Last year we wrote about Pforzheim, the “Golden city”, where Glashütte Original’s eye-catching dials originate from. Deft hands produce colourful and sophisticated dials using a number of traditional and contemporary techniques that make the company’s timepieces so recognizable. Mother-of-pearl has been a beloved material of the brand, appearing on the ladies’ models, including the Pavonina, Lady Serenade or the astonishing PanoMatic Luna.
Mother-of-pearl returned in 2017, on novelties in the Pavonina line. Additionally, a new super-sporty edition (by Glashütte Original standards) of the Senator Chronograph Panorama Date came out, and the perpetual calendar complication was added to last year’s Calibre 36 in the Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar model.
We visited Glashütte Original at Baselworld.
Ladies first
The first ladies watch with the “Glashütte Original” sign was issued in 1927. The company has been offering a number of options for women ever since – some dedicated to them, others more unisex by nature. Pavonina – from pavo the Latin name for peacock – introduced in 2013, could not be any more feminine. A fine cushion shape and a range of dial decorations and materials make the collection very colourful. Shimmering galvanic surfaces, guilloche patterned mother-of-pearl, Arabic appliqués or diamond setting have been common in this collection – this year it was tweaked and extended slightly further.
In contrast to previous models, the company used Roman numerals on the novelties. The usual cushion-shaped Pavonina case (31x31mm) came in stainless steel, red gold and bi-colour, a mix of the two materials. The flexible lugs and the easy-to-change straps offer a great comfort and the versatility to match any given outfit. They shimmer in beige, bright turquoise, vivid orange or dark blue, which you can even combine for a funky look.
They are moved by the in-house developed 03-02 quartz movement.
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Glashütte Original Pavonina
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Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar
In 2016, Glashütte Original presented its new Calibre 36, which is the manufacture’s new generation compact automatic base movement, with hour, minute and seconds functions. Four principles drove the development: stability (in rate as well as overall construction), precision, extended running time and pleasing aesthetics. Built on this, Glashütte Original introduced the Calibre 36-02, which adds the perpetual calendar module on the base movement. The model is called Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar, and it has the wide-open Panorama Date, a moon phase, weekday, month and leap year indicators.
The look is completely recognizable for everyone who knows the elegant Senator line: 42mm red gold or stainless steel case with varnished silver-grainé dial, blue, long, slim poire hour and minute pointers and a filigreed seconds hand with a tiny double-Glashütte logo.
The design of the dial offers great legibility – weekday and month are symmetrical (at 10 and 2 o’clock respectively), Panorama Date at 4 o’clock, moon phase at 8 o’clock, and for the leap year one need only glance at a separate display beneath hour 12.
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Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar
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Calibre 36-02 with the perpetual calendar module on the base movement
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Senator Chronograph Panorama Date Steel and Black edition
Another manufacture movement, the Calibre 37-01 chronograph, plays a role in the Senator Chronograph Panorama Date. It originally debuted in the gold and platinum models in 2014. The Calibre 37 is a fully integrated, compact construction with column-wheel and a flyback mechanism and 12-hour chronograph counter. It is automatic with 70 hours power reserve. The first precious metal models characterized by the railroad minutes ring and the thin Roman numerals were smooth and classy.
This year Glashütte Original opted for a much sportier overall appearance. First, it comes in stainless steel with the same dimensions as the previous models, but obviously more ready to take on the everyday use of an active wearer. Second, the dial is structurally the same – Panorama Date and the subdials – but the black colour and aesthetical changes paint a completely different look. The railroad ring is absent and the dainty numerals are exchanged for massive rectangular blue indexes and the sword hands call for action. The hands, the numbers and the marks are inlaid with blue Super-LumiNova.
Blue comes back on the black leather bracelet, which received an ice blue stitching detail.
Being so different from the predecessors in its outfit, while retaining its high-tech content the new Senator Chronograph Panorama Date Steel and Black edition is an exciting addition to GO’s portfolio.
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Glashütte Original Senator Chronograph Panorama Date
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Glashütte Original Senator Chronograph Panorama Date
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Calibre 37-01, fully integrated chronograph. Compact construction with column-wheel and a flyback mechanism and 12-hour chronograph counter. It is automatic with 70 hours power reserve.
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Photo credits: Glashütte Original, Loupiosity.com.
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