SO Disappointed (Laco Aachen 42)

Wow. I’ve never owned this brand, and am not shopping. But this must have really sucked because you were so excited about it. Clearly returning it is the best thing for you, because I don’t think your feelings about it are likely to change.

I have learned that anything that is universally praised online, is likely to disappoint in reality.

I've seen lots of glowing reviews of the Aachen, but something told me there was no way it's as good as claimed with a base Miyota movement, and made in Germany sub $1K. Like Seiko, I suspect the Laco gets a lot of slack from reviewers based on the name alone.

If you want a flieger from a German brand, I'd recommend going higher in the Laco range, or going with Stowa. If you just want the look, I bet San Martin has you covered.

Paint with a broad brush much?

Laco makes excellent watches and it's possible you got a bad one. It happens.

My Laco Augsburg 39 (same movement/strap) is not a turd, or a joke. A great 400$ watch.

Sorry yours sucked.

You're right about the imperfections of this watch - The hands and dial are two-dimensional and I'm not a fan of the green. But I still really enjoy it, and it gets way more than its fair share of wrist time, probably because it's quirky. I really don't mind the movement, in fact I think it really suits the watch. I wouldn't have paid £1000 for the more upmarket Laco, but I was tempted by the Hamilton "Cooper" - I think they've really enhanced the Flieger B design in the proportions and the hands - I love the way that they've done the lume/skeletal parts ot the hend to match the dial. What stopped me buying it was the fact that I already had the Laco.

Oh man, sorry you did not like it. I really like Laco, even the lower priced models. Not everyone can afford an original or an Erbstück version and at its price, it is pretty cool. One of my first watches was a similar one; Bright lume, basic movement, but looked the part. Add a vintage style strap and you are in business for not much money.

Couple thoughts; If you paid more than $300, you likely paid too much. Time the deals or eBay right and you are talking $300 or less most of the time. As @foghorn said, you are getting a German watch with heritage and this range isnot meant to be high end. I have not owned this one, but the one I did rivaled or bested most Seikos and Hamiltons in that same $300 range. All are using equally basic movements. Another rule of thumb in that range, any leather strap is generally not great, or even good. If they have to stamp it “genuine leather” it is worth immediately replacing. Kind of like Subway having to insist on “real meat” or “real bread.” If they had to insist on it, it is best avoided. :-).

Sorry it was disappointing. Hopefully you like whatever you swap it for.

Ive owned an Aachen for a while now and I'm very happy with it. All things considered, it's met my expectations just fine.

i was surprised you didnt like the aachen. for 400$ i think the quality is fair, i watched many youtube review before buying the aachen and i think most of them already tell that the rivet is just for aesthetic purpose. i owned the aachen for 2 years and wear it almost everyday, didnt find any problem with it. anyway hope you find what you re looking for on the next purchase

At that price point my Hamilton Field Auto is a realistic comparison. The Hamilton looks, feels, and operates as if the price difference was $1000, not $100.

I previously tried the SNK809 and the Orient Pilot, both of which were higher quality and had better dials than the Laco.

The competition in that price range is substantial. Kind of like the Seiko 5 in that they make a good watch but leave off the features that make them great watches. If they had to put applied indices and a Swiss movement with sapphire their profit would suffer. It's basic and Aliexpress can produce a far better looking watch with that movement for far less. After all that movement is under a hundred bucks, Probably under 50 in bulk.

I can feel your pain by reading your story. I don't have any Laco but I always considere it for a not too expensive but legitime pilot watch. Personaly I realise this green color on the indexes for some model in the web site but not all. About the myota it is know that he has a cheap feeling because of its rotor. Again sorry for what happen to you.

Well that´s a problem that is not just about laco or myota. It´s the high expectations that come from youtube etc. Some "reviewers" hype up watches and let them appear completely different, due to macro shots and special lighting, than the look on the wrist.

Your opinions are very valid especially when you come with high expectations. Watch collecting is a learning lesson and what fits for most might not be a fit for you. After collecting many watches then getting a Laco I understood they want to keep their watches as original tool watches to the point of being way to plain or cheap looking. That's what makes Laco popular.

If you want something simple for less you can get an Orient

If you want more quality I would move to Alpina but most are 44mm

Also the Seiko 5 Flieger is a nice option.

Not sure having real rivets would be a good idea, but faked ones are really annoying, especially when your looking for authenticity. I have got a type-b hruodland from Ali, also with fake rivets, but overall slightly better specced, for a third of the price. I would prefer a plain band without faked rivets too.

I'm sorry you had this experience, it's a lesson in falling for reviewer hype! I have an Aachen 39 I picked up on sale for a birthday a year or so ago and this hasn't been my experience at all, although I did spend over $150 less than you did. For that price Laco's lowest end watches are much more acceptable, but not at Hamilton prices.

The dial? Looks like it was printed on a non-aligned laserjet.

The print? Looked off-white in every photo, looks mint green in person. Terrible proportions too.

The printing isn't as bad as that, even compared to much nicer watches like my Casio Oceanus. If you look for IRL photos of the thing on google images you'll see the same tone to the printed arabics, I can see how you'd get the impression that it was totally crisp white if all you had seen were press shots and studio illuminated youtube reviews.

The crown? Pulls out if you look at it too hard, has serious wobble. Really flimsy and confidence-draining.

Might be a QC issue on your example, mine has pretty normal resistance even after 14 months of wear.

The Miyota movement? Spins in a really cheap way, extremely noisy. Not keeping it long enough to know if it's accurate or not. It could be COSC and I wouldn't care at this point.

I mean that's just the Miyota Experience™, it would be the same on a $3000+ Kurono Tokyo! If you're used to Seiko movements, Swatch movements and various quartz movements like the photos of your collection suggests then it's understandable that Miyotas are a slight shock.

Probably one of the issue is that you are used to aliexpress prices! The laco is sold to a price point with Chinese parts from a German company paying German salaries and charges. They can't compete with Chinese wages. It is probably equivalent to a 150 euros aliexpress watches. But they offer services that aliexpress won't offer you. You have probably been able to return it free of charge. Try to return something to aliexpress it is a nightmare. From germany tracked shipping to China is like 30 euros for a private individual.

I would recommend if you can to try on thoses selita equiped laco or stowa. They are way higher quality but you have to pay up for it. That's the main focus of thoses brands.

Sounds like you got hit with a combination of bad luck and having expectations that are just too high. In the case of the 1st one, yes, I know that this would happen more often with watches at the entry level, but I doubt it's a common sight, or at least common enough to happen quite often, and as for the 2nd one, well, I'm going to quote a line from God of War that Kratos said: "Keep your expectations low boy, and you'll never be disappointed."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iujq7GIe5u8

I know this isn't a watch-related video, but what Kratos said, while simple, goes a long way.

I won't argue with your aesthetics complaints, but it sounds like your crown is a defect. I've never had a Miyota 8k with a crown that wobbles. Certainly not on my 39mm Aachen.

I am glad you can return the watch if you don’t like it. I had bought few online and while most were as expected , one of them was disappointing but cheap so no regrets. Since then, I make it point to go to AD or some watch shop to try them out to make sure if I really like them. I have ruled out so many that I thought I really loved. I have realized that I love Omega more than Rolex. Also, the process of traveling to look at a watch, trying them out is a joyous one than ordering it online. I would still order online if the deal is better than the dealer.. good luck with your next purchase

In Memphis there are no real watch dealers of any kind. One local department store has some nice legit watches starting at $2K (but they’re usually dress watches) and then some Casios and Timexes. Nothing in between.

So online it is, and a no questions asked returns policy is crucial. That’s how I can “try on” watches here.

I’ve had more successes than failures, but this Laco was the first real dud.

I expected some rotor noise - but not this much. Felt flimsy.

I know the faulty crown/stem is probably a fairly rare occurrence. But it was very real on this watch.

But the print was just awful. I expected plain no-nonsense lettering but it was just cheap and sloppy. And snot green in person.

The photos of this video from the vendor showed the “rivets” as having some depth and heft - these were just little flat discs. They look cheap (as in shoddy).

I’ve noticed other Laco owners have been riled by my comments. I’ve also noticed they tend to have the 39mm or the A Type dials. Maybe the smaller dials have better proportions. Maybe the less busy A Type dials look better.

But I wanted a Type B Flieger. I wanted the 42mm version. Fliegers should be big, no?

It’s like Laco did a bad homage to themselves.

I almost bought a Laco Aachen but I couldn’t get myself to spend $400 for such mediocre movement and also the design of it. At most this watch would be better priced at $300 or less. I bought an Orient with a Type B dial instead for less $200. Noisy rotor but it is to be expected.

Got one too. Honestly hardly wear it, but it is what it is. You pay a premium for the authenticity, history, brand. I've certainly paid similar or more for worse - eg Yema (shockingly poor).

I wouldn't be tempted to go higher on a Laco because it's going to be pretty much the same , just a better movement and finishing. Tho I do like the urbstuck models and am tempted to rip mine apart and give it some serious roughing up!

Maybe the price is higher because you have to pay workers a fair wage, but that doesn’t make the watch itself worth more. It’s still a cheap watch that cost more to build than the parts alone are worth. I’d take a $150 AliExpress watch over a hyped-up “German” pilot watch with shitty build quality. It’s a case of paying for the cult of the name rather than the objective quality of the watch. You don’t have to defend a company that would just as easily charge you as much as possible and then piss down your back to tell you it’s raining.

I think possibly your expectations may have been too high for a $400 price point watch. That Citizen movement is a reliable workhorse, regardless.

I bought a Laco last year. Loved the dial, size, and construction but the movement was so loud I had to return it. At least until I hear things have changed, I am staying away from Myoto movements.

Hamilton Hamilton Hamilton everyday and twice on Sunday baby!

No wories I do (and have)rather have aliexpress watches over cheap laco. We share the same point of view. I also have a sinn 556 wich is in the same real of quality as the selita Laco watches that why I recommend to look into the more expensive ones if you can.

Sorry you had a bad experience. I have no issues with my Laco Aachen.

I second the Stowa, or look for a vintage Laco. New ones aren't up to past standards.

Thank you for this review.