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Stowa extends its WRC line with a 44mm chronograph

The Chrono WRC Stage 1 combines a large steel case, orange rally details and a Top Finish Sellita movement in black and natural finishes.

Hen & Mills Editorial · 4 min read · 1 September 2026

• Stowa extends its WRC partnership beyond the earlier pilot's watch with a 44mm automatic chronograph offered in two case finishes.
• A layered grey-and-anthracite dial uses WRC-orange chronograph indications and blue-glowing BGW9 lume within both distinctive 44mm steel case options.
• Both versions cost €2,990 including 19 per cent German value-added tax and are available to order through Stowa's online shop without a stated production limit.

Stowa's first watch made with the FIA World Rally Championship was a 40mm Flieger Verus released around Rally Estonia. The German brand has now moved the partnership into a larger automatic chronograph, offered in natural steel and a black-coated alternative. The 31 August 2026 release places both versions at €2,990 including German value-added tax. The result is the 44mm Stowa Chrono WRC Stage 1.

A larger case for the WRC chronograph

Both versions use a stainless-steel case measuring 44mm across, 16mm thick and 49mm from lug to lug, with a 22mm strap width. The dimensions make this a substantially larger watch than the earlier WRC pilot's model. Stowa rates water resistance to 10 ATM and protects the dial with a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. Monochrome describes a three-part brushed construction with a graduated bezel, recessed case flanks, open-form lugs and piston-style chronograph pushers. The crown and pushers project from the right side without separate guards. On the black version, the dark treatment continues across each of those external control surfaces rather than stopping at the central case.

The Stage 1 Steel leaves the case in its natural metal colour and can be ordered on either an integrated stainless-steel bracelet or a black silicone strap. The Stage 1 Black applies a black coating to the case, bezel, crown and pushers, and is paired exclusively with the black silicone strap. These configurations retain the same dimensions, dial arrangement, movement and price. Neither finish changes the 10 ATM rating or the 22mm connection between case and strap. The bracelet follows the untreated case, while silicone keeps the connection between both variants visible and matches the black version's coated exterior.

Orange timing indications and a Sellita SW510

The two-part dial combines matte grey and anthracite surfaces with a fine-grained minute track. WRC orange marks the central chronograph seconds hand and the 30-minute counter, while the WRC wordmark sits above the date window at six o'clock. Applied hour markers and the timekeeping hands carry Super-LumiNova BGW9, which emits blue light in darker conditions. The chronograph seconds hand reaches the perimeter scale, while the compact minute counter concentrates the elapsed-time total in one subdial. Orange in daylight and blue lume at night supply the two most direct visual references to the championship's identity.

Stowa uses the automatic Sellita SW510 in Top Finish grade. The movement drives hours, minutes, small seconds, central chronograph seconds, a 30-minute counter and a quick-set date. Monochrome identifies it as a cam-actuated calibre with Valjoux-based architecture, operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour with an approximately 50-hour power reserve. The layout omits an elapsed-hours register, leaving the dial with two principal subdials rather than a three-register arrangement. Start, stop and reset controls remain in the conventional positions beside the crown, making the rally connection a matter of dial treatment and partnership branding rather than a new timing mechanism.

The Chrono WRC Stage 1 extends an existing relationship rather than inaugurating it. Stowa is the championship's official timekeeper and watch partner for the coming seasons, and the earlier Flieger Verus Black Forest WRC established the collaboration before this release. That first model used a 40mm pilot's-watch format and an automatic Sellita SW200, whereas the Stage 1 moves to a larger case and dedicated SW510 chronograph movement. The product therefore shifts the partnership from a time-only display with date into direct elapsed-time measurement. It does not add a team name, driver signature or numbered production limit to that formula.

Stowa Chrono WRC Stage 1 pricing and availability

Stowa lists both case versions at €2,990 including 19 per cent German value-added tax. The watches are available to order through the brand's online shop and are not described as limited editions. No separate initial launch allocation is stated. The steel model offers the additional bracelet choice, while the black model is supplied exclusively on silicone. Both therefore share one starting price despite the difference in case treatment and available attachments.

The common price keeps the commercial distinction centred on finish and strap selection rather than on the movement or dial. Every version has the 44mm by 16mm case, 10 ATM water-resistance rating, sapphire front crystal, Sellita SW510 Top Finish movement and two-tone WRC dial. The 28,800-vibration frequency corresponds to 4 Hz, while the approximately 50-hour reserve covers a little more than two days. The central seconds hand and 30-minute counter handle elapsed timing without an hours totaliser. Small seconds and the date remain available alongside that stopwatch function, so the reduced register count does not remove normal timekeeping information. The 49mm lug-to-lug span sits close to the stated case diameter, but the 16mm thickness remains a defining dimension. This is Stowa's larger WRC timing watch, built around an established automatic chronograph platform and offered as a regular order rather than a stated limited edition.