Variations of the phrase, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” existed well before the 19th century. Some believe a version was first recorded in the 1708 biography, The Emperor Marcus Antoninus’ Conversation With Himself, where the expression is written —paraphrased — as: “You should consider that imitation is the most acceptable part of worship, and that the gods had much rather mankind should resemble, than flatter them.” The most recognized accreditation for the saying today, however, is probably ascribed to Oscar Wilde, who did certainly popularize it. But what will perhaps come as a surprise to some is the entirety of Oscar Wilde’s version, which reads, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness”.
Now, let’s switch gears and move on to the world of horology. We make our way specifically to learn about how one of Germany’s most respected watchmaking names came to be. In the state of Saxony, just about 30 kms outside of the city of Dresden, is a town called Glashütte. It was here, in the mid 1840s that an enterprising Ferdinand Adolph Lange (F. A. Lange) sought to ride the upswing of watchmaking skills in the region and help Glashütte prosper. The plan was to create a watchmaking factory and establish an apprenticeship system. F. A. Lange, who had just returned from Switzerland, had observed how this method of training and watchmaking production had been highly successful there. F. A. Lange did not care to be a successful entrepreneur. He was more interested in improving the lives and economy of Glashutte. Rather, his desire was to help better the life and economy of Glashütte, which had otherwise fallen on hard times.
F. A. Lange’s lofty endeavour obliged him to seek financial aid from the local Saxon government, which he received and put to such good use that his approach saw great progress in a short period and with minimal manpower. It is also worth mentioning, that it is this season in time that also allowed for other great watchmakers to arise from Glashütte, namely: Moritz Grossman, Julius Assmann and Adolf Schneider. Along with F. A. Lange, these four gentlemen are considered the founding fathers of Glashütte’s grand watchmaking tradition. There was, however, one downside to all the success that Glashütte was experiencing. Watches made in Glashütte had grown to such a level of demand that disingenuous watchmakers from distant locales had begun adding a print to their timepieces, falsely claiming to have been produced in Glashütte. The story goes that genuine watchmakers in Glashütte, in an effort to counter these dishonest imitators, began printing the word “Original” on their timepieces as a differentiator from 1916 onward. This is precisely where the beloved present day Saxon watchmaker, Glashütte Original derived its name.
Glashütte Original stands today as a prime steward and driving force for Glashütte’s more than 175 years of watchmaking traditions, having inherited the mantle of stewardship from the founding four. The importance behind this role of Glashütte Original’s, cannot be understated. Because, for collectors and connoisseurs, these are not mere traditions, they are benchmarks and identifiers against which Glashütte’s — and even all of Germany’s — watchmaking is regarded. Some of Glashütte watchmaking’s unique and desirable flourishes include: the use of a three-quarter plate, the application of the wider Glashütte stripe finish (as opposed to the narrower Geneva stripe), the lavish hand engraving of balance cocks and bridges, the use of gold chatons and much more. All — or at times a selection — of these sought-after embellishments are religiously applied across Glashütte Original’s contemporary offerings. In order to better appreciate one of the best examples of what Glashütte has to offer we need only look at a few of Glashütte Original’s current offerings (see overleaf).
Perusing the examples of Glashütte Original’s present-day offerings, it becomes abundantly clear that the manufacture has more than fulfilled its role of stewarding the more than 175 years of watchmaking traditions of the town of Glashütte. This, the watchmaker has managed by upkeeping techniques that are unique to Glashütte, establishing them as globally recognized identifiers of the horological excellence the Saxon town represents. Glashütte Original has also progressed this tradition by constantly innovating and creating fascinating new mechanical masterpieces. And it has also progressed this tradition by encouraging a vibrant watch manufacturing culture in Glashütte, which has seen the renewal and establishment of several respectable watch brands within the town. Glashütte’s original spirit of watchmaking remains very much alive in 2023 and it has been elevated to such a high level, that potential imitators need not dare try.
Senator Excellence Date Moon Phase
At the top of Glashütte Original’s list is the Senator Collection, which for all intents and purposes, exemplifies the highest technical and artisanal offerings from the watchmaker. The Senator Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase is a mid-range timepiece that sits between the tourbillons of the collection and the perpetual calendar. The Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase is a 40mm timepiece, offered in red gold and stainless steel, and features a moon phase indicator along with the watchmaker’s signature Panorama Date. For now, we will focus on the red-gold version.
Here, the elegant wristwatch’s silhouette presents a delicate demeanour with a mix of polished and brushed surfaces, which in turn make its dial appear large and proud. The dial’s details, too, are graceful with svelte laser-cut galvanic black indexes and matching railroad chapter ring. The hands are traditional blued. Pear-shaped hour and minute hands and a filigree running seconds hand. Turning the watch over, we encounter the calibre 36-04 beating within, featuring a skeletonized rotor, the Glashütte striped three-quarter plate and, unmistakably, the superbly hand-engraved balance cock. The Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase watch comes with an individual certificate that certifies the watch’s stability, accuracy and aesthetics. Glashütte Original, also expresses this guarantee with a special engraving in the form of a “Q” on the caseback. The watchmaker also developed an exclusive portal that allows owners to find out detailed information about the performance of the specific watch they own, determined by a 24-day intensive in-house testing.
PanoMaticLunar
Second on our list is the Pano Collection, which is possibly Glashütte Original’s most recognizable offering. This is wholly because of the collection’s extraordinary asymmetric dials. We will now take a closer look at the PanoMaticLunar. The model is available in red gold or stainless steel with different dial color options for each metal. This article will concentrate on the steel variant with the black dial. The 40mm PanoMaticLunar is unmistakable thanks to the watch’s uniquely laid out dial. Glashütte Original states that the wristwatch’s dial requires 40 separate steps, each executed by a dedicated craftsman. The galvanic-silver dial has applied silver numerals and blued hand. The overlapping subdials for minute, hour and small seconds have a decorative finish that is similar to the grooves in a vinyl record. In addition to the offset time, it also features a Panorama Date as well as a moon phase display. Through the timepiece’s display caseback we find the impressive calibre 90-02. Immediately we see the movement’s Glashütte striped three-quarter plate. It is interesting to note that the rotor in this watch is inset and not in the centre of the three-quarter plate. This may appear to be a simple task, but it requires great dexterity and technical expertise in order for the chronometric integrity to remain intact. Of course, we cannot move on to the next watch on our list before acknowledging the beautifully hand-graved decoration on the movement’s balance bridge, which in this instance is the traversing “butterfly bridge”, another signature of Glashütte Original.
SeaQ Panorama Date
The third collection on Glashütte Original’s roster is the Spezialist, and comprises several takes on the SeaQ. The SeaQ models take a big page out of the watchmaker’s own history and its first dive watch, the Spezimatic Typ RP TS 200 from 1969. Here Glashütte Original’s watchmaking embraces unabashed utility. We will concentrate on the SeaQ Panorama Date, a stainless steel watch with blue details. The watchmaker also offers the watch in bi-color and red gold. The SeaQ Panorama Date, a robust dive timepiece measuring 43.2mm is available. The wristwatch has a water resistance of 300m. It is further strengthened by the sapphire caseback and screwed crown. The rotating unidirectional bezel is inlaid with a blue ceramic that matches the dial’s blue. The galvanic blue dial features large Arabic numerals with applied indexes. They are all filled with white luminescent material to provide uncompromised clarity, no matter the light available. There is also the Panorama Date with its dial made in-house. It has an interesting twist, a divewatch with a sunray dial.
Turning the watch over reveals the calibre 36-13, which sports the Glashütte three-quarter plate with Glashütte stripe finish. According to Glashütte Original, every SeaQ Panorama Date is put through a certification process that tests the timepiece for shock resistance, resistance to salt-water corrosion, and the durability of each functional component. Next, each watch must pass the elaborate internal 24-day Glashütte Original Excellence Test. After that, the watch will be tested to ensure it’s water-resistant and airtight under pressure and at high pressure.
Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date
The Vintage Collection is next. Here, Glashütte Original has drawn on the nostalgia of timepieces it used to produce in the 1960s and 1970s, and offered it up to watch lovers of the 21st century. For the Vintage Collection, our focus is on the Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date with the ‘Fab Green’ dial. The 40 x 40mm, highly 1970s-toned square case offers a great look at the diverse artistic vocabulary of Glashütte Original’s design philosophy. The piece is a muscular timepiece with multiple facets and a mix of brushed and polished surfaces. A closer look offers up the unique dégradé effect on its dial. Super-LumiNova has been used for the black applied indexes on the hour markers and hands. As this is a flyback chronograph, the timepiece offers a central chronograph second hand, a 30-minute totalizer at 3 o’clock and a 12-hour counter at 12 o’clock, just underneath the logo. At 6 o’clock, we find the ever-familiar Panorama Date. Now, turn to the running seconds counter at 9 o’clock. Very cleverly, Glashütte Original has integrated a small aperture here that indicates the timepiece’s power reserve. The watch’s caseback reveals the column wheel-equipped calibre 37-02 with the trademark striped Glashütte three-quarter plate.
PanoMatic Luna
At last, we come to Glashütte Original’s final collection for this brief story, the Ladies Collection. Here we learn more about the manufacture’s feminine side. We will be focusing on the PanoMatic Luna in stainless steel with a blue mother-of pearl dial. The timepiece measures 39.4mm and is therefore the smallest on our list. While the entire bezel of the timepiece has been decorated with diamonds it’s hard to look away from the dial made out of mother-of-pearl. We see again the asymmetrically-placed time indications with diamond hour markers. As is Glashütte Original’s naming convention, the timepiece offers a Panorama Date display and a moon phase indication on the right half of its dial. It is important to point out that these placements are not random; they are dictated by the golden ratio, more romantically termed ‘the divine proportion.’ Unlike the classic square Panorama Date display, we see on the ladies’ PanoMatic Luna an oval window placed to frame the indication, adding a further delicate detail. We are treated to a clear view of the calibre through the caseback. Again, with the Glashütte striped three-quarter plate, off-centre rotor, and the lovingly hand-engraved balance bridge.
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