The New Platinum & Salmon Glashütte Original PanoLunarTourbillon

The small German town of Glashütte is steeped in watchmaking history, as we all know. No less than 12 brands, from high-end to more accessible, are nestled there, making it the historic and beating heart of German mechanical watchmaking. Being able to bear the town’s name on one’s dial is also something quite special, as it requires that at least 50% of the value in a watch has to be made or added in the Saxony region. And the manufacturers in the area are proud of this, as many go above and beyond that, including Glashütte Original. And to put that into context, we’ll take a look at one of GO’s latest, and possibly greatest watches, the stellar PanoLunarTourbillon in platinum and salmon.

Dial making at Glashütte Original

The news of this rather sumptuous new PanoLunarTourbillon isn’t randomly timed, as it is a perfect display of GO’s capabilities, and more specifically, its dial-making expertise. For years, most of the brand’s dials were produced in the brand’s facility in Pforzheim, but this has recently moved to Glashütte Original’s hometown. There, the smaller series dials such as this one are produced entirely in-house and largely by hand. Everything from preparing the blanks, soldering dial feet, drilling holes for markers and hands, cutting and laser-engraving details, silver-plating by friction, varnishing and galvanic treatments is done by GO’s most skilled artisans. And it’s not just dials, but also the moonphase and Panorama Date discs that are produced in-house in the same facility. Witnessing the making of a dial with our own eyes reveals the intricate and extremely delicate processes a brass, German Silver, Sterling silver, bronze and solid gold dial blank has to go through to achieve perfection.

For some of the dials, GO still works with specialist MOM, which is a Swatch Group-owned company. The plan is to expand the capacity in Glashütte and up the in-house production even more. While there are undoubtedly other factors that matter, it does allow for the brand to react faster, be more creative and flexible and ensure the highest possible quality standards their watches demand are met time and time again. And for what it’s worth, the more a Glashütte-marked watch is actually made in Glashütte, the better, right?

The Salmon Dial PanoLunarTourbillon

The new PanoLunarTourbillon is an adaptation of the existing top-end watch from Glashütte Original. In previous editions, we’ve primarily seen it in gold, but this time around, GO opted for a platinum case. The polished and brushed exterior measures 40mm in diameter, 12.7mm in height and 47mm from lug to lug, indicating it’s by no means a small watch, but also far from overpowering in size. The proportions and the level of detail are lovely, with a slightly redesigned profile with alternating brushed and polished surfaces.

Inspired by the red-ish iron ore found in the mountains surrounding Glashütte, the dial has undergone a special galvanic treatment to achieve its rich tone. To add contrast to the various elements, each indication stands out thanks to individual types of finishing. The main section is grained, the subdial for the hours and minutes has a snailed texture, the moonphase has a striking outline, and the date window has an applied platinum frame. The dial for the hours and minutes also gives way to the tourbillon escapement, with a blue tip on the cage doubling as a seconds hand.

The moonphase has its own scale to indicate what phase it’s in along the (roughly) 29,5 days a cycle lasts, and benefits from precise toothing to keep it accurate to 57.2 seconds per lunar cycle (far more accurate than most other moonphases). The Panorama Date uses two separate discs on a single level for the date. The hands and markers also stand out thanks to a deep blue finish, tying in with the other blue details on the dial. And of course, the dial is signed with Glashütte I/Sa, as an indication of complying with the Glashütte standards.

Now, on to the movement, always a highlight at Glashütte Original. Inside this watch is the new Calibre 93.03, which is an update of the Calibre 93.02 found in the classic gold version of this watch. The star of the show is the flying tourbillon escapement poking through the dial, an invention that originates from Glashütte by the way. Back in 1920, Glashütte Watchmaking School professor Alfred Helwig developed a tourbillon escapement that was held in place from the underside only, visually freeing the mesmerising rotation of the mechanism from the top side. His invention lives on today, and is found in plenty of brands, including several Glashütte-based ones, such as Glashütte Original. So in that respect, this PanoLunarTourbillon is a very fitting celebration of the Glashütte tradition.

The movement itself is constructed out of rhodium-plated plates and bridges, for an understated look. The finish includes broad Glashütte ribbing, blue infilled engravings, hand-polished bevels, and blued screws. It’s driven by an off-centred openworked rotor with the brand’s signature Double-G and a rhodium-plated finish to match the rest of the calibre and a 21k white gold oscillating weight at the outer edge. While it still beats at a rate of 21,600vph, the power reserve has been increased to 60 hours on a single barrel (vs. 48h in the past). The balance spring, which is visible on the front side, is now made of silicon to reduce friction and wear. The finishing touches also include a diamond endstone for the balance staff, sitting at the heart of the tourbillon.

The wonderful Glashütte Original PanoLunarTourbillon in platinum and “Iron Ore” salmon dial is limited to 50 pieces and is worn on a blue Louisiana alligator leather strap, or a blue synthetic fabric one. Both are fitted with a platinum folding clasp to tie in with the case. It costs EUR 125,000, which of course is a very large sum of money, but it does land you one of GO’s absolute finest! The combination of platinum and salmon is classic, and works brilliantly, especially paired with the subtle blue touches of the hands and markers, as well as the toned-down colour of the tourbillon and movement. And above all, the finish is of the highest level! It’s all rather scrumptious!

For more information, please visit Glashuette-Original.com.