In 1845, Ferdinand Adolphe Lange founded the first watch manufacture in Glashütte, Germany, a place well known for its silver mining industry. At the time, the goal was to turn Glashütte into a German watchmaking central. In 1927, the first Glashütte Original watch appeared —a ladies watch bearing the 'Glashütte Original' imprint on the dial.
In the early 1950s, GUB —VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe— was formed through the merger of multiple firms including UROFA, UFAG, VEB Lange –formerly A. Lange & Söhne—, VEB Präzision Glashütte, VEB Messtechnik —formerly R. Mühle & Sohn—, VEB Feintechnik, VEB Estler and the Makarenko trade school.
In the mid sixties, two large automatic men's movements were launched under the 'Spezimatic' name and in 1978, the Glashütte Original 'Spezichron' with day and date was released.
Images below from the Glashütte Original website.
In the 1990s with the reunification of Germany, VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe changed to Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe GmbH and in October of 2000, the brand was acquired by the Swatch Group to be transformed from a locally renowned brand into a global luxury name. Today, Glashütte Original is one of the most sough after watches by savvy watchlifestylers and those in the know.
The Sixties Panorama Date ref. 23947030204 we are reviewing here belongs to the 20th Century Vintage collection of Glashütte Original. The vintage look of this timepiece clearly reminiscences the iconic watches from the Mad Men era —a time in which your wristwatch didn't say much about yourself unless you were wearing a Rolex. Nowadays, watches have turned into a clear reflection of individual taste as well as personality.
The Sixties Panorama Date ref. 23947030204 in stainless steel is a vintage modern watch fitted with a 42 mm case, a domed flat top sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, a black domed galvanized dial —with white markers and stylized Arabic numerals at 12, 9, 6 and 3—, a display case back and the usual Glashütte Original iconic big date indicator at 6 o'clock composed by two-independent discs.
While the dial on this watch is black —also available in blue and silver—, the color of it varies depending on lighting conditions, going all the way from jet black to graphite gray and every other hue in between.
The watch features a gorgeous Louisiana alligator strap with a pin buckle that is very comfortable, soft and extremely well crafted. You really can't expect anything less from a brand like Glashütte Original or any other brand owned by the Swatch Group.
The Sixties Panorama Date comes with a screwed display case back that is worth talking about. While most display case backs include a small sapphire crystal, the Sixties Panorama Date features a case back mainly composed by a domed flat top sapphire crystal —very similar to the one on the front of the watch— surrounded by a very thin stainless steel bezel that is secured to the case via five screws. This case back offers a fantastic full view of the gorgeous Glashütte automatic calibre 39-47.
Overall, this watch is not only beautiful but also very comfortable, regardless of its thick case construction. The watch sits very nicely on the wrist without protruding too much. One thing that is worth highlighting, is that due to the domed shape of the crystal, the watch appears to wear larger than 42 mm and more like a 44-45 mm watch.
The Glashütte Sixties Panorama Date is a watch that definitely comes with the prestige and craftsmanship that the most demanding watchlifestylers seek when buying that next piece to add to their collections.
If you want to look like Don Draper or Peter Campbell on that next new business pitch, this watch is a must have.
Sticker Price $9,200 USD. For more info click here.
