Glashütte Original is turning heads this year with dials devoted to the legacy of the 1970s.
Glashütte Original is the official successor company of VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe (GUB), which once united all nationalized watch companies in Glashütte under the German Democratic Republic (GDP) in socialist East German. Glashütte Original introduced the Senator Sixties collection at Baselworld 2007.
A chronometer was added to the collection in the following year, later presented in a cushion-shaped case in 2009. After another couple of years, GO moved on to the next decade with the Seventies Panorama Date in a square case. The year 2014 was when the first three versions of the Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date debuted.
The tone was set by a seventies-style chronograph in subtle shades: blue, silver and anthracite. But the designers at Glashütte Original have decided to let their imaginations run wild this year. The first model was released with a "Fab Green" dial, followed by colored versions called "Disco Blue" and "Vibing Orange". Glashütte Original's retro collections have already featured colorful examples.
You may recall the fabulous five from the Sixties Iconic Square Collection released in 2017. The difference is that now modern tones have been selected for the dials rather than archival ones. The turquoise "Disco Blue" is close to the shade of "Tiffany Blue" used on the Rolex Oyster Perpetual.
"Vibing Orange" is more of a dusty salmon pink, similar to the salmon dial from the Oris ProPilot X Caliber 400 palette for 2022, rather than a terracotta tone from 1970s archives. The square shape of the bezel with rounded edges has been preserved. It outlines a case measuring 40 mm × 40 mm and 14.10 mm in height. The polished bezel is paired with a steel horizontally satin-brushed case ring.
Counters have been rendered in the same tone as the dial. The 30-minute chronograph counter is at 3 o'clock and the small seconds with an integrated power reserve display is at 9 o'clock. The lower half of the dial is reserved for the Panorama Date display, while 12 o'clock is where the arched 12-hour counter can be found.
The case houses the same in-house caliber 37-02, first unveiled in 2014: an automatic movement which runs at a frequency of 4 Hz with a 70-hour power reserve.