Glashütte Original – Sixties and Sixties Panorama Date
It’s tempting, is it not? To recall the days when one could take his own sweet time to choose and enjoy a thing of beauty.
The 1960s have inspired this year’s annual edition – two dazzling, desirable additions to the Sixties Collection from Glashütte Original: the new Sixties and Sixties Panorama Date, with stunning green dégradé dials crafted in the watchmaker’s own dial manufactory, which will only be available for a limited period of one year.
Made for the man and woman with an appreciative eye for exceptional objects from eras when most were made by hand from the finest materials available. A person of culture and refined tastes who values iconic pieces from iconic brands that live on in the present. A culture that saw a wealth of innovation in everything from watchmaking to furniture, music and fashion.
A fan of iconic Sixties design, its geometric forms and eye-catching colours, he’s well aware of the inspirational Spezimatic, made in Glashütte in the swinging sixties and presented in a series of sought-after models that still breath the spirit of the times. And for all these reasons he’s taking a long, appreciative look today at the Sixties and Sixties Panorama Date, the most recent enhancements of the Sixties collection from Glashütte Original.
The domed sapphire crystals, curved hands and idiosyncratic Arabic numerals are signature features of the Sixties and Sixties Panorama Date. What most strikes the eye is the dazzling, seductive, retro-cool green of the dial. Its unusual “dégradé effect” sees the colour shade from a lighter centre to the darker, domed periphery of the dial.
As a further example of exceptional authenticity: the Sixties and Sixties Panorama Date dials feature a finely textured surface achieved with the use of original tools and methods. With the help of a 60-tonne press the dial blank is imprinted with the intricate pattern of a guilloche stamp.
Known as “dies”, the originals are held in the dial manufactory archives in Pforzheim. As for the dégradé effect, the process begins with the application of a galvanic base coat, followed by layers of coloured lacquer.
In a final step, black lacquer is carefully applied using a special spray gun, which produces – depending on the angle at which the gun is held – an individual colour gradient that renders each dial unique. The lacquered dials are then fired at high temperature to burn in the colour. Connoisseurs of the Saxon watchmaker’s Sixties Iconic and Sixties Iconic Square Collections and their striking coloured dials will doubtless savour this latest addition to the spectrum.
Despite the fact that life in Glashütte in the 1960s was something of a challenge, such exceptional creations as the iconic “Spezimatic” series of mechanical watches saw the light of day. First introduced in 1964, a number of Spezimatic models made use of dials manufactured in Pforzheim. The relationship with Pforzheim, which began more than 50 years ago, was reinforced in 2006 with the purchase of the dialmaker by Swatch Group, and strengthened again when Glashütte Original assumed direct ownership. Today, full integration of the dialmaker’s expertise allows Glashütte Original to develop exclusive, contemporary dial designs that meet the watchmaker’s extremely high standards of quality.
The new Sixties and Sixties Panorama Date are powered by manufactory designed and built automatic movements, the 39-47 and the 39-52, respectively. The signature Glashütte Original Panorama Date is positioned on the central vertical axis in the lower half of the dial. The three-hand model is housed in a polished 39 mm stainless steel case whereas the model with Panorama Date comes in a 42 mm stainless steel case. A black calf-skin strap and pin buckle complete the design. Both timepieces are available in Glashütte Original Boutiques and from selected retailers worldwide only for the limited time of one year.
