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Among the latest watch releases, three new models from Tutima Glashütte, Glashütte Original and A. Lange & Söhne, all hailing from the German town of Glashütte, caught our eye with their colorful approach and mastery of complications that demonstrate the dramatic range of mechanical watchmaking practiced in the horological center, about a 40-minute drive from Dresden. 

While the Swiss may dominate in fine watchmaking, the Germans also have a long and illustrious history in the craft. Glashütte, in particular, has been a watchmaking capital since Ferdinand Adolph Lange, the founding father of A. Lange & Söhne, received a government grant to train watchmaking apprentices there in 1845 to nurture a new industry following the exhaustion of the local ore mines.

After the town fell to the Soviets at the end of World War II, Glashütte’s watchmaking firms were consolidated into the state-owned conglomerate VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe (GUB) controlled by the German Democratic Republic. But after the Soviet Union collapsed, the town underwent a watchmaking renaissance as Walter Lange, the great-grandson of F. A. Lange, returned in 1990 to reclaim his family’s esteemed legacy at A. Lange & Söhne.

In 1994, Glashütte Original was established as a brand that was acquired by Swatch Group in 2000. Today in Glashütte, Tutima Glashütte, Nomos Glashütte, Moritz Grossmann, and several others also produce a wide range of mechanical watches with a no-nonsense, quality-driven Teutonic ethos.

Tutima Glashütte M2 Seven Seas S-PVD

Tutima Glashütte’s latest dive watch, the M2 Seven Seas S-PVD (US$1,980) makes a bold statement with a vibrant yellow dégradé dial that fades to black around the periphery. Luminescent Super-LumiNova lights up the hands and indices in the dark.

The tough 40mm matte black PVD-coated stainless-steel case underscores stealthy style and robustness fitted with a tough ceramic unidirectionally rotating bezel and a highly scratch-resistant 2.5-mm-thick sapphire crystal, which rates a 9 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. Combined with a screwed crown secured by lateral flanks and a screwed case back, the M2 Seven Seas S can withstand enormous pressure at depths of 500 meters, or 50 atmospheres. 

Powered by the workhorse self-winding Tutima Calibre 330 movement, the new 40mm format with integrated lugs enhances comfort on the wrist, secured by a strap made of rubber on the inside paired with impregnated leather with discreet green stitching on top. 

Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date

Glashütte Original is feeling the summer heat with two new limited editions of its retro Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date (US$13,700 on rubber strap and US$14,900 on metal bracelet) with sky blue and vibrant orange dials inspired by the electrifying style of the disco era. 

Evoking refreshing swimming pools and dazzling summer sunsets the “Disco Blue” and “Vibing Orange” matte lacquer dials bring fun-loving character to this serious chronograph in a 40mm-by-40mm cushion-shaped stainless-steel case. Each version is limited to 100 pieces.

Visible through a sapphire crystal case back is Glashütte Original’s Calibre 37-02 automatic movement, crafted, decorated, and regulated by hand in the brand’s workshops. The flyback chronograph delivers up to 70 hours power reserve with water resistance down to 10 bar and the brand’s signature big date display. 

A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Platinum

Going toe to toe with the best that Switzerland has to offer, A. Lange & Söhne crafts only a few thousand wristwatches, mainly in gold or platinum, annually. All are powered by proprietary movements that are lavishly decorated and twice assembled by hand.

This summer, A. Lange & Söhne unveiled a platinum version of its classical 1815 Rattrapante (US$154,200), limited to 200 pieces exclusive to its boutiques around the world. The platinum edition follows 2020’s 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold “Homage to F. A. Lange,” a 100-piece limited edition commemorating the brand’s 175th anniversary.

The high-precision split-second chronograph is immediately distinguished by its unusual vertical dial layout with the 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock and the small seconds dial at 6 o’clock. 

The 1815 Rattrapante’s custom-made manufacture calibre L101.2 features a stop-watch function with aggregate timing up to 30 minutes as well as a split-time function with comparative time measurements up to 60 seconds, so you can time multiple increments, such as laps in a race. 

The watch is equipped with two superimposed chronograph hands, the center chronograph hand and the center rattrapante hand. When you activate the pusher at 2 o’clock, both hands start timing together, but the center rattrapante hand can be stopped independently of the center chronograph hand and then instantly resynchronized with it. Two column wheels precisely control elapsed and lap-time measurements, and you can watch the movement in action through a sapphire crystal case back. 

The manually wound calibre L101.2 movement delivers 58 hours of power reserve and exemplifies A. Lange & Söhne’s exquisite finishing, including a hand-engraved balance cock and chronograph bridge. 

The new 41.2mm gleaming platinum case is complemented with a bright silver-colored dial punctuated with blued steel hands and prominent Arabic numerals for heighted legibility. A peripheral railway-track minute scale and tachometer scale, for calculating average speeds, encircle the dial. 

Among the latest watch releases, three new models from Tutima Glashütte, Glashütte Original and A.

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