Baselworld 2013…

The new Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Regulator unites the classic regulator display (minute display at center, other indicators positioned as subsidiary) with an officially certified manual winding chronometer movement in manner that epitomizes German watchmaking, at least for me.  The lacquered silver-grainé dial goes perfectly with the blue hands.  That slender, shaped minute hand is particularly elegant.  On the central axis above and below the minute indicator are the subsidiary hour and seconds displays.  Power reserve and date panorama display round it out.  It will be offered in red and white gold, both pictured.
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Baselworld 2013…

Since their debut in 2007 the Sixties models from Glashütte Original have proven very popular, and not only with fans of “vintage” trends.  They are great looking watches.  For 2013 the Saxon watchmaker (A. Lange’s next door neighbor) introduces the Sixties in a nice midnight blue color, with sunburst finish, both for the date (“Panorama Date”) and no-date models.  The Sixties is presented in a 39 mm polished stainless steel case, while the Sixties Panorama Date has a 42 mm case.  The Panorama Date window is on a blue background — a thoughtful details.  However I’ve always found the contrast between the retro numerals on the dial and the standard sans-serif font of the date window to be a bit at odds with each other.  For this reason I strongly prefer the Sixties, sans date.

The watches both have a sapphire display back.  The movements are automatic mechanical, Caliber 39 series. Characteristic  features of Glashütte movement finishing are the bevelled edges, polished steel  components, a swan neck fine adjustment, Glashütte three-quarter plate with Glashütte ribbing and a skeletonized rotor with oscillating mass in 21-carat gold.   They do a nice job with their movements even for more entry-level production models such as these.

Baselworld 2013…

The Senator Tourbillon, one of two tourbillons presented this year by Glashutte Original, is presented in a white gold, 42mm case, with beautiful gray grained dial.   It features a somewhat slimmer bezel than previous Senator models, framing the dial which is set with fine Roman numerals and a classic railroad chapter ring and slender, elegant hands crafted of white gold.

Taking pride of place on the dial is the superb and beautiful Flying Tourbillon with seconds indicator, positioned at six o’clock in harmonious counterpoint to the Panorama Date window up top.  Automatic caliber 94-03, manufacture made as are all of GO’s movements.

A very classically styled watch, I like it.

Baselworld 2013…

A number of models in Glashütte Original’s Pano line were presented at Baselworld 2012 in a contemporary reinterpretation that saw a larger cylindrical case and enhanced dial visuals framed by a slim, elegant bezel.   For 2013 GO builds on the contemporary look with the PanoLunarTourbillon, in a 40mm red gold case and a warm silver dial.   The characteristic  asymmetric design of the Pano timepieces puts the large hour/minute dial positioned to the left of centre, in alignment with the Flying Tourbillon that is centered at seven.  This is one of two tourbillons that GO will present for 2013.
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This is a very special new 100 piece limited edition from Glashütte Original (“GO”)– the Glashütte Original Senator Moon Phase Skeletonized Edition.   Utilizing the mastercrafts of skeletonization and fine engraving, this latest masterpiece from the Saxon manufactory takes up the Glashütte Original 1845 Classic Up/Down with Moon Phase model originally introduced about ten years ago. Presented in a reworked, superbly finished red gold case designed, this Senator Moon Phase features a skeletonized dial with moon phase, power reserve and hour/minutes/small seconds indicators.  Visible through the sapphire caseback are some splendid details:  the winding wheels with double-sunburst decoration, screw-mounted gold chatons with blued steel screws, hand-engraved plates, a lavishly finished swan-neck fine adjustment, and gold engraved lettering and limited edition numbering (001/100).  Skeletonizing is done in-house by GO, for the engraving the manufacture works together with a family company in Dresden.  A truly splendid timepiece.

Glashütte Original Senator Moon Phase Skeletonized Edition (Ref 49-13-15-15-04)

Limited, numbered edition of 100 pieces

42mm red gold case (11.2mm thick), manual wind GO manufacture Caliber 49-13 (40-hour power reserve)p; fitted on a matte black Louisiana alligator strap with foldover clasp and highly polished, dark brown wooden case

Baselworld 2012: More Glashütte Original “Pano” collection….the new PanoReserve presents a stylish and sophisticated interpretation of the signature asymmetric Pano dial visuals.  A red gold edition with a silver dial takes optimal advantage of the larger case and slimmer bezel to unveil the strictly minimalist approach.  The off-centre hour/minute display features faceted red gold hands and applied red gold hour indexes framing a finely drawn subsidiary seconds dial. Glashütte Original’s characteristic Panorama Date display takes its place on the warm silver dial just below 4 o’clock as the connoisseur’s eye is drawn to the elegant, stripped-down power reserve display. The Panorama Date and power reserve are labeled in German, a subtle indication of the Saxon manufactory’s role as rightful heir to more than 165 years of fine mechanical watchmaking in Glashütte.  Two PanoReserves present the new visuals framed in polished and satin brushed stainless steel.  One features a warm silver dial with blued hands and applied hour indexes on the hour/minutes dial, a black-on-white Panorama Date display and the simply compelling power reserve (Auf/Ab) with blued steel indicator. The second variation in stainless steel presents a grey ruthenium dial with white gold hands, applied nickel hour indexes and an impressive white-on-grey Panorama Date below the power reserve.

Glashütte Original PanoReserve

Baselworld 2012:   Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar — a new design from the high-end German watchmaker.  When I mentioned earlierthat the 2012 Glashütte Original collection is phenomenal — specifically, it was the new “Pano” pieces that jumped out at me first.  Among the newly designed Pano editions debuting at Baselworld 2012 are three new versions of the PanoMaticLunar.  The new models feature a larger case, dial (and slightly thinner bezel) presenting the classic elements of the originals – the off-centre hour/minutes and subsidiary seconds dials – while subtly enhancing spatial composition, detail and finishings to create a distinctly contemporary look and feel.  It all looks and feels very balanced, despite the asymmetrical layout.  Perhaps because the placement of the dials has been determined in accordance with the divine proportion, otherwise known as the golden ratio, the legendary law of aesthetic harmony.  Twelve years on, the Pano remains as exquisite as ever — I love it!

Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar

automatic mechanical GO manufacture Caliber 90-02

white dials / steel:

grey dials / steel:

white dials / rose gold:

hBaselworld 2012:  Glashütte Original’s lineup this year is simply phenomenal, across the board.  Here is a quick look at their most complicated piece this year the most sophisticated masterpiece in the history of the company — the beautiful and sophisticated Glashütte Original Grande Cosmopolite Tourbillon.  In short, this exquisitely complicated wonder enables the world traveller to track the time of day or night at home and on the road simultaneously, in any two of 37 world time zones, while accounting correctly for Daylight Saving (DST) or Standard Time (STD) and for travel forward in time (to the East) or back in time (to the West).   All destination time and date changes made by the wearer are displayed by a Perpetual Calendar geared to register changes in both directions, forwards and backwards in time.  GO claims that the unique combination of complications in this watch represent a world first in mechanical watches.  It was, after all, the the master watchmaker Alfred Helwig of Glashütte who developed the Flying Minute Tourbillon in 1920. More details, and many more looks….read on…

Glashütte Original Grande Cosmopolite Tourbillon

limited edition 25 pieces

48mm platinum case, manual wind Glashütte Original manufactory Calibre 89-01 (500+ components, Glashütte ribbing, screw-mounted gold chatons, winding wheels and the 72- hour power reserve display), fitted on black alligator strap with fold-over platinum clasp

The Grande Cosmopolite Tourbillon is designed for the world traveller who wishes to keep track of both the home time and the destination time while travelling. The home time remains an unchanging point of reference and is presented at 6 o’clock on a dedicated 24-hour dial with a day/night indicator. The destination time appears at the centre of the main dial and tracks the local time at a given location away from home. To begin using this exceptional timepiece, the owner first sets the hour and minute of the home time, which is followed by the synchronization of the home and destination times.

When selecting the home time, the owner sets the time zone governing his or her usual place of residence, selecting it from among 37 different world time zones on the city ring, including those that respect 30-minute (e.g. Delhi) and 45-minute offsets (e.g. Eucla), and then adjusts for Standard Time (STD) or Daylight Saving Time (DST). The time zones on the city ring are indicated using three-letter IATA codes (international airport codes, e.g. FRA for Frankfurt am Main, LAX for Los Angeles International, DXB for Dubai, etc.) and are displayed in two small windows at 8 o’clock on the dial, one dedicated to Standard Time (STD), the other to Daylight Saving Time (DST). The owner then sets the Perpetual Calendar to reflect the current weekday, date, month and (leap) year.

If heading East (forwards in time), the traveller turns the crown positioned at 2 o’clock clockwise; if travelling West (back in time), the crown is turned counter-clockwise. If the destination time is ahead or back a day, up to 5 displays of the Perpetual Calendar change accordingly.

The ingenious time machine can handle even a change from March 1st to February 29th or 28th, with no additional manual intervention required. It is an absolutely extraordinary combination of hand-crafted complications – an astonishing achievement, and a world first for mechanical watches.  This exquisite set of display is put on show on a silver-grained, massive 18 karat gold dial and is framed by milled black Roman numerals and a railroad chapter ring.

As you see here, the case back is protected by a platinum “hunter” case fitted with a graphic presenting 37 time zones, each represented by a three-letter IATA airport code.

As befits this extraordinary example of the art of making watches at Glashütte Original, this grand complication masterpiece is presented in a finely crafted presentation case made of peat bog oak. A stainless steel globe presides over the case, which displays along its sides a series of maps evocative of past and present adventures of discovery around the world. When the exclusive timepiece is placed inside the case, an integrated winding mechanism ensures that the Grande Cosmopolite Tourbillon remains wound running at all times.

UPDATE:  clarify–there are actually 3 variations of this watch being produced:  1) the Assman/Amundsen limited edition I previewed last December, 2) the grey dial you see below, and 3) a white-dialed version of the same watch very similar to the Assmann/Amundsen LE

A modest pre-Basel teaser from one of my favorite brands, “made in Germany” Glashütte Original.  I say modest because this is not a “new” model, per se, but rather a new dial color for the Senator Observer Julius Assmann 1911 (Roald Amundsen tribute) which I already reported on this past December.  In all fairness, though, both models are making their official debut at Baselworld 2012 and are nice looking watches — so let’s give them their due appreciation.  Now, in contrast to the silver-dialed Roald Amundsen tribute watch (click over and read the full story on this — it’s quite interesting), today’s model features a lacquered grey grained dial.  This effect (as you can see in the close-ups below), is built up slowly from three separate layers of lacquer, resulting in finely textured, grained surface.  Glashütte Original’s compelling panorama date — the only “big date” where both date wheels are on the same level — display features prominently at 6 o’clock.  Nicely attention to detail on the date window with the white numerals on black background, as my watch friend Frank @Monochrome pointed out earlier today.  Can’t wait to see what else is in the GO lineup for 2012!

Glashütte Original Senator Observer Julius Assmann 1911

44mm polished steel case, automatic mechanical manufacture Caliber 100-14, available on alligator strap or “vintage” brown calfskin (both shown below)

 definitely looks better on the gator strap (left)

Today I have a special new limited edition piece from Glashütte Original.  This exceptional timepiece, handmade in the firm’s manufactory and limited to 25 pieces, pays homage to the pioneering spirit of two extraordinary men, Julius Assmann and Roald Amundsen.  Now, while paying homage to Julius Assmann is not surprising given that he is revered today as one of the founding fathers of watchmaking in Glashütte, I admit that seing the name Roald Amundsen tied to Glashütte Original definitely got my attention.  After all, what could Amundsen — the famed Norweigan explorer who was first man to reach both the South Pole and the North Pole (among many other extreme exploration feats), Amundsen — have to do with Glashütte?  Turns out there is a story here, and I’ll let the folks from Glashütte Original tell it to you, after the jump…

Before setting out on his historic voyage to the South Pole, Roald Amundsen acquired a number of Assmann observation watches, including one crafted by the young Glashütte watchmaker Paul Löwe in 1907/08.  Löwe’s watch proved to be exceptionally precise, and he was urged to send it for testing to the German Naval Observatory in Hamburg, the institute officially responsible for testing and certifying the accuracy of navigational timekeepers made in Germany. It was there that Roald Amundsen saw the watch, and he purchased it in 1910.   Shortly thereafter, on December 14th, 1911, the Norwegian polar explorer and his team became the first persons ever to reach the geographic South Pole.

Observation watches, also known as “deck watches” were used by navigation officers in conjunction with marine chronometers and other instruments to determine as precisely as possible a ship’s position at sea, and Amundsen will have made good use of his observation watches during his voyage to Antarctica on the polar ship, Fram.

Once he and his team set out from their base camp at Framheim on the Bay of Whales, however, the time kept by his observation watches became the only standard: one watch was set to a home time and assumed the function of the marine chronometer on a ship; a second watch was set to local time; measurement of the difference between the two was used to calculate, using spherical trigonometry, the team’s position during the trek to the South Pole; a compass and sextant were also used.

Thus, Amundsen’s observation watches were absolutely critical to his mission: without them, he could never have reached his destination, much less claimed victory for Norway. In Oslo today, the Fram Museum displays, along with many other artifacts documenting the historic trek, one of Amundsen’s Glashütte observation watches, complete with the inscription “J. Assmann – Glashütte” on the dial.  Observation watches continued to be manufactured in Glashütte until 1971, a testament to the ongoing production of high quality timepieces even during challenging times. 

Fast forward to today — the splendid timepiece you see here is presented in a limited edition of 25 pieces, bears the name “Senator Observer”, in honour of Julius Assmann’s observation watches and Amundsen’s achievement in reaching the South Pole.  The Senator Observer 1911’s lacquered silver-grain dial is built up slowly from three separate layers of white lacquer, the third of which features a finely textured, silver-grain surface.  The dial presents subsidiary seconds and power reserve displays at 9 and 3 o’clock respectively;  Glashütte Original’s characteristic panorama date display at 6 o’clock; and blued and polished sweep minute and pear-shaped hour hands.  A milled railroad chapter ring frames the black Arabic numerals.

The Senator Observer Limited Edition 1911 – Julius Assmann features a cylindrical case fashioned in white gold, complemented by a brown calfskin strap evocative of the age of pioneering adventurers and explorers epitomized by Amundsen.

The case back, engraved with the limited edition number (01/25), frames an antireflective sapphire crystal bearing the dates of Amundsen’s arrival at the South Pole and its centennial anniversary: 14 Dec. 1911 – 14 Dec 2011; the name Julius Assmann – Glashütte i/SA, and “Tribute to R. Amundsen”.

At the heart of the Senator Observer 1911 – Julius Assmann is the automatic caliber 100-14, an exquisitely finished self-winding movement. Traditional observation watches used hand-wound movements; Glashuette Original has chosen to outfit the Senator Observer 1911 – Julius Assmann with a contemporary automatic movement from our manufactory to maximize comfort for the wearer. Thus, the ‘Ab Auf’ indicator on the dial represents a true power reserve, rather than a simple indication of running time.

The base movement is outfitted with a reset mechanism, which makes for easier synchronization of the second hand with standard time. In contrast to other reset mechanisms, the second hand is not coupled with the winding stem or the crown. This results in the balance continuing to oscillate and the movement continuing to run despite the crown being pulled out, which considerably reduces wear and tear on materials. The reset mechanism is activated by pushing a separate corrector.

A bi-directional winding rotor delivers energy to a patented, stepped reduction gear, and then to two smaller, serially operating spring barrels. Large amounts of energy are transmitted to the mainspring, and the spring barrel is filled quickly.

Visible through the sapphire case back, the Caliber 100-14 is a fitting tribute to Julius Assmann. The movement features the characteristic Glashütte three-quarter plate, screw-mounted gold chatons, and a rotor with 21-carat gold oscillating weight and the gold-plated double-G mark that distinguishes high end mechanical watches from Glashütte Original.