# New Arrival - Braun Aw20



## The Monk (Dec 23, 2010)

The first of the two arrivals chez moi today is a Braun AW20. Since Braun ceased manufacturing watches in 2005 when Procter & Gamble took over the whole show, the best you can get is new old stock. A site in Germany offers nearly all the Braun watches, and the AW20 version in particular for 99euros, but it seems only the black stainless steel version. The version I acquired is chrome, and it was Â£40 delivered off Ebay. It took a while to get here and the seller allowed the envelope adhesive to stick to the simple cardboard watch box and so tear some of it off, to my annoyance. That said, the box is as minimal as you can get, in keeping with the Braun design philosophy.

The AW20 first appeared in 1990 designed by Dietrich Lubs, a close collaborator of Dieter Rams, the iconic Braun designer. It is made in Germany, has a quartz movement (no further info on that, sorry), and has a 31mm case. This small size leads it to be called often a unisex watch, though the clean design is distinctly masculine.










The dial is clean as a whistle, indices not digits, a yellow second hand and the date (Which can be quick set)on a chrome-coloured field matching the dial but flagged with a natty red arrow. It has a mineral crystal.










The back of the case is again as minimal as possible, with only "Stainless Steel Back", "Water Resistant", "Braun" and the model number "3802" engraved on it.










The strap is 18mm leather, with a signed buckle.










The height is 7mm.










It is such a light watch you can forget it is on your wrist. It is small so those who like more wrist presence will not like it. But the minimalist design is a real winner in my eyes. My one gripe - the second hand does not perfectly align with the indices. I think I can live with that.


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## The Monk (Dec 23, 2010)

For some reason the board won't allow me to edit my own post! :dntknw: For accuracy's sake, I need to make a clarification - the 1990 version had numerals on the dial; this version is with indices, first produced in 1994.


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## The Monk (Dec 23, 2010)

Obsessive as ever, I have just discovered that the movement is a Ronda 715, and so quite respectable from what I can tell.


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## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

I lost an hour or more looking at that German site, and becoming unable to decide which models I liked more ... many of them are gorgeous. Congrats on your find!


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## The Monk (Dec 23, 2010)

David Spalding said:


> I lost an hour or more looking at that German site, and becoming unable to decide which models I liked more ... many of them are gorgeous. Congrats on your find!


Snap! It is a low-tech, no razzle-dazzle site, but it is happy hunting to be sure. All the Brauns are attractive, with sometimes very subtle variations. I would buy one of each if I could. Glad you had some fun.


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## Jack G (Apr 7, 2008)

The Monk said:


> *All the Brauns are attractive, with sometimes very subtle variations.*


Lovely watches and as you say subtle.

I have been flying the Braun flag for years - have a look at my website: www.braunlcdwatches.com


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## The Monk (Dec 23, 2010)

Jack G said:


> The Monk said:
> 
> 
> > *All the Brauns are attractive, with sometimes very subtle variations.*
> ...


I have! The DW20 is a lovely digital watch, though I have never been much of a digital man. But for a change one can see some design finesses in a digital. But pricey, since limited runs.


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