Pre-Baselworld 2018 – The Glashütte Original Senator Cosmopolite now in Steel

In 2015, Glashütte Original introduced the Senator Cosmopolite, a complex yet visually clean watch (at least once you know all the functions that are packed into this piece). Based on the most advanced watch the brand ever created – the 2012 Grande Cosmopolite Tourbillon – it is capable to indicate the correct time in no less than 36 time-zones. First presented in gold (white or red), the Glashütte Original Senator Cosmopolite will be officially launched at Baselworld 2018 in a more affordable and less formal version in stainless steel and with Arabic numerals.

Few are the watches that can display all the time-zones around the world. Indeed, most of the world-time watches rely on the 24 main cities, and on a world-map display. These are based on a traditional concept invented by Louis Cottier in the 1930s. The Glashütte Original Senator Cosmopolite takes a different approach, by both having a simplified display, with clear and legible indications, as well as being able to have no less than 36 time-zones (including Daylight Saving Time – DST and Standard Time – STD) on one single watch. Impressive, isn’t it?

The Calibre 89-02 featured inside the Senator Cosmopolite is a complex piece of horology. Based on the Grande Cosmopolite Tourbillon, yet without the flying tourbillon and the perpetual calendar, it can track the time in two time zones at once, whatever your position around the globe, even in the more secluded areas. The time-zone wheel displays a choice of 36 world time-zones, each indicated by the official IATA location code designating a key international airport in the zone. 24 time-zones that show a full-hour deviation are indicated using a black IATA code; a further nine time-zones with half-hour offsets are shown in blue, and the remaining three IATA codes appear in red. Meaning that wherever you’ll travel, you’ll have the perfect time indicated on your watch (and not an approximate time).

The mechanics inside the Glashütte Original Senator Cosmopolite might be complex, its display and adjustments are relatively intuitive and easy. The home time can be set using a crown at 2 o’clock, and the current time zone is selected using the crown at 8 o’clock. When traveling east (forward in time), one turns the crown at 4 o’clock clockwise until the IATA code for the destination time zone appears in the corresponding DST or STD window. When traveling west (back in time) one turns the crown counter-clockwise. In both cases, the central hour and minute hands shift forwards or back in 15-minute step so that the IATA code for the destination time zone can be seen in the DST or STD window. No further adjustments are required: the central hour and minute hands indicate the correct time at the destination – enhanced by the correct day/night indication at 9 o’clock – and by the correct date at the destination – the Panorama Date shows the corresponding change of date, backwards or forwards as the case may be. See… complex inside, easy outside.

For Baselworld 2018, the Glashütte Original Senator Cosmopolite, which was until now only available in 18k white or 18k red gold, will be available in a stainless steel case, combined with a blue alligator strap. The dial, which still has a nice grainy varnish matt white tone, is also updated for the occasion with new indexes. Instead of the black printed Roman numerals found on the gold editions, the steel version of the Senator Cosmopolite features blue printed Arabic numerals as well as blued applied Baton markers for the hours. Slightly more casual overall. The steel case remains equal, at 44mm in diameter and 14mm in height.

The back reveals the exact same movement, with off-centered micro-rotor with 21-ct gold oscillation weight running over the 3/4 plate. The decoration is nicely executed, with polished bevels, thin ribbings, blued screws and superb double swan-neck springs and hand-engraved cock bridges.

The Glashütte Original Senator Cosmopolite in Steel will be available with pin-buckle at EUR 20,700 or folding clasp at EUR 21,000 (vs. EUR 38,000 in gold). More details on glashuette-original.com.