Glasshutte

[tangent70]

Can anyone school me on this brand?

They seem to be good and much easier to acquire than a Rolex.

I'm thinking on getting a SeaQ panorama as getting into heaven seems easier than getting a Rolex from an AD these days.


Thanks

[themast]

Glashütte is a town in Germany and there are actually several brands that are based in that area and that can use the name Glashütte (I think you need to conform to certain standards to use it in your name): Nomos Glashütte, Mühle-Glashütte, Glashütte Original are the ones that come to mind.

You are referring to Glashütte Original (GO) which is one of these brands. In the first page of the thread below you can find a lot of useful info.

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=484006

In a nutshell, GO makes very good watches with some unique design features and complications. Finish is probably above Rolex but below Patek Philippe (to simplify). Overall it is a very good value but resale is not as strong as Rolex (should I add, obviously?).

[MichelleP]

I own a couple of GO's, SeaQ 39.5mm and The Panomaticlunar. I think they are amazing watches. The on the fly glide lock system is much better than Rolex. Finishing is a step above as well. I would love to have been able to get the larger SeaQ as it has an open case back and 100 hour power reserve but too large for my smaller wrist. I definitely recommend getting it on the bracelet and add a strap later if you want. FYI...I am an avid Rolex fan and own several

[Gebbeth]

Originally Posted by themast

Glashütte is a town in Germany and there are actually several brands that are based in that area and that can use the name Glashütte (I think you need to conform to certain standards to use it in your name): Nomos Glashütte, Mühle-Glashütte, Glashütte Original are the ones that come to mind.

You are referring to Glashütte Original (GO) which is one of these brands. In the first page of the thread below you can find a lot of useful info.

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=484006

In a nutshell, GO makes very good watches with some unique design features and complications. Finish is probably above Rolex but below Patek Philippe (to simplify). Overall it is a very good value but resale is not as strong as Rolex (should I add, obviously?).

You missed A Lange & Sohne, probably the best known of the Glashutte based watch brands. ALS also essentially started the watchmaking industry in Glashutte as well.

Glashutte Original is actually the direct descendant of ALS. When WWII ended, and East Germany became part of the Warsaw pact, ALS was nationalized, as were all the other Glashutte based watchmakers. ALS started to stamp out ho-hum, utilitarian watches for their comrades, and at one point, the ALS name disappeared.

This essentially turned into Glashutte Original. ALS was re-started by the original familial descendants of the Lange family, and I believe were able to secure the ALS name from Glashutte Original. The rest is history.

I own a GO Seventies Chrono Panorama Date, and it's a beautiful, stunning watch. It's a very unique chrono with a panorama datum, flyback mechanism, column wheel, with a power reserve indicator and a unique 12-hour register that shows up on a scale instead of a subdial. Mine is "Fab Green" which is a matte lacquer fume dial. Awesome.

The movement finishing is top notch, and I would rate GO in general way above Rolex in terms of movement quality, finishing, and design aesthetic (although all those, I agree, are subjective). But I think GO just makes a better quality of watch than Rolex.

I would not put GO above ALS or Patek. I do feel they offer better designs overall than AP (meaning AP is all Royal Oak all the time....I'm just sick of that aspect of AP), and Vacheron, as good as they are, they are quickly becoming the Overseas watchmaker....falling into the trap of AP. I tire of Vacheron at times.

My next watch will hopefully be a SeaQ in 43mm, blue radiant dial with blue ceramic bezel. I refer this over the Rolex Sub and believe it's on par with the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms in SS if not better (again, in my opinion).

But the PanoInverse is also a strong contender for me. The PanoReserve is often mistaken for the Lange 1, but they are very different animals, and one can argue, GO came first. But while the ALS Lange 1 is asymmetric, the PanoReserve is actually more symmetric but offset...with both the seconds and minute/hour dials inline with each other but off to the side.

Also, look at GOs truly unique models like the Cosmopolite which is a very unique take on a GMT/Timezone watch, the PanoMaticCounter XL (with a built-in counter mechanism), and PanoGraph which has the chrono functions appear as linear registers with the seconds being a retrograde style.

These are all very interesting and unique designs that show GO has some imagination in trying to make watches that standout from a crowd.

[themast]

Originally Posted by Gebbeth

You missed A Lange & Sohne, probably the best known of the Glashutte based watch brands. ALS also essentially started the watchmaking industry in Glashutte as well.

You are very right. Kind of silly of me but I was thinking about the brands with Glashutte in the name. I think ALS also stamps dials with "Glashutte" since they meet the standards that I mentioned (obviously, being one of the oldest watchmakers in the area).

[Deppe]

Originally Posted by Gebbeth

You missed A Lange & Sohne, probably the best known of the Glashutte based watch brands. ALS also essentially started the watchmaking industry in Glashutte as well.

Glashutte Original is actually the direct descendant of ALS. When WWII ended, and East Germany became part of the Warsaw pact, ALS was nationalized, as were all the other Glashutte based watchmakers. ALS started to stamp out ho-hum, utilitarian watches for their comrades, and at one point, the ALS name disappeared.

This essentially turned into Glashutte Original. ALS was re-started by the original familial descendants of the Lange family, and I believe were able to secure the ALS name from Glashutte Original. The rest is history.

.

While I definitely appreciate GO, I think it is a stretch to say that it is a direct descendant of ALS. After WW2, a huge part of Glashütte manufacturers, including the then nationalized ALS, was merged into one state owned producer of watches - GUB.

After the fall of the wall, GUB was privatized and became Glasshütter Uhrenbetrieb GmbH, producing watches under the brand names GUB and Glashütte Original. First in 1994, Glashütte Original was formed as an independent company, together with Union (I think?) from the remainders of GUB. The same year that Lange presented its first four watches after the fall of the wall.

Also, it is not my impression that Walter Lange bought any naming rights, as ALS simply did not exist at the time. Therefore, it was only a matter of getting the name registered again, but I might be wrong about this. However, if any naming rights was bought, it was not from Glashütte Original, but from either GUB or Glasshütter Uhrenbetrieb GmbH as ALS was reestablished in 1990 and GO was formed in 1994.

EDIT: I should add that the above is purely nitpicking and it doesn’t take anything away from GO and the high quality of their watches.

[Gebbeth]

Originally Posted by Deppe

While I definitely appreciate GO, I think it is a stretch to say that it is a direct descendant of ALS. After WW2, a huge part of Glashütte manufacturers, including the then nationalized ALS, was merged into one state owned producer of watches - GUB.

After the fall of the wall, GUB was privatized and became Glasshütter Uhrenbetrieb GmbH, producing watches under the brand names GUB and Glashütte Original. First in 1994, Glashütte Original was formed as an independent company, together with Union (I think?) from the remainders of GUB. The same year that Lange presented its first four watches after the fall of the wall.

Also, it is not my impression that Walter Lange bought any naming rights, as ALS simply did not exist at the time. Therefore, it was only a matter of getting the name registered again, but I might be wrong about this. However, if any naming rights was bought, it was not from Glashütte Original, but from either GUB or Glasshütter Uhrenbetrieb GmbH as ALS was reestablished in 1990 and GO was formed in 1994.

EDIT: I should add that the above is purely nitpicking and it doesn’t take anything away from GO and the high quality of their watches.

My understanding is the several of the former Glashutte based watchmakers, including the original Glashutte Original and ALS, and a few others, were combined into the state-owned entity GUB. However, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, GUB was privatized and turned into the current Glashutte Original. This means legally, Glashutte Original held legal rights to the legacy names of ALS and others.

It is only around 1989-1990 that a big push was made to revive ALS by Walter Lange and Günter Blümlein, but that was a completely independent company from the remnants of ALS that were turned into GUB and ultimately into the current GO. This makes GO the direct descendant of the original ALS.

I have also read that although the details are not public, new GO and new ALS agreed to a deal that allowed new ALS to use the name ALS.

Originally, the name registered in 1990 was Lange Uhren GmbH and not ALS. Lange Uhren was a completely new company with no legal ties to the original ALS, GUB, or GO. Thus they could not register their name as ALS until they got the legal right to do so.

[wesdaniel]

I have the GO Senator Perpetual Calendar and love it. The finishing is great, it's very accurate, looks good. I love the big date - my old eyes need that to avoid needing glasses to see the date.

[soho]

It’s a great brand, one of my favorites, quality that punches above its weight. A broad range of interesting designs.

I’ve had my Seventies for around four years and love it. May well try a SeaQ some day.




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[PhilLynott]

They are fantastic in every way along with Breguet they are my favorite brand. I just bought my third (PML, seaq pano and newest sixties chrono glacier blue) and already have my sights set on my next two GOs when the checking account allows for it. Ive been on list for a Rolex for a few months and according to AD should be getting it anytime and it doesnt even concern/excite me since brands like GO exist.

[charger_vital]

Amazing watches. The 70s is especially compelling. The only reason I don't have one is the script they use to write "Glashutte" on the dial. For me, it makes the watch look generic and dated... Kind of like the Tudor shield. If they would only use the vintage Tudor rose more; the Shield makes it look like a Tag. The Glashutte script sends the wrong message to me, which is a shame, because the watches are killer. If you don't care about those silly stylistic details, get one.

[beshannon]

I love the two that I own and may look to add a third. Aside from Glashutte's own website there is mych info online

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/watch-b...utte-original/

Many watch reviews here.

I hope the brand stays under the radar for true watch lovers to enjoy. My PanoReserve is my latest and I was very glad to have found it and learned so much about it.



My Senator Excellence is simple clean and an amazing piece of horology. Chronometer spec with a 100 hour power reserve.

[IMG][url=https://flic.kr/p/27CKcje]

[59_Burst]

I think the Seaq Panorama Date is really the watch that began turning the heads of us Rolex/AP fans. Certainly for me, never considered any of the Glashutte dress watches and the original Seaq a little small for my taste.

Now becoming a bit of a Glashutte fanboy and it started with the Panorama Date. Far more compliments with the bimetal Panorama Date that any submariner.

[tangent70]

Thanks for the info. I will look into this brand some more.

[ChaseATX]

Agree on the seaq line. I was shocked at how much I love it.

[DVR]

I love my GO's, third underway. Still appreciate Rolex, have two, but GO is in an other league.
And also for me it was the SeaQ that turned me into a GO fanboy