|
|
 |
WATCHES WITH PANACHE
Glashutte Original Senator Chronometer
The term “chronometer” denotes
an especially accurate watch, such as those that were necessary
in the past for determining the time needed for sea and air
navigation. Today, just as in the past, official independent
institutes test the exacting level of rate precision of these
timepieces utilizing standardized measuring procedures. Only
with certification from an authorized institute is a timepiece
allowed to be called a chronometer. It goes without saying
that at Glashütte Original all manually wound calibers
are tested according to these strict criteria: the Senator
Chronometer is the first timepiece with official confirmation
in the form of a certificate.
Precise synchronization of
the minute and second hands has now been made possible by
re-designed Glashütte Original manual winding Caliber
58-01, which powers the Senator Chronometer model. A novel
stop-seconds/reset mechanism allows the wearer to set the
precise time with ease. Pulling the crown stops the time
display and causes the second hand to jump to the beginning
position, where it remains; the minute hand moves simultaneously
to the next full minute. When the crown is then turned to
set the time, the minute hand stops only on the indication
of the full minute, thus always guaranteeing the correct
relationship between the minutes and seconds displayed.
Glashutte Original Senator Chronometer, $26,900.
The classic appearance of the Senator Chronometer’s dial is reminiscent
of the characteristic layout of a pocket chronometer. The silver dial is home
to subsidiary seconds and power reserve displays along the central axis; the
latter, located at 12 o’clock, loyally displays the energy remaining to
the hour. The characteristic Glashütte Original panorama date display located
at 3 o’clock now contains a sophisticated enhancement created by the manufactory’s
designers enabling the date display to instantly change precisely at midnight.
The movement now also sports a day/night indicator that makes setting the time
in relation to the date change even easier: From 6:00 am until 6:00 pm the small
circle located between the power reserve indicator and the center of the dial
is white, and from 6:00 pm until 6:00 am it is black.
The silver dial provides
a richly contrasting surface for the polished, blued sweep minute and pear-shaped
hour hands. Displaying a typical attention to detail, the hand arbor is, of course,
hand polished. A milled railroad chapter ring encircles the Senator Chronometer’s
central time display in a perfectly harmonious way, and the milled Roman numerals
add to the timepiece’s genuinely classic appearance.A lavish manufacturing
process goes into making the dial’s seemingly simple surface. Glashütte
Original consciously opted to employ a vintage tradition: a technique known as
l’argenture grainée, a frosted silver plating.
An antireflective sapphire crystal case back protects manually wound Caliber
58-01, showcasing the finely finished movement, which is an eye-catching example
of Glashütte watch making with its three-quarter plate, screw-mounted gold
chatons, and hand-engraved balance cock. Of special note are the newly developed
planetary gears that control the display of the movement’s power reserve.
This elegant timekeeper has a power reserve of 45 hours.
|  |
| Photo: Courtesy Glashutte Original |
|
|
