Glashütte Original has yet presented another new in-house movement this year at Baselworld 2016. We are talking about the new automatic calibre 36, beating at a frequency of 4Hz —28,800 vhp— with a power reserve of more than 100 hours.  In developing the new manufactory Calibre 36 the designers and watchmakers at Glashütte Original have made time for what is essential: the basic form, as substantial as it is innovative, of a new generation of timepieces. The automatic movement with classic hour, minute and seconds functions has been thought through with care to celebrate its debut beneath a classic face of modern time measurement, the new Glashütte Original Senator Excellence.

Available in three different versions: one in 18K red gold and two in stainless steel, the new Glashütte Original Senator Excellence also comes accompanied by a German superlative chronometer certification. The hour, minute and seconds hands follow their paths above a gently understated dial that heightens the focus on what is essential: the newly designed dial now presents the typical Roman numerals only at hours 6 and 12, thus making room for the distinctive indexes.

The new Glashütte Original Senator Excellence is available in three different dials. The 18K red gold model ref. 1-36-59-02-05-01 sports a silver-grainé varnish dial with laser-cut galvanized black indexes and a corresponding railroad minute ring with red accents; the stainless steel model ref. 1-36-59-01-02-01 sports the same silver-grainé varnish dial but without the red accents and lastly, the second stainless steel model ref. 1-36-59-03-02-01 sports a black varnish dial with Arabic numerals in superluminova and hands made of white gold also inlaid with superluminova. Both silver-grainé dial watches feature slim blued poire-shaped hands and a filigreed seconds hand with the traditional double-Glashütte Original logo as its counterweight.

Fitted with a classic looking 40 mm case in 18K red gold or stainless steel, a slim bezel and the domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, this timepiece its simple and elegant.

The finely ribbed crown bears the brand's representative double-Glashütte logo, carried by all mechanical watches in the collection. The polished and satin-brushed surfaces of the case reflect the light and are harmoniously attuned to each other.

While the silver-grainé dial watches are fitted with a black Louisiana alligator leather strap with pin buckle, the black dial reference features a black calfskin strap with dark brown contrast stitching and also matching pin buckle.

For the new Glashütte Original manufacture in-house automatic calibre 36, the German watchmaker's designers were guided, as they created the new core movement, by four principles: extreme stability, maximum precision, extended running time and an aesthetic of timeless beauty. As a result, a great deal of attention was paid during the development of the compact automatic movement to assure a sustained high performance: optimal design enabled a reduction in the number of components and the elimination of components that were potentially vulnerable to wear and tear, such as the winding system's traditional detent click, which the bi-directional-wind reduction gear renders superfluous.

Contributing to substantial stability as well is an innovative bayonet mount used to settle the movement in the case —similar to a bayonet mount for a camera lens. This renders the construction as a whole extremely shock-resistant and, at the same time, easy to assemble and service. Today, as in the past, this high ideal fuels the spirit of invention: with its new calibre the brand presents, for the first time, a movement fitted with an innovative silicon mainspring. Not only does its high-tech material render the ultra-thin spring immune to changes in temperature and to magnetic fields, but its oscillation is extremely isochronous. Its advantages are ideally matched to the mechanics of the movement: a bi-directional winding mechanism ensures that the watch remains within the optimal charge range; a guarantee for excellent rate results. In addition, a regulator-free oscillation system makes it possible to adjust the rate using weighted screws directly on the balance rim. The movement is tested and adjusted by Glashütte Original in six different positions —one more than a chronometer certification test would normally require.

The new calibre features, for the first time at Glashütte Original, a power reserve of more than 100 hours, at a frequency of 4 Hertz —28,800 vph. An authentic rarity. The wearer can thus leave the fully wound watch at rest for up to four days without having to re-set the time. This unusually high degree of autonomy is achieved with the use of only one spring barrel, developed specifically for this purpose: increased diameter and a smaller barrel arbour made it possible to lengthen the spring and sharply increase the number of winding turns. The result offers maximum comfort for the wearer and is an authentic example of the modern art of watchmaking. To round out this new calibre, the watchmakers decided to go with a skeletonized oscillating weight bearing the double-Glashütte Original logo and a counterbalance in 21K yellow gold.
 

On the wrist, the watch wears true to its size and extremely elegant. While the 18K red gold version is our favorite, the stainless steel counterparts are not shabby at all. This is a watch that brings the best from Germany to the table and one that gives you a lot of bang for your buck.

Sticker Price $17,700 USD for 18K red gold and $9,700 for stainless steel. For more info on Glashütte Original click here.