In 2023, German watchmaker Laco released its first DIN 8330 standard-certified pilot watches. The two debut models include this Laco Hamburg DIN 8330 model and the companion Hamburg GMT DIN 8330 version. I preferred to review this single-time zone Hamburg DIN 8330 because I like the looks of it a bit more, but I think it is worth noting (since this is a pilot’s watch) that a dual-time-zone version is also available. There is a lot to discuss about these newer Laco watches because of the company’s pilot watch heritage, as well as what the DIN 8330 standard is concerned with. The good news is that if you don’t really understand the story behind this timepiece, it still serves as an excellent tool watch for daily wear or enthusiasts. That’s because it is well-made, ergonomic, and offers excellent readability. I also find the design quite handsome.

In the 1940s, when companies like Laco were making military aviation watches, they didn’t just design whatever they liked but rather built watches to particular government standards and visual specifications. A well-known pilot watch standard (not from Germany) is “Type XX” which is the basis for many other classic aviation watches. Modern standards and specifications for military and aviation watches exist, but they are relatively rare in their application. Only a small number of watches on the market today are produced using military or other professional-use standards. One exception might be ISO-certified diver’s watches, but that standard is less visually restrictive (meaning brands can design a variety of looks), so long as the resultant timepiece complies with a number of important legibility and performance criteria. Pilot watch standards are, in some ways, stricter, and thus, the resulting watches have less opportunity to stand out from each visually from each other.

Adding to the above fact is the historical requirement that such pilot watches should not have brand names on the dials. Today, Laco (among others, such as Stowa, I believe) still produces “sterile-dial” versions of some products for people who like that classic look. I, for one, enjoy a brand name on the dial, and so I like the middle-ground position Laco has taken by rendering its logo in a more discreet gray-on-black text color. The same color is used for the DIN 8330 label on the dial. The high-contrast white color is used exclusively for the markers and hands, as a strict part of the DIN 8330 standard has to do with visually optimizing the dial and eliminating glare or distractions.

Let’s talk a bit about the DIN 8330 standard and its recent history. It’s important to discuss that Laco built this watch with guidance and encouragement from a competitor, Sinn. This fellow German watch brand is a slightly different type of company and works a bit more closely with various agencies that either need professional-use watches or that certify them.

In 2012, the German TESTAF standard was released as a novel set of specifications for aviation pilot watches. The purpose of the standard was to ensure that today’s pilots had a wristwatch that could ideally serve their needs in a range of situations that today’s aircraft crew may find themselves in. When TESTAF came out, Sinn not only produced a TESTAF-certified timepiece but also approached the agency to make an even more specific standard for aviation wristwatches. My understanding is that Sinn felt the standard needed some tweaking to serve as a guide for timepieces. By working with the German Institute for Standards (DIN), Sinn helped the creation of the DIN 8330 standard which was finally completed in around 2016. Now, Laco has become the second company after Sinn to produce a DIN 8330 standard-compliant set of watches. Sinn probably encouraged Laco because it wants more companies to rally behind the challenging-to-meet DIN 8330 standard. It makes for a nice story that two competitors were able to work together to promote modern tool watch appreciation and adoption.

It is probably beyond the scope of this article to fully discuss what goes into the DIN 8330 standard, which requires passing 16 tests. Laco explains that it took many revisions to get the watches right, and a total of 12 weeks of testing was required before the final versions completed the testing regimen. Some of the tests are very interesting, such as the watch having to survive up to 48 hours of being entirely submerged in aviation lubrication or plane engine oil. Shock and g-force resistance is also a crucial part of the tests since today’s pilots have to endure physical forces, unlike anything a pilot in the 1940s could imagine. Most important to watch enthusiasts are the visibility elements of DIN 8330 requirements. Passing watch dials must be extremely clear and easy to read in a variety of situations and in light or dark. The resulting dials are heavenly to look at as a result because they are such good instruments. The standards are clearly not about aesthetics or style, but the resulting dials are just so good to use that they have an emotional, as well as technical, appeal.

DIN 8330 watches are also designed to be easily legible if wearing night vision goggles and to survive strong magnetic forces. In many ways, the standard takes what is necessary for diving watches (without the need to go as deep underwater), but adds a lot of interesting additional elements and requirements. The watch is known as the “Hamburg” because Hamburg, Germany is where the DIN 8330 certifying agency SEACOTEC is located.

Let’s get back to the watch itself. The Laco Hamburg DIN 8330 case is 43.5mm wide and 13.6mm thick in a gray sandblast-finished steel. The case has a roughly 50mm long lug-to-lug distance and uses 20mm wide straps. Over the dial is an excellent AR-coated flat sapphire crystal, and the steel case is water-resistant to 200 meters with a screw-down and guarded crown. Unlike diver’s watches, the bezel rotates bi-directionally. It was further designed to be operable with gloves. The bezel insert is in matte-black ceramic, and its text is all painted in luminous material.

Inside the watch is a top-grade Swiss Made Sellita SW200 automatic movement. It operates at 4Hz with 38 hours of power reserve and should operate within chronometric standards at this grade. I like how Laco discreetly integrated the date indicator window into the dial. Like the other text on the dial, it is in an unobtrusive gray-on-black color. The dial design is nothing particularly new. When I first put the Hamburg DIN 8330 on my wrist, it looked exactly like a modern cockpit instrument clock (in a good way). If you want to criticize this watch, the only thing to say, really, is that it doesn’t feel as fresh as its designation suggests. Laco is adapting a historic design to a modern certification standard. Commercially, that is what a lot of the market wants to buy, even if some collectors want a modern look to a modern watch. The good news is that anyone can ostensibly make a DIN 8330-compliant watch, and it might be another company that takes the DIN 8330 standard in the 21st century. For those who admire the heritage looks with the modern performance of the Hamburg DIN 8330, there really isn’t much to complain about.

The accompanying textile-style Nytech strap is well-made and designed to be environmentally resistant (the rear of the strap says “Handmade in Germany”). This watch could also look good on a number of other 20mm wide strap styles. I would also like to see it on a bund-style strap, as well as a colorful NATO-style strap. Laco uses its modern aluminum presentation boxes with this watch and includes a strap removal tool, which you need. My suspicion is that easy-release straps would not pass the durability and stress tests of the DIN 8330 standard.

I found myself wearing the Laco Hamburg DIN 8330 watch a lot. It has a go-anywhere feel even if it is intended as a professional-use pilot’s watch. Practically speaking, you can take it to most places given its water and shock resistance. Plus, the highly legible dial means the watch works equally well in direct sunlight as it does in near darkness. The Hamburg DIN 8330 is really what a good analog mechanical tool watch is supposed to be all about. Perhaps there are some cool Air Force pilots out there wearing them too. Price for the Laco Hamburg DIN 8330 watch is $2,170 USD. Learn more at the Laco website.

Necessary Information:
>Brand: Laco
>Model: Hamburg DIN 8330
>Price: $2,170 USD
>Size: 43.5mm wide, 13.6mm thick, ~50mm lug-to-lug distance
>When reviewer would personally wear it: Excellent daily wear watch when black and gray matches what you are wearing (which is most of the time, actually).
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Tool watch lover who can appreciate the appeal of a DIN 8330-compliant watch.
>Best characteristic of watch: Very well-executed functional and legible timepiece that isn’t overly priced. Strict standard compliance is a big part of the value, and why it works so well as a sports watch. Good looking and comfortable to wear.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Does not break much ground in terms of design. Strap not easy to swap out.