Archimede Watches

Archimede occupies an interesting position within German watchmaking. It is neither a mass-market fashion brand nor a traditional luxury manufacture. Instead, the company concentrates on robust mechanical watches with unusually high in-house manufacturing content for its price category.

The most important element of an Archimede watch is often the case itself. Every Archimede case is manufactured by ICKLER in Pforzheim. The same company handles design, construction, prototyping, production of components, surface treatment, laser engraving, assembly, and quality control. This degree of vertical integration distinguishes Archimede from many similarly priced microbrands that source finished cases externally.

The Pilot collection is one of the brand’s defining families. These watches follow the functional language of German aviation watches with highly legible numerals, luminous hands, straightforward layouts, and relatively restrained branding. The collection is available in several case sizes and materials, including stainless steel, bronze, and titanium. Current Pilot watches offer water resistance of up to 10 ATM, while some models can be configured with date displays, different straps, hardened cases, or hand-wound movements.

Archimede also offers the Pilot GMT, which adds a second time zone while preserving the traditional aviation-inspired design. Current versions use the Swiss Sellita SW 330 automatic GMT movement, making the watch particularly suitable for travelers who prefer a classic pilot aesthetic.

The newer Flieger 200 takes the aviation concept in a more rugged direction. Its 39mm ICKLER case is manufactured from hardened stainless steel with a surface hardness of approximately 1200 HV, while water resistance increases to 20 ATM, or 200 meters. An anti-reflective sapphire crystal, screw-down construction, luminous dial, and optional DLC finish make the Flieger 200 more of an everyday tool watch than a historical-style pilot piece.

Current Flieger 200 models use the Swiss Sellita SW 200-2 A Power+ Élaboré D3, providing approximately 65 hours of power reserve. Archimede also offers hand-wound configurations for buyers who prefer a more traditional mechanical experience.

The OutDoor family demonstrates another side of the company’s manufacturing expertise. These watches use compact, highly wearable hardened cases designed for durability rather than decorative finishing. The OutDoor 39, for example, uses a 39mm ICKLER case hardened to approximately 1200 HV, sapphire crystal, screw-down crown, and 200 meters of water resistance. Current versions use Swiss Sellita SW 200-series automatic movements.

The OutDoor Chronograph applies the same philosophy to a mechanical chronograph. Its 41.2mm hardened ICKLER case offers 20 ATM water resistance while remaining only 13.8mm thick. The watch is powered by the established Swiss ETA 7750 Élaboré automatic chronograph movement, making it one of Archimede’s more substantial mechanical offerings.

For buyers who need a dedicated dive watch, the SportTaucher family offers rotating bezels, luminous displays, sapphire crystals, and significantly higher water resistance. Current SportTaucher models can reach 30 ATM, or 300 meters, and selected versions use Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic movements inside ICKLER cases.

Not every Archimede watch is designed as a tool watch. The Klassik family offers cleaner everyday styling with slimmer cases and less overtly military design. The current Klassik 200 combines a hardened 39mm ICKLER case with a Swiss automatic movement, sapphire crystal, and substantial water resistance, creating a watch that looks relatively traditional while retaining the durability associated with the brand’s outdoor models.

The Klassik 36 expands the catalog with a smaller, more refined automatic watch. Its polished 36mm steel case, applied indexes, textured dial, slim 9.3mm profile, exhibition case back, and coordinated leather straps give it a distinctly dressier character than Archimede’s pilot and outdoor models.

The 1950 family takes inspiration from mid-century wristwatches. Domed dials, curved hands, domed sapphire crystals, and restrained case shapes create a more vintage-oriented aesthetic while retaining modern mechanical construction and contemporary materials.

Archimede also offers DeckWatch models influenced by traditional marine chronometers and observation watches. These emphasize simple dial architecture, high legibility, mechanical movements, and understated German styling rather than rugged tool-watch construction.

Movement sourcing is deliberately pragmatic. Archimede does not claim to manufacture its own calibers. Instead, it uses established Swiss movements from manufacturers including Sellita and ETA, while concentrating its own manufacturing expertise on cases, components, finishing, assembly, regulation, and final quality control in Germany.

This approach helps explain the brand’s value proposition. The movement may be familiar, but the watch surrounding it is not simply assembled from generic catalog components. The ICKLER case is developed and manufactured within the family company, allowing Archimede to control proportions, finishing, water resistance, hardening, and construction more closely than many similarly priced independent brands.

Case hardening is particularly important within the OutDoor, Flieger, Klassik 200, and selected Pilot families. Hardened stainless-steel cases can reach approximately 1200 HV, providing substantially greater scratch resistance than conventional untreated stainless steel. Some models can also be ordered with a black DLC coating for additional surface protection and a more technical appearance.

Materials include stainless steel, hardened stainless steel, titanium, bronze, sapphire crystal, leather, rubber, textile, and stainless-steel bracelets. Dial designs generally emphasize function and legibility rather than decorative complexity.

Another unusual feature is the degree of customization available on selected watches. Depending on the model, buyers may be able to select different movements, straps, bracelets, case hardening, DLC treatment, domed crystals, heat-blued hands, left-handed configurations, rotor engravings, and personalized case-back or case-side engraving.

Archimede sells directly through its own website and also operates a showroom at the Pforzheim manufacture, where visitors can see and purchase watches. Direct distribution contributes to the brand’s ability to offer German-manufactured cases and Swiss mechanical movements at prices below many better-known German competitors.

Current prices for standard mechanical models commonly fall around $1,000–$1,600, depending on movement, bracelet, material, and options. Pilot 39 watches, for example, are listed around $1,100–$1,350 including VAT on the brand’s U.S.-formatted site, while hardened OutDoor 39 configurations can approach $1,550.

More complicated watches remain relatively affordable by mechanical-chronograph standards. The OutDoor Chronograph currently ranges from approximately €1,680 to €1,980 depending on configuration, using an ETA 7750 Élaboré movement and a hardened 200-meter ICKLER case.

Archimede provides a two-year warranty, which the company states generally remains valid if the watch changes ownership during the original warranty period.

Positioned within the mid-range enthusiast segment, Archimede Watches appeal to buyers seeking German manufacturing, strong case engineering, dependable Swiss movements, practical mechanical watches, and better-than-average specifications without luxury-brand pricing.