Haute Complication: Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar

The small town of Glashütte, located in the beautiful region of Saxony, Germany, has a population of just over 7,000 people. Despite this, it is the beating heart of German watchmaking, with the manufacturers of Nomos, Tutima, Moritz Grossmann, A. Lange & Söhne, and Glashütte Original all located within the city limits. Glashütte Original holds a unique position among them, with a collection that contains watches in both a sportive as well as classic Glashütte style, all with manufacture movements.

The Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar is a watch that seamlessly combines old with new. The 42mm large white gold case has a no-nonsense look to it. Inside we find an interesting dial that is partly skeletonized except for the outer ring and the areas around the different windows and displays of the perpetual calendar. While Glashütte Original is more than capable of also skeletonizing the movement, as they prove with the Senator Moon Phase Skeletonized Edition and Senator Manual Winding Skeletonized Edition, this Senator is different. They kept the top plate over the perpetual calendar functions in place and gave it a guilloche motif. Visually this results in a very attractive watch, all the more so because of the stunning blued hands. Where these would typically give a classic touch to a watch, here they bring a sense of dynamic and contrast with the black skeletonized dial and white gold case.

Another advantage of this watch is that all the functions are very easy to read, and that is something we cannot say about all perpetual calendars. One feature that most certainly contributes to this is the panorama date, a Glashütte Original hallmark. The watch is powered by caliber 36-02, a movement that the brand makes in its manufacture in the heart of Glashütte. It is crafted in the region’s typical style, with a three-quarter plate and a Glashütte stripe finish. For optimum winding efficiency is the oscillating weight, with Glashütte Original logo in it, fitted with a 21 karat gold segment. When fully wound, the Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar has a power reserve of 100 hours, quite a welcome feature when this perpetual calendar is not the only watch in your collection.