Classical. Traditionnal. German. Glashütte ? Indeed ! The new collection of novelties unveiled during Baselworld meets the german watch standards, with white dials, big date, blue hands and a perfect legibility, some characteristics that are common with the other high-end Glashütte brand, the Richemont cousin A. Lange & Söhne.
Glashütte Senator Chronograph Panorama Date – New movement
What comes out today is a new chronograph movement designed and hand-crafted entirely in its own manufactory in Glashütte. The new Calibre 37-01 column wheel chronograph debuts at the heart of the Senator Chronograph Panorama Date in two versions, one with a platinum case and hand-finished silver dial and the other with a red gold case and lacquered silver grained dial. Conceived as a permanent part of the collection, both timepieces feature the watchmaker’s classic Senator dial visuals and are part of the manufactory’s Art & Technik pillar. There’s a good chance that this Swatch-Group made caliber will also find its place in other timepieces of the brand as years go by. Because a brand new caliber costs a lot to elaborate, and because this is a major announcement for Glashütte, as the new Calibre 37-01 is the first it has conceived and built specifically as a chronograph movement.
Glashütte Calibre 37-01
The manufactory’s in-house design team has integrated a combination of features: central stop seconds hand, 30 minute and 12 hour counters with flyback mechanism; small seconds counter with power reserve indicator (70 hours), and Glashütte Original’s compelling implementation of the Panorama Date display. This power reserve of three days now seems to be a general trend, from Tissot (80 hours) up to TAG Heuer (new in house caliber as well, the Cal. 1969 renamed CH80 in Baselworld) through Breitling (up to 70 hours as well). In today’s case, the Glashütte movement features a bi-directional rotor; the 70-hour power reserve is managed by a single spring barrel.
In contrast to more complex constructions, the automatic 4Hz column wheel Calibre 37-01 has been designed to be as simple and compact as possible. With a diameter of 31.6 mm and an essential simplicity, the movement has an increased stability and is less susceptible to interference, resulting in superior performance over time.
Glashütte Senator Chronograph Panorama Date – German style: pure
Simplicity and elegance clearly were on top of the key words list in the design of the Senator Chronograph Panorama Date.
It will be available initially in two versions.
Glashütte Senator Chronograph Panorama Date Platinium
The first model features a silver dial with laser-engraved black tachometric scale, railroad chapter ring and Roman numerals; all engravings are filled in black before the gold dial is polished in preparation for subsequent silver plating. The process, known as “silver plating by friction”, involves the application by hand of a fine silver powder, resulting in a durable dial. This lustrous silver dial edition is presented in a polished and satin brushed platinum case; a blue sapphire is mounted on the crown – something that Cartier has set as a trademark for ages, surprisingly.
Glashütte Senator Chronograph Panorama Date Platinium – Crown
A second version in this debut edition features a lacquered silver grained dial with black railroad chapter ring and black Roman numerals set within a satin brushed and polished case in 18 carat red gold.
Glashütte Senator Chronograph Panorama Date Red Gold
In both cases, this Senator features nothing more, nothing less than what is purely essential : a 12 hour chronograph counter at 12 o’clock, while the Panorama Date display with black numerals on an ivory ground is positioned at the centre of the lower half of the dial. The small seconds dial with black and white power reserve indicator appears at 9 o’clock, the 30 minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock.
Original ? No. Classic, elegant, german style. The added-value of this new watch might not be on its dial, but its movement as such, which can be seen through a sapphire crystal on the case back.
The platinum version of the new Senator Chronograph Panorama Date is fitted with a blue Louisiana Alligator leather strap and fold-over clasp in platinum; the red gold version is fitted with a mat black Louisiana Alligator leather strap and fold-over clasp in 18 carat red gold.
