People and things change all the time. That’s true. But people and things also do not change that much or at all. Which is also true. It depends on what we’re dealing with. Here and today we won’t be discussing philosophical matters of life nor the latest leaps scientists have made in astrophysics. We won’t either take apart the latest social media trend (and how stupid it is) nor will we argue the relevance of, and the need for, Swatch’s latest collaboration (and how stupid it is too.) Instead, we’re going to jump back into our favorite topic, that of tool watches, more specifically, ultra straightforward ones, and I would add, of mature nature. The last part of the previous sentence might surprise you but you ought to hear me out: over the past few months I’ve noticed that I gravitate towards a very specific genre of utilitarian watches, a blend or sub-style of it, just like on can prefer this jazz band over that other one even though both produce jazz music. So there is change to speak of and none at all. 

I am of the mindset that two military pilot watches are not created equal as we’re about to see looking at the new Laco Köln MB and Grau. There are a few known brands which produce professional-grade pilot watches but they each add a dash of this and whip of that to create their own version of them. Some add larger hands and hour markers, others experiment by placing the crown at four o’clock. In some instances, as it is with Laco, a certain maturity in design and proportions (of the dial and hands) is maintained whilst experimenting with them, making it possible for the brand to put at our reach tool watches which, subjectively speaking, feel destined to do actual things with and to be worn in a discreet fashion. As do those who actually need them. I know, all of this amounts to a thought-kerfuffle which should be clarified throughout this review. And if it doesn’t, well, I’m sorry yet not sorry. Speaking about how particular watches make me feel doesn’t come as naturally to me as might for you. You ready? 

Specifications 

If we go back to the basics of utilitarian military horology and the life-threatening scenarios they were designed for—war marching on the ground, fighting in the air, and firing on the see—, it is pretty much understood by all of us that they were not created for fun, fashion, or to follow a trend. Actual serving bipeds needed legible, functional, and reliable wristworn timekeeping devices to coordinate strategic attacks, keep track of how long they had been deployed for, and keep tabs on all sorts of war-related matters. The components they were manufactured with were chosen for their sturdiness and precision, not to win chronometry competitions. The design of the hands and hour markers were carefully crafted to ensure maximum legibility in challenging conditions, not to appear on Hodinkee’s front page to rave about their unusual shape. Their size, overall design, and tech were specifically studied, decided on, and fine-tuned to serve ultra specific purposes which could, so to speak, save a life or take one. 

Many of the brands which have been designing and manufacturing military tool watches in the past century are keen to preserve this unique heritage whilst others aren’t. In my personal experience, there is also a thing that most microbrands miss when making tool watches which must stem, I theorize, from their lack of expertise (say, heritage) or, as a consequence of it, the absence of a contemporary need for new brands to make tool watches. For example, a few weeks ago I was chatting with Squale’s CEO about the fact that he couldn’t have created such a successful brand in the 2020s because few have actually needed professional-grade dive watches for a while. But Squale, like Doxa, Rolex, and many other historical brands, rides the wave of its own heritage to preserve its legacy and existence. Laco does too, which isn’t a bad thing actually since the latter has been remarkably efficient and successful at protecting a particular blend of timekeeping devices for several decades by continuing to do them so well. 

All of this is to say that Laco is still very good at manufacturing good tool watches. And that is when I strike back with the idea of “maturity” in design and proportions which make them look like actual tools and not imitations of them. From a technical standpoint, the Köln MB and Grau stand out for their muscular case, fully brushed and bead-blasted respectively, which measure 41mm in diameter, 49.5mm lug-to-lug, 12mm thick, and come with a 20mm lug with. A deeply knurled four o’clock screw-down crown and case-back endow the Kölns with 200 meters of water resistance. Opulent applications of SuperLuminova C1 on the hands and markers guarantee superlative nighttime legibility. A sandwich sapphire construction ensures clear and scratch-free viewing of the clean and legible dial and movement within respectively, for the latter is a Sellita SW200 Élaboré* (4Hz/42 hours of power reserve) as the base model which can be upgraded for a Top Grade for additional pesos. Lastly: a superb bi-directional 60-click bezel**. 

*The Élaboré is adjusted in three positions to run at ± 7 seconds per day which ain’t bad at all. 

**A really superb ball-bearing-powered action deprived of back-play or misalignment. 

Design 

Let’s further attempt to make sense of the whole idea of “maturity” in the design and proportions the Kölns are made of by broadening our field of analysis to fashion, of which I am no expert. Let us think about the clothes we traditionally define as being “classic” and “timeless” as those which display simple shapes and straight lines, which neither make the body suffocate nor feel as if it’s inside a canyon. Clothes which therefore improve one’s appearance without morphing them into clowns. On the other end of the fashion spectrum there is basically everything else you could think of which, for the Love of God, doesn’t age well: sneakers mounted on heels which look like skating ramps, oversized shirts which are so out-of-proportions that they look like Saint Tropez sun shades, and really everything else you can picture and slide into any new “trend” designers create and people follow like sheep. All of the latter elements do not age gracefully even though, for some mysterious reason, they are recycled every 20 years or so. 

Despite the lunacy of the latter truth, there are certain designs of garments which just work. They worked half a century ago and they still do today. For example a classic black dress for the ladies and a white henley shirt for the gentlemen. Our interest for these types of clothes perdure throughout the generations because they are simple and anything that is simple ages well and therefore is timeless. And, to loop all of this nonsense back to the idea of maturity in watch design, I for one believe that the things which continue to work for several generations are endowed with a quality of full development, stability, and clarity. And these adjectives which perfectly apply to how Laco went about designing its Type A fliegers during World War II and why they still work today. Then let’s chat about the case the Kölns are equipped with: curves and sharp angles where they matter, stubby crown-guards to protect a grippy crown, arched narrow lugs which cover the wrist bones, an easy-to-grasp knurled bezel, and matte bezel inlay. 

This is the kind of effective horological design I love to riff on for it is deceptively simple and effective—other ways to say they come with a purpose-driven maturity. The best example of Laco’s visual language however can be found on the Kölns’ dial layout which has been virtually left untouched for 80 years. A matte black dial serves as the canvas for this ultra-legible ensemble on top of which medium-sized Arabic numerals are entirely printed in luminescent matter, as well as a bold minute track which claims as must visual real-estate as the markers. (I’m referring you back to my fashion analogy about clothes which fit well.) Above the dial hover a set of heat-blued Alpha hour and minute hands which come with a discreet glossy finish, complemented by an ultra long seconds hand almost entirely covered with C1 lume. Besides the brand name and indication of where the watches are made, the dial only displays the essential for effective time-telling. And what is essential equates to what is balanced and mature in my book. 

The Heart of the Matter

Throughout this ballad on the philosophy of philosophizing about tool watches I attempted multiple times to make some kind of point. It’s the idea that classic and timeless designs are such for they are balanced and straightforward and simple, and mature on account of their intrinsic quality of dealing with the essentials (which to me is the sign of a responsible human) and of raising a middle finger to the superfluous (when the latter is present in the behavior or outward appearance of someone it denotes a certain lack of maturity.) Whether or not the things shared in this article make sense, is of no consequence as long as we can agree that the two watches we looked at today are endowed with a certain calm presence and confident personality the best of military tool watches are endowed with. A solid set of specifications for real-life scenarios and the essential in design to support maximalizing legibility. Thus the Kölns are one of the finest expressions of form-follows-function in today’s horology that I know of.

Conclusion 

Like any Laco, the Köln Pilot MB and Grau can be customized to your desire which is a rare occurrence in this market and day and age. The base model for the Köln with brushed case will set you back €1,190/$1,380 USD and the base bead-blasted model €1,270/$1,473 USD VAT included. Then you can upgrade for a decorated Top Grade Sellita for an additional €230/$267  USD, a double-sided AR coating for an extra €100/$116 USD, and so on. What is perhaps more relevant about this new collection than my questionable horological meanderings is the fact that pairing a bi-directional dive bezel with a classic pilot watch is rather special. Then the rest is history since you already know how good Laco’s are—check out this, that, or this other review to refresh your memory. 

Thanks for reading.