Glashütte Original

Dr No
[Moderator Omega - Wristscan]
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Notes on Basel . . .

. . . from a guy who wasn't there in person, but is grateful to the the Three Amigos - Jia Xian, Jocke, and Valentin - for allowing me the vicarious thrill of virtual attendance.   I haven't seen any of these novelties in the metal, and probably won't for some time, so my comments are based entirely on the considerable photography skills of the Amigos; with that caveat in mind, I"ve decided to attach my comments to Jia Xian's thread in the order he presented them.

The Julius Assman 4 is based on the Regulateur of 2006 . . . I was very taken by the Regulateur, and this version is similarly stunning albeit in an entirely different direction, and will likely appeal to an entirely different type of collector than myself.  G O has created convertible models before, and I'm impressed by how they created an entirely different vision of the Regulateur that's simultaneously consistent with previous models in their history.  My preferences run towards the understated rather than the formal, but there will undoubtedly be an audience for the J A 4 . . . most likely the same crowd that tends to prefer Breguet, for example.

The next watch that Jia Xian presented is probably everyone's candidate for the most impressive offering from G O, and I'd have to agree . . . it seems to have the gravitas that Lange's chronograph masterpieces are imbued with combined with the characteristically subtle shading that G O manages to impart on most of their range [note: I'm thinking of the ladies models for the exceptions to the rule!].  A close friend of mine who just purchased a white gold 1815 chrono in December has told me that he wishes he had waited until Basel before taking the plunge.  With all due respect to the PanoRetroGraph and the Panograph (due to their unique styling necessarily derived from the "growing hands" chronograph display) and the Panomatic Chrono (because of the rotor and initially gilded appearance), this is probably the first G O that will attract serious attention from chronograph purists.  I would really like to see a review of this watch performed, sooner rather than later.

The sentimental favorite seems to be the Senator Sixties . . . I can imagine Oskar Werner wearing one in his role as Guy Montag in "Fahrenheit 451"!  The retro appearance is a welcome sign to this fan of three-handed watches from the golden age of watchmaking.  I'd like to see a return to basics and reasonable proportions, and perhaps the Sixties augers well for us anachrophiles.  This would be a potential watch for my own use if I didn't already have four cal 39 G O's already; still, the bubble view into the movement is simply compelling.  The Senator Meissen seems to have garnered attention from many of the "less is more" school of thought crowd . . . I would tend to be more in agreement had it been offered in a smaller case, but of course I haven't seen it in the metal yet, and I won't be surprised if I retract my initial sentiments based on my preference for formal watches in modest attire.

The pleasant surprise, and on reflection my favorite new watch, is the PanoMatic Chrono XL, which I feel is aesthetically superior to the original, both in terms of proportions and of dial design . . . I never liked the original, and the Navigator versions were only superficiallly preferable to my way of thinking.  This is what the PMC should have been from the outset, in my humble opinion, and I'm impressed that G O's designers have been able to create an appealing simplifed watch from what was originally an ostentatious design.  I really  like it.  I also like the Pano Tourbillon XL, but this seems a less successful transferrance of the original Julius Assman tourbillon design into Pano clothing as the retrograde sections are simply a bit too vacuous . . . my preference is for the original design, but considering the pell-mell trend towards larger watches, perhaps I'm just out of date.  The rest of the XL line was executed with aplomb, in my opinion, and as much a fan of the Pano series that I happen to be, these new larger models in gold also work for me on their own merits.

The other watch that I really happen to like from Basel is the Karree with the handwinding cal 22 . . . as I'm sure most Purists know, I'm a huge fan of the original Karree, and this new Karree is the first of the new generation that I would consider owning myself.  The 1845 Karrees are lamentably no longer in production, but this new Karree seems just right for what it is - an elegant yet understated dress watch.  Very nicely done, especially in steel with a black dial.  All in all, I think this was a successful year for G O, and I look forward to seeing these new models in the metal . . . cordially, Art