Germany’s Laco isn?t a brand we frequently feature in this series. Part of the reason for this has to do with the brand?s relevancy in the American market, while another part has to do with its being overshadowed by numerous other German brands with stronger messaging. Nonetheless, that doesn?t mean Laco isn?t offering good watches, and I would argue, in fact, that it released two of its most underrated pieces so far in 2019: the Navy Cuxhaven And Bremerhaven.

The two new watches are inspired by two different models, a 1940s pocketwatch and a another model ?resembling the watches of the crew on board the U1 submarine? (that is, a German U-boat). Laco doesn?t actually call out the specific references or offer photography of either model, but 1940s war-era German watch designs are some of the best known in the history of watches, so spotting the similarities isn?t an arcane exercise.
The new Navy models use a 42.5-mm polished and sandblasted case, with an attractive fluted bezel and matching textured crown. On the dial of the two watches, differentiated only by the Bremerhaven being black and the Cuxhaven being white, you?ll notice an outer railroad-track minute ring punctuated with Super-LumiNova markers at teach of the hours, and further punctuated with printed Arabic numerals within those. At the bottom of the dial is a sunburst-finish subdial that contrasts well with the main dial’s more matte finish. At the top of the dial is the classic script Laco logo, w...