ReviewOnwards And Upwards: Introducing The Tutima Grand Flieger Airport Chronograph

There is a certain horological richness when it comes to German watch brands. From A. Lange & Söhne to Nomos Glashütte, the country is home to dozens of watchmaking icons, including those that are among the best in the business. One of the many German watch brands that do not always get the attention due to them are Tutima and their signature range of Grand Flieger chronograph watches. Here is a breakdown of the series with a focus on some major highlights of the collection, mainly the Tutima Grand Flieger Airport Chronograph.

Return Of A Legend: The Tutima Grand Flieger

Taking a cue from the brand’s remarkable history, the Tutima Grand Flieger (German for ‘pilot’) watches are direct descendants of the Tutima pilot’s chronograph introduced in 1941. This historical timepiece attained legendary status when it was first released, courtesy of its reliability and functionality. The original pilot’s chronograph was powered by the first German chronograph Calibre UROFA 59, fitted with additional timing option and a ‘Tempostopp’, known as the flyback function today. 

Tutima Glashütte Grand Flieger Shop the Collection

The initial Grand Flieger watches of 1994 followed the same characteristics as the original from the 1940s. This included a round stainless steel case, with a rotating bezel, a matt-finished dial with contemporary luminous markers and hands, and a beautiful, matching leather strap. However, in keeping with recent trends, the new versions are housed in a larger 43mm case structure, with a modern automatic movement working within, and a generous transparent caseback through which one can view this movement. 

Furthermore, the collection has now evolved into three different editions—the Grand Flieger Classic (which comes with a fluted bezel), the Grand Flieger Airport (a modern rendition featuring a smooth rotating bezel marked at 10-minute intervals), and the Flieger Automatic (a classic watch with a modern touch). 

The Tutima Grand Flieger Airport Chronograph comes in the archetypal brushed 43mm stainless steel case with a water resistance of 200m

A Family Of Two: The Grand Flieger Airport Series 

Sharing the same DNA as the legendary pilot’s chronograph, the Tutima Grand Flieger Airport series comprises two watches—a chronograph edition and a classic three-hand timepiece. Available in a range of new materials with exciting colour accents, the Grand Flieger Airport series has all the usual features of a classic pilot’s watch. This includes a distinct and notable bi-directional rotatable bezel made of ultra-hard, scratch-resistant ceramic, in a range of colours like the brand’s ‘classic blue’, ‘military green’ and ‘velvet black’. The beautifully-designed bezel is decorated with a red marking point to ease its reading. 

The Grand Flieger Airport series comprises two watches—a chronograph edition and a classic three-hand timepiece. The latter is seen here

Each timepiece in the series comes with a beautifully-designed ceramic bezel decorated with a red marking point

Tutima Glashütte Grand Flieger Shop the Collection

Grand Flieger Airport: The Chronograph Edge

The Tutima Grand Flieger Airport Chronograph comes in the archetypal brushed 43mm stainless steel case with a water resistance of 200m. The front and the back of the watch are covered with sapphire crystal glass treated with an anti-reflective coating for optimal visibility of the dial and the movement. 

The dégradé dials of the Grand Flieger Airport Chronograph are presented in conjunction with the different colours of the bezel and textile straps. The deep navy blue, handsome military green and rich, velvety black dégradé dials offer a visual treat with a lighter shade in the centre that transitions to a darker tone around the edge of the dial. The immaculately-designed dials of the chronograph editions are further accentuated with Super-LumiNova-coated hour and minute hands and indexes, and the markers at the 12 o’clock position on the bezel. Like most chronographs, the Tutima Grand Flieger Airport Chronograph features a central seconds hand, hours, running seconds, and 30-minute counters at six, nine, and 12 o’clock, respectively. The hint of red on the dial works perfectly against the coloured dials, giving the watches a level of brightness that is hard to overlook.  

The dégradé dials are presented in conjunction with the different colours of the bezel and textile straps

Working within each of the watches in the Grand Flieger Airport Series is Tutima’s automatic calibre 3xx. While the classic three-handed version houses the calibre 330, the chronograph edition is home to the automatic calibre 310. The former clocks in with a power reserve of 38 hours, while the latter—set with a rhodanised rotor with a gold seal—packs a power reserve of 48 hours when fully wound. Both watches offer a day/date display, sitting comfortably at three o’clock. 

For both the chronograph and time-only watches, the finishing touches are supplemented by the presence of a rugged, textured fabric strap in colours matching the shades of the dial. Additionally, there is the option of mounting the timepiece on a steel bracelet.