My 3 Favourite Watches by Glashütte Original, from the Senator to the Sixties

Glashütte Original’s history has many interesting twists and turns, as it was built upon the remains of the VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe conglomerate, or GUB, following the reunification of Germany. As such the company became the legal successor to the once thriving majority of watchmaking enterprises that once called Saxony their home. As you can imagine, ever since its return, the high-end Saxon manufacturer has created dozens of watches, but today, I’ll go up close and personal, and I’ll share with you three of my favourite watches by Glashütte Original. From what’s probably the most classic watch in the brand’s portfolio, to one of the brand’s latest and most striking creations and a funky watch with a personal story behind it, I’ll explain all about it in the video at the top of this article.

Not only Glashütte Original is one of the most important watch manufacturers from the Saxon region and the entire Germany, it’s also a brand that I’ve personally followed for almost as long as I’ve been into watches and started this magazine. The history of the brand is fascinating, finding its roots and traditions back to 1845 when the first watchmakers began to settle in Glashütte, later facing two wars and being part of the Soviet Union, until Germany’s reunification in 1989, which kickstarted the resurgence of German mechanical watchmaking.

But today, this isn’t what we’ll be talking about. I wanted in this video to share with you what are three of my favourite watches by Glashütte Original, watches that are either timelessness incarnated, high-end technical-oriented, or something with a personal connection to it… And we start with the Senator Chronometer, a watch that has been part of the collection since 2009 and has become a staple of what the German brand is all about: fine craftsmanship with that typical Saxon style, somehow a spiritual successor to Glashütte’s marine chronometers. It’s a visually streamlined watch, yet it has a lot under the hood, as its in-house hand-wound movement features GO’s signature Panorama Date and a zero reset second hand – among many other features that I’ll discuss in the video.

Next is a new take on an already appealing Glashütte Original watch, the PanoInverse, but now with something extra. The PanoInverse range is the perfect incarnation of something that I loved to call “a watchmaking lesson on the wrist,” with all the important mechanical elements of the movement positioned on the dial side. The latest evolution of this watch is the PanoLunarInverse, which is a PanoMaticInverse with an additional moonphase indication that is shown inside the off-centre hour and minute subdial. And not only the way it’s been integrated is superbly balanced and yet highly technical, but the movement and the finishing are really special, with loads of textures and details to contemplate… And even on the back, despite the absence of the traditional regulating organ, there is much to discover.

Last but not least, I am going down a completely different path, with a watch that not only is totally different from the two aforementioned models, but also has something special to me. Indeed, a year before GO presented the re-edition of the Sixties watch, I bought a vintage GUB with the exact same dial… Now, if I have to pick one up from what’s a wide collection, I’ll go for the 2020 time-only model, with its gradient light blue dial that simply works perfectly with the overall vintage, funky style of the watch. I know it’s not in production anymore, but sorry, this has to be my favourite Sixties!

Which of these three would you love to add to your collection? Let me know in the comments below. And for the full story, take a look at the video at the top of this article or check it directly on YouTube here.