This is an exceptionally good day at the fair. The mood the general press has picked up on is somber but I’m feeling upbeat at Glashütte Original, where there is a brand new movement in the entry level collection with silicon hairspring. This is the time-only Senator Excellence and the movement is the automatic Calibre 36, with 100 hours of power reserve. Of course this is the Swatch Group so it is merely a matter of time before the entire escapement is changed to adopt the silicon technology. In fact, as we were shown the watches, that is exactly what we heard. Now, while I love hearing about new technology in watchmaking, my day is working out well because of excellent service right here. The good people at Glashütte Original very easily fixed an issue with my own Glashütte Original watch. The clasp on my leather strap wouldn’t snap shut and I was concerned it would need to be replaced. I’m not sure what magic they did but they fixed it in a couple of minutes! Just brilliant.

Glashütte Original Senator Excellence at BaselWorld 2016

About that new Glashütte Original watch, the Senator Excellence and movement, here is what the press release tells us.

In developing the new manufactory Calibre 36 the designers at Glashütte Original have made time for what is essential: a new standard, as substantial as it is innovative, of a new generation of timepieces. This automatic movement with classic hour, minute and seconds function has been thought through with care: exceptionally user-friendly, it meets, at the same time, the highest standards of the watchmaker’s art.

The manufactory’s designers were guided by four principles: extreme stability – in rate as well as overall construction; maximum precision; extended running time and an aesthetic of timeless beauty. Accordingly, a calibre has emerged that is destined to serve as a solid foundation for future challenges and flights of the watchmaker’s art.