Today we have something special to look at. Straight from Glashütte, the PanoMaticLunar from Glashütte Original.
A unique manufacture given their impressive vertical integration, allowing them to do much more things in-house than most. I’ll show you what’s so special about that, right now. To do justice to the mechanics at work, please click hereunder for the detailed video review.
From the tools used for making their own watches, all the way to the movements and dials, in-house is the name of the game.
The dials are for example a part of the watch that are very often outsourced. Not so at GO. This is also the reason why they have been responsible for some of the better looking dials in recent memory and the one we are looking at today.
Originally introduced in 2003 the Pano has slightly changed over time, and different variations exist. The Pano collection is heralded as being “The contemporary face of Saxon watchmaking”. We are now looking at the PanoMaticLunar in Red gold, with a satin-brushed and polished case, and a warm blue dial.
First thing you notice is the moon phase. The moon phase indicator really pops, not in the least because of the golden moon which is very well executed. The dial colour is a warm blue which they create by means of a galvanic process. If you look closely you can see a vinyl-type pattern, you know like the old records, on off-centre displays.
The dial is nicely balanced and the big date is what really makes this watch face so interesting to me. As you can see the date window is very well executed, and the crisp font is pad printed in white giving more than enough contrast for easy reading.
There is quite a bit of text on the dial, I feel that the text helps balance out the dial and I am guessing this is also why the designers chose to add it there in the first place. Lumed hands and applied gold indices complete this excellent looking dial.
Now, if you liked the dial side of this watch – you are going to love the back of it.
The beautiful movement is on full display. The Automatic calibre features a smaller rotor, not quite a micro rotor. That smaller rotor really opens up the movement. Also note the Glashütte three-quarter plate with stripe finish, typical for the German watchmakers.
Look closer and you’ll see the blue heated screws, which are by the way also hand polished. Look even closer and you’ll see the nice perlage applied to the base plate. Now, the showstopper here is of course that balance wheel and the decorated balance cocks. The freehand decoration adds a real human touch to the watch. Every time I flip this watch over, that’s the first thing that draws attention and is an instant reminder that this watch is indeed man made.
Sitting on top of the balance cocks you will see the swan neck fine adjustments, in this case there are two of them. The Duplex swan-neck fine adjustment essentially allows the watchmaker to regulate both the beat and the rate of the calibre. If you look closely, you can see that the swan neck spring is mirror polished, this is achieved by a manual process also known as tin polishing.
The skeletonised rotor features a 21 ct gold oscillation weight, and the GO logo. Notice also the anglage here on the edges.
Now that you know all about the watch, how does it feel to wear one? It feels quite great I must say. It is not the thinnest watch, it has a thickness of 12,7mm, but has no issues sliding under a shirt cuff for example. It is not a heavy watch, it certainly has wrist presence, and with its diameter of 40mm feels just right.
I am not a yellow or red gold type of guy, but the hue of the gold in combination with the dial color is a perfect match, and I really enjoy seeing this watch on my wrist. This is of course not a sports watch so I wouldn’t be wearing this to the beach or for sport activities in general. For most other occasions this would be a very fine wrist-companion indeed.
Now before we go, I wanted to mention that the Pano collection is available in a wide range of executions. If this is a watch design that speaks to you, the entire collection is worth a look. The particular model for review is in a precious metal, therefore on the pricier side of the range. However, GO manages to keep the prices very reasonable (relatively speaking) within the Pano collection. I would challenge you to find anything similar at the prices these are going for. You simply won’t find anything like it.
More information available here.
Stellar horology on full display