When Glashütte Original asked me if I would be one of three journalists in the world to wear their newest timepiece, the ground-breaking Senator Excellence with 100 hours of power reserve, I jumped at the chance.
I picked up the watch to begin my “100 Hours at Baselworld with Glashütte Original” at 12:30 pm on press day, right before my first meeting of the fair. I had seen the watch and gotten the details about the new movement in Berlin a month before when I was the brand’s guest at the Berlinale (look for a full story on that trip in the Summer issue of Revolution USA). At that time, we saw prototypes and I was very pleased to have the production version on my wrist during the show.
First off, let me express how perfect 100 hours is from a power reserve perspective. Having reliable energy for 100 hours means that you can put the watch down for about four full days and when you pick it up it will still be running accurately. When the average for the industry is about 42 hours of power reserve, 100 hours is a true breakthrough. Sure, there are longer power reserves on the market (several brands make eight to ten days and the current record is 50 days), but for an entry level product, which the Senator Excellence is for Glashütte Original, this is a great accomplishment.
Caliber 36 is the new movement, and the designers were guided by four key objectives: extreme stability,
maximum precision, extended running time and timeless beauty. The longer power reserve was accomplished with just one spring barrel (others use two or more linked barrels, which drastically increases the size of the watch) with an increased diameter and a smaller barrel arbour, which made it possible to lengthen the spring and increase the number of winding turns.
When it comes to beauty, I was very impressed by the Senator Excellence. I had the steel black dial version and it looked fantastic on my wrist and felt very comfortable. I had a ton of comments on the watch and it performed flawlessly, keeping me on schedule for all my appointments at this most important of fairs. I had more than 100 meetings with brands, and I was right on time for all of them, thanks to this great timepiece.
When I met with Glashütte Original on the weekend, I was reluctant to give up the watch, but I had to uphold my end of the deal. I did 100 hours of BaselWorld with the new 100 hour power reserve of the Senator Excellence.
Bravo for Glashütte Original for doing such a great job of bringing elongated, usable power reserve to an affordable price point. I can’t wait to see what the brand has to offer next.
