA 2834-2, brother of the famous 2824 with a day disc. Watch lovers probably know its characteristics by heart: 25 jewels, 28 vibrations per hour, power reserve of 800 hours, stop second, manual winding. A watch with this caliber must be reliable and repairable.
The ETA 2834-2 is available in four precision grades, from Standard to Chronometer. This particular watch showed an average of -8 seconds per day during a three-day test measurement and fell within the gradation tolerances (from +/-4 to +/- 15 seconds per day). And what gradation is actually established is not officially stated.
Summary
“The model focuses on the essentials: perfect finish, reliability, functionality and simplicity,” says the company’s website. That's it, the watch turned out really well.
I’m delighted with them, but I wouldn’t want one for myself: for my taste, the day and date here are still completely unnecessary. But I could safely recommend the Davosa Simplex to those who need a Swiss mechanical watch with a casual style for every day. And not recommended - for those who are looking for specific things like “the right B-Uhr” or who value zest in watches over practicality.
