Made In Germany. This label, coined by the British to discourage the purchase of foreign goods, has since become a promise of quality sought by consumers around the world. And it’s armed with these three words that German watchmakers are hoping to appeal to collectors. But they also raise expectations.
Hoping to match them, Glashütte Original have developed a brand new movement line that sets itself apart in terms of longevity, precision, and serviceability. And since we’re at Baselworld, they’ve timed its release to coincide with a new collection called the Senator Excellence. I had the opportunity of wearing the watch during the first 100 hours of Baselworld, and here are my thoughts.
A classic three-hander, presented in both dress watch and pilot watch form, it’s a real beauty, with a slim bezel, polished and brushed surfaces and a price that puts it in direct competition with the equally handsome Zenith Elite 6150 from 2015.
Both are powered by long-lasting automatic movements running at 4Hz, but the German’s new entry – the first with such specs – features a single spring barrel. And that’s big news for GO, who are hoping Caliber 36 – which isn’t their 36th and comes after Caliber 37 – will be used as the base on top of which modules can be added, without compromising the watch's performance.
Here's how they've done it. To get to 100 hours of power reserve, they’ve increased the size of the spring barrel and decreased the size of the arbor, creating additional space for the mainspring to be coiled. Which means they’ve also be able to increase the size of the mainspring – developed by Nivarox – to a whopping 68 cm.
Supplying the power through the gear train is a heavy bi-directional oscillating weight that is 60 percent more efficient than its previous three-hander (Caliber 39), taking only 600 more turns to fully recharge a power reserve that runs an extra 58 hours.
Because the reduction gear winds on both sides, GO has also been able to reduce the number of components. Living up to its motto, “Less Is More,” they’ve eliminating the detent click since it is no longer required. The new movement is made of only 180 parts (15 less than the Elite 6150).
GO is also debuting a new silicon balance spring that makes the movement more precise. Not to be confused with silicone, this natural metalloid – already in use at OMEGA – presents several advantages over the more traditional materials. It is extremely light, unaffected by temperature changes, corrosion resistant and anti-magnetic, and easily replicable.
Built to last, Caliber 36 has also been optimized for production, assembly, and servicing. Glashütte Original is hoping to make it faster to take the movement apart by introducing an innovative fastening system inspired by camera lens mounts.
Instead of fixing it with screws, the new movement is dropped into the case and locked via a series of wings that fit into corresponding sockets. The device containing the movement is fastened securely by twisting it clockwise 50 degrees.
But functionality is nothing to GO if the movement isn’t finished according to manufacture standards. Visible through a sapphire case back, the all-to-familiar Glashütte three-quarter plate with beveled edges is finished with German striping, while a skeletonized 21-ct gold oscillation weight and blued screws made it look good too.
The three models in the Senator Excellence collection should appeal to very different personalities. For the purists, GO is offering two versions, in stainless steel and red gold, with classic Roman numerals and blue pear-shaped hands on a white dial.
Everything on it, from the logo to the railroad minute ring, is engraved and galvanized in black, except the minute numerals on the red-gold version, which are printed in red instead. An interesting detail is the upside-down VI at 6 o’clock.
For others, a much more contemporary version – modeled on the Senator Observer – comes with Arabic numerals in SuperLumiNova on a black dial. In this design, all 12 numerals appear. Their relatively large size gives this watch the character of a pilot.
Side by side, they look like they belong to separate families, but both are extremely well executed. In both, the watch is presented in a friendly 40 mm case, with polished and satin-brushed surfaces. And it should really please collectors to have such a range of choice from the outset.
The Senator Excellence with Roman numerals (in red gold or stainless steel) comes on a Louisiana Alligator leather strap with buckle, while the Arabic numeral version comes with a black calfskin leather strap.
In stainless steel, the Senator Excellence is available for $9,700, while the red-gold version costs almost double, at $17,700.
Case, 40 mm, stainless steel; Movement, manufacture made, Caliber 36, 100 power reserve, 28,000 vph (4Hz), Louisiana alligator strap with pin buckle. More on Glashütte Original here.
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