Glashütte Original... Tradition, Refinement and Class From Glashütte Germany
In my opinion, the 2015 offerings from Glashütte Original were some of the best timepieces out from Baselworld this year. They look great and the ones in the Pano range have always appealed to me with the Panograph being an almost buy for me in the past. So it led me to want to get a closer look at the 2015 novelties[my thanks to the Swatch Group, Glashütte Original Sales and Marketing Manager in Asia for sharing them with me] and that's what this post will largely be about.
However, as I was reminded of it's history, it made me delve into the darker days and i have spent considerable time looking at the senselessness that occurred during the second world war and the reprisals. but this post should not go down that path and just note that after the German surrender and when it was managed by the 4 Allied powers, East Germany fell in the Communist part of it and for the watch companies based in Glashütte, it resulted in a watch conglomerate being formed in 1951, the VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe (GUB). During the GUB period, simpler, low cost and robust timepieces were the order of the day.
Drawing back a bit further though, about a hundred years before all of that, the story of watchmaking in Glashütte began with Ferdinand Adolphe Lange, who decided to bring watch making to the town in 1845 and set up his watch manufacture there. The town was originally a silver mining town but after four centuries, in the 1800s, that resource was running out and it was struck by hardship. Lange, together with other enterprising and capable watchmakers like Julius Assmann[At Deutsche Präzisions-Taschenuhrenfabrik, he manufactured precision watches outfitted with elements typical of Glashütte, such as the three-quarter plate and a hand-engraved balance cock, that were awarded prizes all over the world], Moritz Grossmann[Founded the German School of Watchmaking in 1878], established watch manufacture in the town. The rich history of the place can be discovered at the German watch museum in Glashütte or in it's information online LINK
After GUB privatisation, Walter Lange obtained the rights to the Lange name and started A. Lange & Söhne(now under Richemont Group) and Swatch Group owns Glashütte Original. Glashütte Original is one of the few watchmakers that uses its own movements, and it has 10 proprietary movement innovations. The characteristics of the classic Glashütte Original design transform each mechanical movement into a miniature masterpiece epitomizing the German values of quality, precision and reliability. The brand continues to pursue this tradition today, creating mechanical masterpieces in accordance with the rigorous standards of the Saxon art of watchmaking. The brand’s masterpieces evoke fascination due to the passion and high precision that drive their development. Limited-edition models such as those dedicated to Julius Assmann and Alfred Helwig, and its timepieces decorated with Meissen porcelain dials are much sought-after by collectors.
some wonderful Glashütte Original novelties resting next to another finely made German product... mechanical marvels all :)
However, as I was reminded of it's history, it made me delve into the darker days and i have spent considerable time looking at the senselessness that occurred during the second world war and the reprisals. but this post should not go down that path and just note that after the German surrender and when it was managed by the 4 Allied powers, East Germany fell in the Communist part of it and for the watch companies based in Glashütte, it resulted in a watch conglomerate being formed in 1951, the VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe (GUB). During the GUB period, simpler, low cost and robust timepieces were the order of the day.
Drawing back a bit further though, about a hundred years before all of that, the story of watchmaking in Glashütte began with Ferdinand Adolphe Lange, who decided to bring watch making to the town in 1845 and set up his watch manufacture there. The town was originally a silver mining town but after four centuries, in the 1800s, that resource was running out and it was struck by hardship. Lange, together with other enterprising and capable watchmakers like Julius Assmann[At Deutsche Präzisions-Taschenuhrenfabrik, he manufactured precision watches outfitted with elements typical of Glashütte, such as the three-quarter plate and a hand-engraved balance cock, that were awarded prizes all over the world], Moritz Grossmann[Founded the German School of Watchmaking in 1878], established watch manufacture in the town. The rich history of the place can be discovered at the German watch museum in Glashütte or in it's information online LINK
After GUB privatisation, Walter Lange obtained the rights to the Lange name and started A. Lange & Söhne(now under Richemont Group) and Swatch Group owns Glashütte Original. Glashütte Original is one of the few watchmakers that uses its own movements, and it has 10 proprietary movement innovations. The characteristics of the classic Glashütte Original design transform each mechanical movement into a miniature masterpiece epitomizing the German values of quality, precision and reliability. The brand continues to pursue this tradition today, creating mechanical masterpieces in accordance with the rigorous standards of the Saxon art of watchmaking. The brand’s masterpieces evoke fascination due to the passion and high precision that drive their development. Limited-edition models such as those dedicated to Julius Assmann and Alfred Helwig, and its timepieces decorated with Meissen porcelain dials are much sought-after by collectors.
Glashütte’s municipal coat of arms, existing in its present form since 1912, displays the history of the city, a past first characterized by mining and then watchmaking
Ok enough of the past for now and let's look at the 2015 novelties!
first up the Senator Observer... Glashütte Original takes up the spirit of discovery once again with a new version of its Senator Observer, a sophisticated observation watch (also known as a ‘deck watch’) evoking the enthralling history of navigation at sea. The original inspiration was from one of the finest makers of observation watches, Julius Assmann, whose Glashütte firm specialised in the manufacture of these handmade wonders. The precision and reliability of its observation watches - in particular under extreme weather conditions - made them indispensable instruments for navigation officers, pilots, and pioneering explorers
At the heart of the Senator Observer is the automatic Calibre 100-14, an exquisitely finished selfwinding movement with a 55 hour power reserve (+/- 10%). Although traditional observation watches used hand-wound movements, the Senator Observeris fitted with a contemporary automatic movement
The Saxon manufactory’s in-house dial manufactory has made extensive use of luminous surfaces to make the new Senator Observer easy to read in the absence of light: the elegant white gold hour and minute hands, bold Arabic numerals, and chapter ring hour indexes are all highlighted with green Super-LumiNova, a phosphorescent pigment that absorbs light by day and emits it at night
By day the matt black dial offers an elegant backdrop and contrast to the Arabic numerals, drawn in a font once widely used for precision pocket watches made in Glashütte at the beginning of the 20th century. At the centre of the lower half is the noted watchmaker’s compelling Panorama Date display. The hand and indexes of the small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock and the power reserve indicator at 3 o’clock are also luminous by night
a finely finished movement is to be expected from Glashütte Original
The new Senator Observer comes in a 44 mm case fashioned of polished and satin-brushed stainless steel and is available with an elegant black calfskin strap fitted with a stainless steel foldover clasp, or with a polished stainless steel link bracelet
up next the PanoMaticLunars in SS and RG... Elegant red gold meets matt black & cool stainless steel encounters intense blue
The PanoMaticLunar model has the characteristic off-centre displays in a well thought out spatial arrangement. The areas for hour/minute indicators and the small seconds display lie on a vertical axis within the left half of the dial, while the Panorama Date and the splendid moon phase display are positioned at the lower and upper right, respectively
The PanoMaticLunar models are driven by the Saxon manufactory's Calibre 90-02 – a mechanical automatic movement with 47 jewels and a 42-hour power reserve. The sapphire crystal case back offers an unobstructed view into the refined beauty of the movement and its characteristic Glashütte elements including the three-quarter plate with Glashütte stripe finish, the off-centre rotor with oscillating weight in 21-ct gold, blued screws and the hand-engraved balance cock with duplex swan-neck fine adjustment
The placement of the individual displays was inspired by the “Golden Ratio” – the legendary law of aesthetic harmony. The exceptionally beautiful and characteristic dials of the PanoMaticLunar and PanoReserveare made in Glashütte Original's own dial manufactory in Pforzheim. In Pforzheim, the city of gold and jewellery, Glashütte Original draws on deep specialist knowledge and long-established traditions in dial-making, thus ensuring that every Glashütte Original watch receives its own dignified and unmistakable face”
Up to 40 separate operations, performed by true masters of their craft, are required to produce the refined and carefully finished dials. The application of the graphic elements alone requires four (PanoMaticLunar) or six (PanoReserve) separate steps. The dial manufactory team's extensive experience allowed them to develop the perfectly tuned colours that give the new models their radiant glow
great details throughout the watch... in the case with satin and polished finishing and double G logo on the crown
a closer look at the hand-engraved balance cock with duplex swan-neck fine adjustment
a lovely rich black dial. the stars around the moon are more visible in this shot below
handsome timepieces from Glashütte Original
The PanoReserve also comes in these two metals and dial combos and I was able to take shots of the steel one. The Panorama Date and the power reserve display present indications in the German language. Along with the “Made in Germany” mark these indications offer a subtle reminder of the origin of the watch and a silent bow to the art of German watchmaking, as practised in Glashütte since 1845
The heart of the PanoReserveis the manual winding Calibre 65-01 with 42 hour power reserve and 48 jewels. The sapphire crystal case back offers a clear view of the characteristic Glashütte Original duplex swan-neck fine adjustment and other traditional elements of the art of watchmaking in Glashütte: the Glashütte three-quarter plate with Glashütte stripe finish, the hand-engraved balance cock, the screw balance, screw mounted gold chatons and blued screws
lighter and darker intensity to the blue under different lights and angles. a wonderfully made dial
and that's it for now [i will look to update the above with retail prices once i have it]. i will be sharing another post in time on Glashütte Original, maybe even from an owner's perspective ;) cheers, raph
