Description
The Laco Cuxhaven 42.5 is a modern Navy watch shaped by the visual language of historic maritime timekeepers.
Its white enamel-look dial creates a clean backdrop for the black Arabic numerals, railway minute circle and subsidiary seconds display at 6 o’clock. The layout is restrained and highly legible, while the fluted bezel and mixed case finishing introduce a measured degree of refinement.
At 42.5mm, the Cuxhaven has a confident wrist presence, but its slim 11mm height helps maintain balanced proportions. The result is a watch that feels substantial without becoming overly heavy or cumbersome.
Inspiration & Design
Laco’s maritime watches are closely connected to the precision instruments developed to meet the specifications of the German Marine Observatory in Hamburg.
The Cuxhaven reflects that heritage through clarity rather than decoration. The railway minute track supports precise reading, the Arabic numerals remain immediately legible, and the small-seconds display preserves the traditional architecture associated with hand-wound marine watches.
The white enamel-look dial gives the watch a brighter, more classical character than Laco’s black-dial pilot watches. Combined with the polished and brushed case surfaces and fluted bezel, it delivers a more refined expression of the brand’s functional German design language.
Dial & Case
The 42.5mm stainless steel case combines polished and brushed finishes and is framed by a distinctive fluted bezel.
A flat anti-reflective sapphire crystal protects the white enamel-look dial. The Arabic numerals and indexes are treated with Super-LumiNova C3, while the railway minute circle reinforces the watch’s precise, instrument-inspired appearance.
The hour and minute hands are varnished black and filled with Super-LumiNova C3. The small-seconds hand is also luminous, supporting readability across the full display. These are not thermally blued hands.
The screwed caseback incorporates an extra-large sapphire crystal opening, providing an expansive view of the movement. The case measures 11mm in height, 49.8mm lug to lug and accepts a 22mm strap. Water resistance is rated to 10ATM.
The watch is completed by a light-coloured leather strap with a stainless steel buckle.
Movement
The Cuxhaven 42.5 is powered by the Laco 98 hand-winding movement, based on the ETA 6498.2 in top quality level.
The movement does not feature a stop-seconds function. Its appeal instead lies in its large-scale construction, traditional hand-wound operation and extensive decorative finishing.
Visible through the extra-large sapphire caseback, the movement features:
- Côtes de Genève across the bridges
- Thermally blued screws
- Sunray finishing on the ratchet wheel and crown wheel
- Engraved Laco logo on the ratchet wheel
The absence of an automatic rotor leaves the movement architecture fully exposed, allowing the finishing and large calibre layout to become an integral part of the watch’s character.
Final Thoughts
The Cuxhaven 42.5 is one of Laco’s most distinctive watches outside its pilot collection.
Its white enamel-look dial, small-seconds display and fluted bezel give it a classically maritime identity, while the decorated Laco 98 movement adds genuine mechanical interest. The hand-wound format also creates a more deliberate ownership experience, rewarding those who appreciate interacting with a mechanical watch rather than simply wearing one.
For collectors drawn to traditional German design, visible craftsmanship and the quieter elegance of historic Navy watches, the Cuxhaven offers a compelling alternative to the conventional Flieger.
Explore the Collection
Discover more from Laco.
→ Pilot Watches
→ Navy Watches
→ Chronographs
→ View All Laco Watches
Technical Specifications
| Case size: |
42.5mm |
| Case material: |
Stainless steel case with a polished and brushed finish |
| Case back: |
Exhibition caseback with sapphire crystal |
| Movement type: |
Manual
|
| Movement no.: |
Laco 98 based on ETA6498.2
|
| Power reserve: |
Approx 53hrs |
| Dial: |
White in enamel optic, railway minute circle, arabic numerals and indexes with luminous material Superluminova C3, small second at 6 o'clock; h
our hand and minute hands varnished in black, filled with Superluminova C3; small second also filled with Superluminova C3
|
| Glass: |
Sapphire crystal |
| Water resistance: |
10ATM |
| Strap type: |
Strap
|
| Strap material: |
Cream calf
|
| Buckle: |
Stainless steel tang buckle
|
| Warranty: |
2 years
|
