Tutima Grand Flieger Airport Watch Review
The Tutima Grand Flieger Airport perpetuates the German brand’s history of making pilots’ watches. This range of models includes three-handed watches and chronographs, both available with a choice of Military Green or Classic Blue dials.
Tutima seit 1927
‘Tutima‘ is a derivation of the Latin word, ‘tutus’, meaning ‘safety’. However, a few years after the German brand was founded in 1927 by Dr Ernst Kurtz, the name ‘Tutima’ became synonymous with pilots’ watches. In the 1940s, the company produced a two-register, two-pusher chronograph for the German Air Force. In 1985, the firm launched the Tutima NATO chronograph, reaffirming its ties with military aviation.
The company was originally based in Saxony until 1945. Just before the end of World War II, Dr Kurtz relocated the firm’s watchmaking operations to Ganderkesee, approximately 20 km from Bremen. This town is located in the former Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). When ‘the wall’ fell in 1989, the death knell rang for the German Democratic Republic (DDR) and its political regime. Germany was reunified in 1991.
Tutima returns home to Glashütte
In 2005, Dieter Delecate, Kurtz’s successor and the brand’s present-day owner, visited Saxony, formerly in the DDR. While driving through Glashütte, a town famed for watchmaking, he spotted a sign on the former railway station, stating ‘I could be yours’. Delecate acquired the building and post renovations, inaugurated the company’s Manufactory in 2011. Glashütte has remained the brand’s home ever since.
Tutima Grand Flieger Airport – blue and green dial options
While Tutima offers a broad selection of watches, including ladies’ models, the firm still has a penchant for pilots’ watches. Recently, the German marque unveiled the Tutima Grand Flieger Airport models which include three-handed watches and chronographs, embracing a choice of eye-catching blue and green tones.
Tutima Grand Flieger Airport – the brand’s press release
New materials, exciting colour accents and 100% pilot’s watch DNA: Tutima Glashütte adds two chronographs and three-handed watches to its successful Grand Flieger Airport Series.
This line’s distinctive hallmark – a bidirectional rotatable bezel with a red marking point – is now made of ultra-hard scratch-resistant ceramic for the first time. In Classic Blue or Military Green, it presents itself colour-coordinated with the dial and strap. The latter is crafted from resistant, durable textile and secured by a stainless steel deployment clasp.
As direct successors of the legendary Tutima pilot’s chronograph from the 1940s, these new models embody the traditional virtues of unconditional reliability, precision and optimal legibility that distinguished their predecessor as a milestone among pilot’s watches. Furthermore, the stainless steel case with screwed crown is pressure tested to 20 atmospheres and is fitted with antireflective sapphire crystals both above the dial and in the back. The hour- and minute-hands, the indexes and the marker at the “12 o’clock” position on the bezel glow in the dark thanks to coating with Super-LumiNova luminous material.
Tutima’s tried-and-tested self-winding Caliber 330, with a gold seal on its rotor and 25 jewels, ticks reliably inside the three-handed wristwatch. The chronograph mechanism of Tutima Caliber 310 powers counters for 12 elapsed hours, 60 elapsed seconds and 30 elapsed minutes. The movement also powers displays for the day of the week and the date.
The new Grand Flieger Airport models are available with dials in Dégradé Green or Classic Blue and with a grey fabric wristband.