Glashütte Original – Under Observation: The Senator Observer 2015

A striking timepiece with character, history – and luminous power.

Even in the cold nights of autumn it never leaves its owner in the dark. With its exceptional legibility the Senator Observer offers as convincing a solution as its historic predecessors, even under difficult lighting conditions. Its dial, featuring generous use of SuperLuminova highlights and produced in the firm’s own dial manufactory in Pforzheim, underlines the adventurous character of the watch: an homage to the long tradition of observation watches in Glashütte.

Until late in the 20th century, observation watches were decisive instruments for navigation on the high seas. Their precision, even under the most difficult conditions, was of critical importance. A ship’s course on sea could only be determined reliably if the calculation of longitude was based on extremely accurate timekeeping. For Glashütte’s watchmakers this represented an additional opportunity to demonstrate to the world their technical sophistication, professional skills and innovative power—the beginning of an enduring success story.

With the most recent version of the Senator Observer, Glashütte Original has taken up once again the grand tradition of observation watches, and given it expression in the form of a modern, robust and beautifully designed wristwatch. It goes without saying that here, as was the case with its historic predecessors, particular attention was paid to the legibility of the time indicators: the brand’s own dial manufactory in Pforzheim took great care to use Super-LumiNova to highlight individual elements such as the white gold hour and minute hands, the Arabic numerals and the chapter ring hour indexes.

Super-LumiNova refers to an innovative luminous material that by day absorbs and stores light and in the dark radiates it with a distinctly visible green-white glow. As a result, all of the fundamental displays can be read – even in complete darkness – at a glance. It is not just the phosphorescent details that assure clarity. The dial as well, designed with great care and sophistication leaves nothing to be desired: generous, finely curved numerals – they, too, evocative of their historic predecessors – accompany the hour ring.

Two symmetrically arranged auxiliary dials, for the small seconds at 9 o’clock and the power reserve at 3 o’clock, give the matt black dial its harmonious appearance and testify to a love of detail and absolute authenticity: the 55 hour power reserve display bears the German inscription “Auf” and “Ab”, as can be found on many of the precision watches of the past. The brand’s characteristic Panorama Date at 6 o’clock completes the Senator Observer’s clear design: a timepiece that unites harmonious design and the very height of the fine art of watchmaking.

This timepiece is available with a masculine black calfskin or elegant metal bracelet. The previously available versions of the Senator Observer without luminous highlighting offer distinguished silver-grained or grey-grained dials and are also available with either a leather strap or metal bracelet. All models present a 44 mm polished stainless steel.

Through a sapphire crystal case back one may admire the heart of the watch, the manufactory Calibre 100-14.

The automatic movement with the characteristic Glashütte three-quarter plate is finely decorated with Glashütte stripes and complemented by an elaborately skeletonized rotor in 21-carat gold, whose double-G logo marks with distinction the mechanical watches from Glashütte Original.

The Hour Glass is an official retailer of Glashütte Original Timepieces.