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Dekla is a German brand that operates out of the city of Stuttgart. The brand offers very solid automatic, customizable watches for very affordable prices. The tagline of Dekla is “everything from a single source” which is 100% true. Although the movements used are often Swiss Sellita or ETA, the case, hands, and dials are all manufactured in Germany. This is quite a breath of fresh air, compared to other brands, who will often ship in cheap parts from China and assemble them in their own country.
As the company is still a microbrand, you are able to get great customer service and value for money. This likely will not change in the near future, but Dekla really is changing the way in which people go about buying watches. It is almost criminal that a brand producing such high-quality watches at low prices is so unknown. Whilst the chances of Dekla becoming a large company the size of a brand like Tissot are somewhat low, we wouldn’t be surprised to see this brand become the size of a company such as Nomos in the next decade.
Overall, depending on the exchange rate and the specifications you customize your watch to, you can expect to pay anywhere between $800-$1800 for a Dekla.
Table of Contents
About Dekla
There are a few main selling points about the Dekla brand. Firstly is the price. As the brand is German, all of the prices are in Euros, although this is easily convertible to USD. In general, you can see that Dekla uses similar movements to the likes of Tag Heuer, Raymond Weil, Tudor, and Omega. Given that these watches are all considered luxury brands, Dekla is typically around half the price of these watch companies. Which really is fantastic value for money.
Secondly, you are able to choose A LOT of customizable features when choosing which Dekla watch you want. The downside is that your watch will take around 4-5 weeks to be completed. Although this is heavily outweighed by the positive of being able to choose exactly the design you want. Whatever this is such as a dial color change, a red seconds hand, case made out of a different material, or simply an upgraded movement. All of these things can be accommodated to give you exactly what you want. Buying a watch is not simply picking something out of a shop window with Dekla, you are able to get something unique for yourself.
Lastly, the company is a genuine German watch manufacturer. Whilst Germany is not quite Switzerland, you can at least appreciate that it is a country well versed in watchmaking. Obviously being made in Germany comes with a certain assurance that other countries do not give you. Of course, the watch is going to be built to a high level of quality control, high technical specifications, and be extremely reliable.
The bottom line is that you’re getting a customizable watch with a decent quality movement seen in an entry-level luxury brand for the price of something far less expensive.
To view and buy Dekla watches, please visit https://deklawatches.com/en
Customizable Features
As previously mentioned. One of the main selling points of Dekla is the ability to customize a watch to both your taste and budget. Whilst not everything can be customized on every single model. You are able to choose different features for different watches. Every model has at least one thing you can customize (and often much more than this).
Hands
Some of the most standard hands are the blue heated superluminova – which are available on most Dekla watches at no extra costs. If you don’t like the look of these, most models allow you to upgrade to 18k solid gold hands. This is a nice addition as not many brands outside of the Swiss elite use solid gold hands at all.
Dials
The dial is going to be the biggest influence on whether you buy or not, so it makes sense to offer the customer a few different choices. Perhaps the most unusual choice we could find was the Ruthenium dial on the Deckwatch. This dial costs more money but makes sense as it is a very rare element that belongs to the platinum family.
Crowns
The crowns are probably the most basic feature to customize. Depending on the model, sometimes you are able to choose a left-sided crown, which is great for people who are not right-handed. You’re also able to switch between various designs such as onion or diamond styles.
Movements
This is the most important part of a watch which is hidden away and not paid much attention. Of course, if you get a more accurate and reliable movement, you’re going to be paying more money. However, in the long run, this is probably money well spent. Not all watches can be customized to have an upgraded movement, although it is a nice option to have if and when it’s available.
Dekla Watch Models
Pilot
Dekla pilot watches are the most customizable of all. Depending on each model, you can change the crown, bracelet, dial, hands, case material, and movement. Not only this, but you can add your own print to certain models, which is especially useful if you wanted to personalize the watch as a gift.
Not only this, but the pilot range generally starts at $650, which is one of the cheapest Dekla watches you can find.
Tactical
The tactical watch is Deklas’s take on a solid German-made field watch. Not quite as customizable as the Pilot model, the Tactical still certainly has a lot to offer. On this model, you’re able to upgrade the movement, dial, case, case back and bezel – as well as change the color of the second’s hand.
The Dekla tactical will cost a little more than the pilot models, but only by around $50-100.
Deckwatch
A more elegant dress watch, the deck watch is suitable for both smart and casual occasions. Inside the watch is a workhorse ETA-6948-1 so you are guaranteed both reliability and accuracy. On this particular model you are able to change the hands, dial, crown, and strap. As well as changing the 12 o’clock color, which is a strange, but welcome and unique addition.
Military Vintage
Also powered by a ETA-6948-1 is the military vintage style. This watch is not as customizable as the other models, although this is probably due to people with vintage tastes liking a particular look about their watches in the first place. There are 2 different color dials to choose from, as well as various sets of different color hands.
Limited Edition
From time to time Dekla will release limited edition models which are not based off and of their staple designs shown above.
Shown above is the blackjack which costs around $1100. To put this into perspective, this is a German made watch with a Valjoux 7750 movement. You are unlikely to find better value than this anywhere else, so it is a good idea to keep your eyes on the limited editions page or ask Dekla to notify you when any new models will be made.
