Glashütte Original is a well-known German watch company that has been operating for more than 165 years. The German watch manufacturer upholds the highest standards of watch production, and it is one of the only watch companies in the world that produces all of its watches in-house.
The creation of a pendulum clock known as the “Original Glashütte” was released in 1916. In 1927, a ladies watch was released that included "Glashütte Original" engraved on the dial for the first time.
By the early 1960s, Glashütte gained popularity among those in Europe. The caliber 70 series mechanisms were released, which included the caliber 70.1 and 70.3. These calibers featured a glided balance rim and included a chronometer test certificate.
Glashütte released the Spezichron timepiece in 1978. This watch was produced through the 1980s. Although the quartz movement in the 1970s sparked many watch companies to produce quartz products, Glashütte did not convert its entire production line to quartz. However, Glashütte did contribute to the innovation of the first marine chronometers that were quartz-powered.
In 2000 Glashütte produced the Senator Perpetual Calendar, which received the “Watch of the Year” award in Germany. In 2001, the Glashütte Original Alfred Helwig School of Watchmaking was founded to teach students to become highly-qualified watchmakers. If a student graduates from the Glashütte Original Alfred Helwig School of Watchmaking, then he or she automatically has a position working for the Swiss Watch Company.
Glashütte Original watch collections are smaller than most large watch manufacturers. Currently, the “4 Pillars” are considered the most stunning timepieces in the world because Glashütte handcrafts every piece in-house for all watches that are produced by the company. The “4 Pillars” include the Art & Technik collection, the Quintessentials collection, the 20th Century Vintage collection, and the Ladies collection.
There are 10 watches in the Art & Technik collection that are considered highly-technical, but still capture classic German engineering. The primary watch in the collection is the Grande Cosmopolite Tourbillon. This timepiece features a platinum case and a 24 hour home time sub dial. The Pano Lunar Tourbillion, Panograph, PanoReserve, PanoInverse XL, Panomatic Lunar, and Panomatic Counter XL are other popular watches featured in this collection.
The Quintessentials features 8 watches in its collection, which include the Senator Chronometer, the Senator Panorama Date, and the Senator Automatic. Other popular watches in this line are the Senator Panorama Date Moon Phase and the Senator Hand Date.
There are 5 watches in the 20th Century Vintage collection. This collection of watches was designed to commemorate the innovative decades of the 1960s and 1970s. The Sixties watches are available in vintage styles crafted from stainless steel or rose gold with silver, blue, or black dials. The Sixties Panorama Date is offered in 5 styles, and it is available in stainless steel or rose gold. The Sixties Square Chronograph, the Seventies Panorama Date, and the Sixties Chronograph are the other watches offered in this collection.
The Ladies collection offers 3 elegant watches in an abundance of variations. The Lady Serenade offers forty-nine different styles that features an oyster casing in stainless steel or rose gold. The PanoMatic Lunar comes in 4 variations and offers several complications such as off-center hour and minute dials. The bezels of this watch feature diamond, and the dials are available in light or Tahiti mother-of-pearl. The Pavonia watches are offered in square casings, and they are available in twenty-four variations of stainless steel or combinations of stainless steel and gold. There are 4 of the 8 variations that have 114 diamonds decorating the upper half of the face.