You’ve probably heard of the name Sternglas, and you are right! We did a post on Sternglas a few months back when we reviewed their Automatik watch. Unfortunately, Sternglas has stopped the production of their old model watches and you will never get to buy one ever again. If you have had the chance of buying of their old model watches, you now own a piece of history. But not to worry, Sternglas are back and now they have a greater range of watches. The watch we are going to review today is the Sternglas Topograph. We also have done an interview with the founder of Sternglas, if you’ve missed it, you can read it here.

Sternglas Topograph

The Sternglas Topograph we are going to be review is the Black / Silver / Vintage Nero. Before we start our review, let’s find out the technical details of this watch.

Diameter: 42 mm stainless steel
Height: 10 mm
Movement: Automatic MIYOTA Caliber 821A
Power reserve: max. 42 hours
Vibration frequency: 21,600
Jewels: 21 pcs
Guarantee: 24-months
Glass: Domed sapphire glass
Case back: sapphire glass
Lug width: 20 mm
Water resistance: 5 ATM

First Impression

The watch is truly stunning. It will capture your attention straight away and this dial is the main reason for that. We tried to find some similarities between their discontinued model, the Automatik, and the Topograph, but we could not. The Topograph is taking is own route, with a sophisticated look and elegant look.

The Sternglas Topograph shows off its masculine character through the sophisticated balance of visual-aesthetic quality and functional precision

Dial

The dial is the main attraction of the Sternglas Topograph. There is a lot going on but it is minimalistic. We know it does not make sense. How can a watch dial with a lot of features be minimalistic?

The Sternglas Topograph has three indexes. First you have an outer index. This is the first time we’ve seen this type of index and we really like it. The outer index is marked with numbers from 1 to 60 and it bring the dial to live. The numbers are not too huge that they overpower the index but large enough to read.

The second index is marked with bars. The function is similar to the outer index and is used to mark the seconds. There are a couple of distinction between the bars with longer bars to mark the hours. There are also 10 bars within a 5 second intervals. It looks a little bit out-of-place but in terms of measuring time accurately, you will not go wrong.

To finish off with the index, you have an inner index with the hour marking. They are have the biggest font on the watch and really do stand out from the rest of the indexes.

We are not finished with the dial yet. You also have a date window at your normal 3 o’clock and it is actually quite large.

Let’s talk about the colour of the dial. The background is black and the fonts are in white. The contrast is fantastic and the background is more silver near the outer index.

The hands have a baton design with a sharp end. One issue with have with the hands is that they are thin. With so many features on the dial, you’d want to hands to a little thick so they do not get lost.

Casing

The Sternglas Topograph casing is made from stainless steel and has been given a polished finished, so you’ll have a shiny look to it. In terms of width and thickness, we are looking at 42mm in diameter and around 10mm in thickness. It is not a large watch that will take over your wrist nor get in the watch with its thickness.

One special feature which you may not notice straightaway from the dial is the case is slightly convex. The outer index is at a slightly higher position than the rest of the two indexes. It may not look like it’s going to make a big difference but it does. By having this convex casing, the outer index is at the forefront of the dial and draws your attention straightaway.

The watch also has an exhibition casing with a custom rotor from Sternglas. It is really good to see that Sternglas decided to use a custom rotor.

The lens is made from sapphire glass and is domed. What we’ve found out with domed glass is that it reduces the reflection on the lens.

The lug of the watch are 20mm in width and they have a straight design. The straight design of the lugs make the watch stick out from the wrist.

Movement

The movement inside the Sternglas Topograph is an automatic MIYOTA Caliber 821A with 21 jewels and a 42 hours power reserve. The Miyota is a reliable movement and so far it accuracy of the movement has been close to perfection. The time accuracy is around -20 ~ +40 seconds per day.

Strap

The strap is made from genuine leather and is comfortable. The strap molds around the wrist and does not need to be broken into. It is also on the thicker side but it does not affect comfort. There is also a texture at the top of the strap rather than just being plain black.

One added bonus is that it has quick release pins, which we believe every watch must have.

Buy, Shortlist or Avoid

We have arrived at the ultimate question. First let’s find out about the price. The Sternglas Topograph is £331/ €379/ $425. The price is on the higher side and this may put off for people. But we will say that the Topograph is a watch you must buy, given that you can afford it. It is a classy, elegant and sophisticated looking watch with a reliable movement. You will not go wrong wearing the Sternglas Topograph for casual days or for business, either way, the watch will match your environment.

This was our review of the Sternglas Topograph and we’d love to know if your thoughts on the watch. Do let us know in the comment below. If you would like to know more about the latest release from Sternglas Watches, do visit https://www.sternglas.com/

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