Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar Forest Green

For those who think that watches produced by Glashütte Original are quite austere, with silver-coloured dials and blue elements, the brand’s recent launches might prove them wrong. These days, while the classic silver/blue scheme is still alive, the Saxon manufacture is also all about colours. Think bright orange, salmon and blue or, more recently, forest green – a colour that isn’t a first for GO. Today, we take a closer look at a colourful edition of one of the brand’s all-time classics, the Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar Forest Green.

Glashütte Original has long been playing the classic Saxon theme, with silver, blue or black dials, showing contrasting elements in blued steel or rhodium-plated. There’s nothing wrong with that and this traditional style will always remain the cornerstone of the collection. This certain austerity in the design and colours is somehow charming and fits perfectly well with the concept of the Saxon manufacture. There’s certainly a lot to love in a PanoReserve with a silver dial, thanks to its timeless appeal. However, some watch enthusiasts asked for more colours and bolder styles. Something to give these quite strict watches some charm, some more appeal. And Glashütte Original heard them, starting with watches based on the Sixties collection, launched annually and displaying bright dials – in green, fiery orange and now glacier blue – which will soon be featured on MONO’ too.

Admittedly, the Sixties collection, with its retro charm and uniquely shaped case, was the natural watch for colours. But Glashütte Original though that some of its ‘Pano’ icons could live with some unusual colours, in addition to the three classics that are silver, black and blue. This is why the brand launched the Salmon dial version of the PML, which is now followed by a rather desirable green model.

First and foremost a PanoMaticLunar

Before we talk about the dial, which is the main point of interest in this new edition of the PanoMaticLunar, a short reminder about the watch itself, one of the brand’s most beloved pieces, which is one of the oldest members of the collection – after multiple design evolutions.

The PanoMaticLunar is a perfect example of a modern watch design according to the German school of watchmaking. Relatively robust in size and shape, it is mainly distinguished by its display, a very controlled, fully calculated unbalanced arrangement of the indications. While the ¾ plate is one of the hallmarks of German movements, the off-centred timing indications counterweighted by additional features – a date window, a power reserve, an astronomical display – are a recurring theme in Saxony. But don’t think these indications have been placed randomly. This wouldn’t be very German… This apparent mess is based on a very precise calculation, inspired by the golden ratio – the classic law of aesthetic harmony. And this unbalanced display creates visual pleasure.

The PanoMaticLunar, the automatic sister-watch of the hand-wound PanoReserve, relies on two off-centred dials positioned on the left side of the dial, one for the hours/minutes, one for the running seconds, which are lightly intertwined. To fill the negative space on the right side of the dial, the Glashütte Original PML is equipped with the brand’s signature Panorama Date indication, which displays the date on two non-overlapping discs, as well as a Mondphase indicator framed by an “age of the Moon” track.

This iconic display is housed in a 40mm case, crafted in stainless steel in the present model, with a combination of brushed surfaces (caseband) and polished accents (bezel, caseback, top of lugs, crown). The case measure 12.7mm in height, giving this piece a slight feeling of robustness – it isn’t your fragile Swiss dress watch. Still, the case offers nice proportions, with a large dial diameter and thin bezel, virtually enlarging the watch without loosing in comfort. The lugs are short and curved, meaning that watch is well-positioned on most wrists, including smaller ones.

Powering the PanoMaticLunar Forest Green (and all other PML watches) is the in-house calibre 90-02, a classic movement at Glashütte Original, with all the typical German features. Despite being automatic, it still relies on a ¾ plate architecture, with pillar construction, and the rotor is off-centred to keep the proportions right. It features typical decoration from Glashütte, with blued screws, thin stripes on the bridges and the superbly decorated cock (the bridge that holds the balance), engraved by hand with golden motifs, and a duplex swan-neck fine adjustment system. Bevelled edges and polished steel parts are also included in the list of decoration techniques.

This movement, with 47 jewels, features a screw balance with 18 weighted screws that beats at a modern frequency of 4Hz. The power reserve, on the short side at 42 hours, is compensated by the comfort of the self-winding capacity. All the corrections are done by the crown, except the moon phase that is corrected via a recessed pusher in the caseband.

The Forest Green dial

The brand’s recent production has been inspired by the nature surrounding the Saxon region. This was seen, for instance, in the Limited Edition Seventies Chronograph with gradient dial, inspired by the Bastei rock formation in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains (southeast from Glashütte). The new Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar Forest Green is playing on these natural colours too, from dial to strap.

The brand is proud to own its own dial manufacture, based in Pforzheim, Germany. This allows designers to try out and play with colours, as most of their dials are obtained by a galvanic process and virtually all colours can be recreated. For this model, with no other evolution than the colour of the dial and the material of the strap, the brand went for green; however, due to the galvanisation, the result is quite unique.

The main point of interest with this dial is how it plays with ambient light. Galvanisation results in a metallic surface, which on the contrary to lacquer, has iridescence and doesn’t absorb light but reflects it. In low or indirect light conditions, the green colour appears almost black and cold. Put the watch under direct sunlight and it becomes vivid, bright and much warmer. But also, it can easily change from a blue-green cyan colour to a dark moss green or a bright emerald green. In addition to that, the colour is different in the centre and on the periphery, as the dial has a discreet gradient effect, being darker on the edges. Overall, lively and quite fascinating.

To remain true to the forest theme, this PanoMaticLunar Forest Green is worn on a brown Louisiana alligator nubuck leather strap with earthy tones and a matte surface complementing the colour of the dial. The strap is secured either by a pin buckle or a folding buckle. Note that it can also be ordered on a steel bracelet.

Price and availability

The Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar Forest Green is part of the permanent collection and won’t be limited in production. The first examples will be available from June 2020, from all Glashütte Original boutiques worldwide. It will be priced at EUR 9,500 with pin buckle, EUR 9,800 with folding buckle or EUR 10,900 with steel bracelet.

More details at www.glashuette-original.com.