Glashütte Original Senator Perpetual Calendar

Baselworld 2011 – One of my favorite brands, Glashütte Original (pronounced: glass-shoo-ta) released a very nice and legible Perpetual Calendar in its flagship Senator collection.  The reference 100-02-25-05-04 (or -05, depending on choice of strap) features a red gold case which pairs nicely against the black-dial with white Arabic numerals.   The moon phase disc also fits onto the dial nicely and is adorned with silver stars and a radiant silver moon.   A discreet leap year display presents a red dot to indicate a leap year, followed by white, black and yellow dots for successive years.

I’d be curious to hear any thoughts on the look of this watch on the black rubber strap, as pictured below.

Glashütte Original Senator Perpetual Calendar

42mm rose gold case

The heart of the Senator Perpetual Calendar, easily visible through the sapphire glass mounted in the case back, is the Glashütte Original Caliber 100-02.  The Cal 100-02 has signature Glashütte touches such as the three-quarter plate with Glashütte ribbing, the skeletonized rotor with 21-ct gold oscillation weight, twin spring barrels and swan-neck fine adjustment.

Glashütte Original is also quick to point out that this particular model is equipped with a reset mechanism which allows for easy synchronization of the second hand with a time standard — unlike other reset mechanisms, the second hand is connected neither to the winding stem nor the crown.  As a result, when the crown is pulled out, the balance remains in oscillation and the movement continues to run, significantly reducing material stress. Pressing a separate button on the side of the case at 8 o’clock activates the reset mechanism.