HANDS-ON: Looking great in grey – the Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Panorama Date 

Felix Scholz

It’s easy with any brand’s new release catalogue to get swept up with the drama and complexity of the halo pieces. In the case of Glashütte Original that glory goes to the flashy green of the Sixties Panorama Date, or the bells and whistles of the Senator Cosmopolite. But sometimes you crave something simple, clean and pure. That’s where this latest take on the Senator Excellence Panorama Date comes in.

If you’re not au fait with the watch, it’s one of the less complex models in the Senator family and was first introduced, with its lunar sibling, back in 2016. A well-sized 42mm by 12.2mm watch, cased here in sensible and utilitarian steel, it’s powered by the calibre 36-03, a big date-equipped take on the very impressive Calibre 36. This is one very impressive movement, a 4Hz automatic, with 100 hours of power reserve (all coming from one barrel no less), and tested to standards that meaningfully exceed COSC standards. It also looks great too, what with that double ‘G’ skeletonised rotor.

But for me, this watch is all about the dial. The design of the Senator Excellence Panorama Date is quite restrained to start with, with those arrowhead hour markers in white gold and rhodium-plated hands (there are lume plots on the dial, but not the hands, which is odd, but mostly besides the point). There’s minimal dial text, and the big date at four is clearly a design feature, and blends in nicely with the dial. All of this means there’s plenty of room to let the rich expanse of the dial shine. In a muted, yet mesmerising-in-its-own-way galvanised silver/grey, with a vertical brushed finish, this dial simultaneously stands out from the pack, while blending in seamlessly. Not an easy trick to pull off, and one that’s a clear indicator of assured design. The brown nubuck alligator strap is the perfect finishing touch.

Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Panorama Date Australian pricing

Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Panorama Date, $14,500