Glashütte Original
- Founded
- 1994
- Based in
- Glashütte, Germany
- In our catalog
- 4 watches from $8,600 to $15,900
Glashütte Original carries forward the watchmaking tradition of Glashütte, the small Saxon town where German fine watchmaking began in 1845. It makes almost everything itself, including its movements and dials, and offers a different look from the Swiss, with asymmetric layouts and a strong sense of German design.
History
After the Second World War, the watch companies in Glashütte were merged into a single state-owned enterprise, VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe (GUB), which made watches for the Eastern Bloc for four decades. After German reunification, the company was privatized in 1994 as Glashütte Original. In 2000 it was bought by the Swatch Group, which invested heavily in its manufacture.
Glashütte Original produces its own movements in Glashütte and its dials in Pforzheim. Its collections include the Senator (classical), the Pano line (off-center dials), the Sixties and Seventies (vintage-inspired) and the SeaQ (diving).
Signature models
- PanoMaticLunar: The brand's signature asymmetric design, with an off-center time display, a moon phase and a panorama date.
- Senator Excellence: A classic dress watch with a high-performance in-house movement and a 100-hour power reserve.
- SeaQ: A dive watch based on Glashütte's 1969 Spezimatic diver, with a vintage feel.
- Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date: A cushion-shaped 1970s-style chronograph with a big date.
What it's known for
The Pano designs are unique, the movements are finished with Glashütte three-quarter plates and stripes, and the vintage-inspired Sixties and Seventies have bright, colorful dials. It's a strong alternative to Swiss brands at similar prices.
Price and positioning
Glashütte Original watches cost roughly $8,000 to $15,000 for most models, with complications higher. That puts it against Omega's upper range, IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre. It's less well known than those names, so pre-owned prices can be excellent value. Within Glashütte, it sits between Nomos and A. Lange & Söhne.
Glashütte Original watches in our library
- Glashütte Original Senator Excellence ($8,600 to $9,300)
- Glashütte Original SeaQ ($8,800 to $9,700)
- Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar ($11,000 to $12,200)
- Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date ($14,800 to $15,900)