Haute Complication: Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar
“Gründlichkeit” is a German word that can be translated as thoroughness. It is also one of the first words that come to mind when you examine the new Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar.
The Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar is one of those watches that perfectly balances the past and presents in its design. Although it is a substantial watch, with a case diameter of 42mm, you would think that it is larger based on how the perpetual calendar functions are spaced out on the dial, how easy they are to read and yet how much free space there still is.
Glashütte Original choose to have the day and month displayed in windows, each flanking the leap year subdial. The bottom half of the dial is dedicated to the large date and a moon phase indicator. While this watch is very much form follows function, it is the moon phase that adds a bit of romance to the Teutonic design. Glashütte Original continues this with the blued hands and the Roman numerals at twelve and six o’clock. Combined they form a classic contemporary watch, which stands out by its qualities and not so much by a frivol design.
The same can be said for the movement. Calibre 36-02 is a typical Glashütte movement, featuring a three-quarter plate, beveled edges, swan-neck regulator and a skeletonized rotor with the brand’s logo and a 21 ct gold oscillation weight. Although it only has a single barrel, and extra long mainspring gives it a power reserve of 100 hours. Especially with perpetual calendars, this is something to appreciate.
Another thing to appreciate is that Glashütte Original not only offers the Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar in 18K Red Gold ($35.100,- with pin-buckle, $37.100,- with folding clasp) but also in stainless steel. On a strap the watch costs than $22.300,- and on a bracelet $23.800,-. Eye for detail is that also the moon changes depending on the metal you choose: red gold for the red gold model and white gold for the steel model. But this ties of course in with the feeling we had when we first saw the watch: “Gründlichkeit,” or thoroughness.
