Glashütte Original teams up with the prestigious Meissen porcelain company once more with a new iteration depicting the beauty of cherry blossoms.
Spring is in full swing, bringing warmer weather, clear skies and blooming flowers. Well, if you’re in Australia or the Southern Hemisphere, that is. Glashütte Original, based in Germany, is bracing for colder weather and the Oktoberfest hangover as the month brings it ever closer to winter. However, that doesn’t mean the brand has turned a cold shoulder to fine craftsmanship, particularly in its Senator line.
Though many of its timepieces are incredible in their own right, the Senator collection stands out as the perfect canvas for a unique approach to artistry. Last year, we saw this in full effect when Watch Advice was invited to celebrate the brand’s 180th anniversary at Hotel Centennial in Sydney. There, it showcased two of its latest Senator models, masterfully crafted in collaboration with the esteemed porcelain manufacturer Meissen.
This year, the two Saxon brands have teamed up once again for a new limited edition, paying tribute to one of the most iconic flowers of springtime. Or is it?
Golden Grace
Before we get to that, allow me to introduce the latest iteration of Glashütte Original’s Senator Meissen, now depicting the cherry blossom. It follows in the footsteps of its predecessors from last year, housed in a case measuring 40mm wide, 47.09mm long and 10.2mm thick. Dressed in 18k red gold, the watch is a dress piece through and through. But unlike most dress watches I’ve seen lately, the Senator switches up its finishing for added visual intrigue.
The upper and lower case components, including the bezel and caseback, are finished with a high polish, while the mid-case contrasts the shine with a continuous horizontal brush finish. While it’s not the most traditional dress watch aesthetic, it helps prevent the case from becoming too much of a smudge magnet, making it ideal for a quick wear when you need something for a black-tie event at short notice.
In any case, the watch sits slim and low on the wrist, as a dress watch should, with comfort further enhanced by a blue alligator leather strap and red gold pin buckle. Surprisingly, it offers slightly better water resistance than usual, rated to 50 metres instead of 30. Though I’d hardly expect this to become a daily driver by any stretch of the imagination, prospective buyers can at least take comfort in knowing it can handle the same conditions as most other sport-chic watches.
桜, 桜, 弥生 の 空 は
By convention, there isn’t much else to discuss in terms of design, with dress watches generally adhering to fairly minimalist principles. However, the Glashütte Original Senator Meissen Cherry Blossom features an incredible dial, transforming it from an understated luxury piece into a statement watch in an instant.
The operative word here is “instant”, as the backdrop is made entirely from finely crafted porcelain courtesy of Meissen. All too often, collaborations between watchmakers and fine craftspeople can feel superfluous, but the shared Saxon identity of these two brands makes their meeting of minds feel remarkably organic.
To that end, Glashütte Original commissioned Meissen to create a stark white porcelain dial, upon which a series of branches bearing the famous cherry blossoms have been hand-painted. For an autumn release, at least in Germany, the choice might seem a little confusing. Why release a cherry blossom-themed watch in October? In actuality, it makes perfect sense. October in Japan brings the bloom of the Jugatsu-zakura, or October Cherry.
A smaller, more delicate version of the classic cherry blossom, these rare trees bloom during autumn and winter, particularly in October, as their name suggests. Thus, Glashütte Original and Meissen pay tribute to this unique variety, capturing its beauty to last long after the season in which it blooms.
Few features interrupt the artistry of the dial. Curvaceous red gold hands glide across the porcelain, while the dual signatures of both brands are the only other elements to interrupt the Jugatsu-zakura in bloom. While the lack of other design elements might leave other genres of watch in a head-scratching scenario, the elegant format of the Senator allows the art to take centre stage whilst not compromising on its sole purpose as a watch.
Germanic Greatness
For a watch with such a simple function, however, the movement’s craftsmanship is anything but. Turning the watch around reveals the Calibre 36-16, as seen in previous Glashütte Original and Meissen collaborations. Beating at the luxury standard of 4Hz (28,800VpH), the automatic movement boasts a staggering 100-hour power reserve.
Both functionally and aesthetically, the Calibre 36-16 remains largely unchanged. The three-quarter plate, finished with Glashütte stripes, and the beautifully hand-engraved balance cock continue to demonstrate the movement’s exceptional finishing standards.
However, one major change has been implemented: the skeletonised double-G rotor, previously seen on the latest Seventies releases. While there was nothing particularly wrong with the old rotor design, the new version opens up the display slightly, giving the movement a sense of lightness that delightfully contrasts with its dense gold case.
Initial Thoughts
More often than not, dress watches are among the hardest timepieces to write about because of their stringent, minimalist design principles. As a result, the focus shifts from the watch’s features to what their absence means. It’s like critiquing a work of art, where you have to read between the lines to uncover its true meaning.
While this can often be challenging, Glashütte Original’s latest Senator Meissen Cherry Blossom doesn’t suffer from the same issue. Its narrative is clear as day: two storied Saxon brands uniting to champion the beauty of the season through the lens of Japanese nature and fine German craftsmanship.
A true match made in heaven, Glashütte Original has struck gold with its collaboration with Meissen. While I eagerly look forward to perhaps seeing this watch in the metal myself, I am also eager to see what other delicate works blossom from this partnership in the future.
Reference & Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Reference | 1-36-16-05-05-01 |
| Dimensions | 40mm case diameter x 47.09mm lug-to-lug x 10.2mm thickness |
| Case | 18k red gold |
| Dial | White Meissen porcelain with hand-painted Jugatsu-zakura & red gold accents |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Caseback | Open, sapphire |
| Movement | Automatic Cal. 36-16 |
| Power Reserve | 100h |
| Beat Rate | 4Hz / 28,800VpH |
| Water Resistance | 50m / 5bar |
| Strap/Bracelet | Blue alligator leather strap with 18k red gold pin buckle |