2018 saw green dials, while 2019 saw orange dials (see above), and the pair of watches that were part of both Annual Editions were the Sixties and the Sixties Panorama Date. Both editions were certainly extroverted in character with their dial colours, which was part of why they attracted the attention that they did, being of tones that were period correct, yet refreshing in their appearance in these modern times.For this year however, Glashütte Original has decided to pull things back a little bit, and have gone with a cool glacier blue for the dial colours of the two watches. Not only that, the Sixties time only watch remains, but the Sixties Panorama Date seen previously, has been swapped out for the decidedly more technical Sixties Chronograph.

Inspired by alpine scenery and glaciers, the offering is certainly more elegant in feel and makes use of one of the brand’s less well known abilities – the in-house manufacturing of the dials themselves.

Glashütte Original’s in-house dial manufactory in Pforzheim, Germany is the place where the delicate handcrafted dials are made.

First, the dial blanks are given a delicate sunray finish before being pressed into their characteristic domed shape and then given a galvanic nickel coating.

Dark blue lacquer is then sprayed on the blanks and then a coat of glacier blue lacquer is applied to the central portion. The result is the dégradé effect that is seen, with the central blue popping out against the darker blue at the edge.

It goes without saying of course that the colour gradient of each dial is unique given the hand crafted nature of their creation. Their unique colour, set against the backdrop of the signature features of its1960s design – with domed sapphire crystals, curved hands and characteristic Arabic numerals make an aesthetic that is undeniable in its attractiveness.

The watches are of course equipped with the brand’s in-house movements, with the new Sixties carrying the Calibre 39-52 automatic movement, while the new Sixties Chronograph carrying the Calibre 39-34, both with a 40-hour power reserve.

Size wise, both are spot on in their level of restraint, with the Sixties being 39mm wide while the Sixties Chronograph comes in at 42mm wide.Lastly, in order to match the blue dials, both watches are offered on brown grey nubuck calfskin straps with lightly contrasting stitching and a pin buckle.

Both models in this annual edition are not limited by number, but by the length of their availability at Glashütte Original Boutiques and selected authorised dealers.

Click here to find out more.

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There were two models of the SeaQ that were launched, the SeaQ Panorama Date at 43.2mm and the SeaQ at 39.5mm, differing not just in their size but in their calibres, with the former carrying the Calibre 36-13 (with Panorama Date) and the other carrying the Calibre 39-11. 

Today however we shall focus on the dial making process of these watches, with a series of pictures provided by Glashütte Original on the precise and intricate process that it takes to make a dial that ends up in your watch. Glashütte Original is one of a few brands that make their own dials, and this is because they own a dial manufactory in Pforzheim Germany.

I have personally visited this manufactory, which is quite a distance from their main movement and watch assembly facility in Glashütte.  

A dial may look simple, but how often have you looked at the dial of a cheap watch and just known that it was cheap. It’s at this point when you realise that the multiple steps that are required to make a good dial all have a purpose, in creating the details, that at first glance, might seem superfluous, but are all there to make you feel the quality in your experience of looking at the dial.

You see, watches where the time indication is relegated to its own sub-dial leave a lot of space for other complications to be highlighted, and in such a rendition, some interesting things can be shown.

In this case, the highlight feature is the flying tourbillon that occupies the lower half of the dial, rising up, like the main time sub-dial at the upper half, like two towers above the rest of the movement. Of course, it has to be a flying tourbillon, because it was German watchmaker and teacher, Alfred Helwig, who invented it in the 1920’s, while he was working in Glashütte in his own chronometry workshop. Incidentally, the watchmaking school in Glashütte is named after him in his honour.

Yet the tourbillon in the Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Tourbillon – Limited Edition Platinum is unlike the vast majority of tourbillons on the market, in that it comes with a relatively rare feature – a hacking seconds function.

Very few tourbillon watches on the market right now exist that can do this, as the system to effect a hacking seconds can be rather complicated. While the Lange Cabaret from 2008 was the first tourbillon watch that had a hacking seconds, it is discontinued. Currently, the tourbillon watches available now that have a hacking seconds are as follows: A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Tourbillon, Moritz Grossmann Benu Tourbillon, Montblanc TimeWalker ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph LE100, IWC Da Vinci Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph and the Grönefeld Parallax Tourbillon. Interestingly, every watch on that list has some German blood in it, save for the Grönefeld.

While there are differences in how it is done, to explain it simply, in these tourbillons, when the watch is hacked, metal fingers come in horizontally to touch the balance wheel while it is moving, effectively stopping the watch.The Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Tourbillon however differs in its approach and stops the watch via a vertical clutch underneath the tourbillon – think of how it is done in a vertical clutch chronograph – without anything touching the cage directly.

After the tourbillon is stopped, we find the next important feature, the zero-reset, that comes about when the crown is pulled further and held in position. At this point, the second hand advances to zero smoothly, with its motion controlled by a governor, and at the same time, the minute hand advances to the next index, preparing the watch to a standby position to take a time signal for setting.

For watch geeks who are anal about making sure that the minute hand corresponds precisely to what the seconds hand is doing, this is a feature that will avoid any anxiety and heartache. From a horological point of view as well, the combination of a hacking seconds tourbillon and a seconds zero-reset is also rare, with only some of the watches in the list mentioned above having it. The Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Tourbillon – Limited Edition Platinum therefore is truly a special watch from a features point of view.

The sum of what it can do therefore means that one can set the watch very accurately, which is important since it keeps to the original raison d’etre of the tourbillon. Furthermore, to extinguish all doubt that accuracy is the main goal of this watch, it is also a certified chronometer. Note however is that it is not certified by the Swiss COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) as you might think, instead the certification is done by the German Calibration Service in Glashütte in conformance to the DIN 8319 standard.

The other important features of the watch and its calibre 58-05 movement is that the balance spring is made of silicon, offering protection against magnetic fields and changes in temperature, and it beats at a frequency of 21,600, vph, with a power reserve of 70 hours when fully wound, as indicated by the display at 9 o’clock on the dial.On the wrist, the weight is easily felt since the 42mm case comes in platinum, yet despite this, the 12mm thickness of the case ensures that it will wear well under a shirt cuff. Aesthetically, while I am not too keen on the baroque style hand engraving that dominates the lower half of the dial, I think that in combination with the Glashütte stripe finish on the top half, and the way that the dial elements are arranged, that it is pretty enough to make me overlook it. As a total package, yes, this is a watch that works for me.

What’s nice in terms of aesthetics are the little details, for example the sapphire seconds track around the tourbillon that is raised and held in placed by “pillars”. Another detail is that the words “chronometer tourbillon” that are visible on the chapter ring – when viewed from a steep angle from the bottom, is a reflection from the ring around the base of the time sub-dial (dial fastener), engraved backwards so that you can see them the right way round in the reflection. Think of how ambulances print the word “ambulance” backwards so that they can be read the right way round in the rear view mirror.

Limited to 25 pieces in platinum, the asking price for this accuracy focused Chronometer is 150,000 Euros.

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