Hands-On: The Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar And Panorama Date Moon Phase
Today, we’ll go hands-on with two lovely Glashütte Original references from the Senator Excellence series. The first is a stainless steel Perpetual Calendar, and the second is a red gold model with moonphase and date complications. Both share elegant designs and legible dials.
Only two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to review the Glashütte Original PanoMaticCalendar. The design impressed me despite the amount of information displayed on the dial. It turns out that we had two more watches from the brand in our office. Both are new dial variants for watches that came out in 2023. They’re Senator Excellence models that offer complications. Let’s see if these watches impress as much as the PanoMatic.
The Senator collection
I perused the Glashütte Original website, and the Senator collection to which these Excellence models belong offers technically sophisticated timepieces. The PanoMatic series differs due to the focus on asymmetric dial layouts. You won’t find sports watches in either collection, but there are watches with different calibers and similar functionality. The decision ultimately rests on a love or dislike of symmetry.
The Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar
The first watch on the docket is the Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar. This 42mm by 12.8mm stainless steel watch is paired with a synthetic blue strap and a folding buckle. It features a fine-grained and galvanized dial.
A new element of this watch is the slightly darker dial. Other Perpetual Calendar models use a silver hue, whereas this model opts for gray. Just as noticeable is the use of blued elements, including the hands, indices, and printed font. The applied Roman numerals are solid gold, which ups the luxury quotient. Frankly, the darker dial, blued details, and woven strap lend a sportier air to this dressy complication, and I like it!
A lot of information on display
Perpetual calendars typically display a wide range of information, and this Senator Excellence model is no different. Here, traditional central hands show the hours, minutes, and seconds. The dual-wheel panoramic date display, day, and month all sit within recessed, lightly framed apertures. Pleasingly, these three feature white numerals or letters against dark blue backgrounds. Next, a moonphase display sits at 8 o’clock. Finally, the indicator for the leap year is in the upper central section of the dial. Certainly, this is a more mainstream look than the PanoMatic series, but it’s clean and legible.
Caliber 36-12
The Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar uses the automatic in-house caliber 36-12. This movement has 100 hours of power reserve and runs at 28,800vph. Like all models in this line, the watches undergo extensive testing and receive a certificate. Other specifications worth noting are the silicon hairspring and the six adjustment positions for the movement. As far as performance, the 36-12’s perpetual calendar is accurate until the year 2100 and features three correctors on the mid-case to facilitate adjustments and setting. While it’s not always easy to see under the 21K gold rotor, the movement is highly finished and displays fine anglage along with a typical German three-quarter plate.
Pricing and thoughts
The Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar isn’t the smallest watch, but with a 49.2mm length, it will fit a wide variety of wrists. Plus, with its technical strap, it’s possible to make use of the watch’s 50m depth rating. Reference 1-36-12-03-02-64 is available for €24,500. That’s not inexpensive, but Glashütte Original excels in offering high levels of functionality and finishing for lower prices than its competitors. This watch, with its new colorway, happens to be extremely attractive. For more information, visit the product page on the Glashütte Original website.
The Senator Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase
The next watch will feel sparse compared to the Perpetual Calendar, but the Panorama Date Moon Phase will strike a keen balance for those who enjoy a more restrained design. This Senator Excellence model is also slightly smaller with its 40mm diameter and 12.2mm thickness. The case is made of 18K red gold with brushed and polished surfaces.
Glashütte Original already offers a red gold variant of this watch, so what are the new details? The major difference is the addition of red gold applied indices and hands. A more subtle change is the fine-grained and handmade silver galvanized dial. The look is warmer and works well with the included brown alligator strap.
A dressy dial
The dial of the Senator Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase has a different layout than its more complicated sibling. On this watch, the moonphase indicator is between 10 and 11 o’clock. A blue background with gold stars and a moon matches the central blued seconds hand. The Panorama date sits in its familiar place near 4 o’clock. All in all, it’s a clean design that would look comfortable with a suit or a nice shirt and jeans.
Caliber 36-24
The Moon Phase uses the same caliber 36 as the base for the 36-24 movement. This is also automatic with 100 hours of power reserve, and it undergoes the same battery of tests for reliability and accuracy. Glashütte Original provides a display back with a sapphire crystal to show off this handsome creation. This movement begs to be seen due to its high-end finishing. As with the Perpetual Calendar, the case back is affixed via five screws, which aid the 50m depth rating.
Pricing and availability
Due to its reduced diameter, the Senator Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase understandably feels smaller on the wrist. However, the 49.2mm lug-to-lug measurement remains the same as that of the Perpetual Calendar. Downward-curving lugs help conceal this length, though. Understandably, gold brings a premium to the price tag, bringing this watch to €25,000 with a red gold folding clasp or €22,600 with a pin buckle. That’s still a lot of watch for the money when most premium three-hand dress watches are priced in this range. More information is available on Glashütte Original’s product page.
Final thoughts
Glashütte Original makes some beautiful watches, and while they are priced in the luxury category, they seem to undercut their competition by a fair margin. The designs are impressive, and the movements are noteworthy. Best of all, the brand has updated most of its lineup within the last few years. That’s compelling, especially when most brands use the same movements and designs for ages. I enjoyed looking at these Senator Excellence pieces, but what are your thoughts?
