The Glashütte Original Seventies Panorama Date watch hands-on

Giovanni Di Biase2 April 2020

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I have always regarded the Saxon watchmaking school as a “third lane” in fine watchmaking, capable of competing head-to-head with the best Swiss and Japanese high-end manufacturers.

If you’re looking for technical prowess, stop by at Glashütte and stare. Timepieces like the Glashütte Original Senator Cosmopolite, or the A.Lange & Söhne Triple Split, win hands down against the likes of most Swiss Made manufacturers, providing mind-blowing mechanical complications, and top-notch build quality.

Glashütte Original has, among the German premium-luxury players, the broadest offering, which outperforms other domestic competitors both in pricing and product variants.

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The Glashütte Original Seventies Panorama Date is a perfect example of the brand’s vision. Well, you might consider this as the umpteenth full-steel timepiece, but style and craftsmanship place it in the top end of the spectrum with features so distinctive I guess most watch aficionados are not aware at all.

Conversely, making your way in such a crowded and super-competitive market segment is a hard task, which Glashütte Original has, in my opinion, faced with a content-based approach. The Seventies Panorama Date you see in these photos is part of an American collector and reader’s private collection.

I strongly suggest to follow him via his Instagram profile: not only is he a watch expert, but he is also a great photographer.

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Those who grew up during the seventies, like the undersigned, will instantly recognize what a Glashütte Original Seventies Panorama Date is familiar with: the large squared case has been nicknamed “TV Screen,” and I think we all agree on that.

It makes a bold statement, yet it looks refined to such an extent to accomplish the widest audience possible.

I have a soft spot for square-shaped timepieces, and I think the Seventies Panorama Date offers the German vintage-inspired take on the luxury sports watch. From a product perspective, Glashütte Original belongs to the club of the few existing vertically integrated manufacturers.

Its dial is, for example, not outsourced but crafted in a separate workshop, the same one where the stunning Glashütte Original Sixties came out from a few years ago.

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In this specific case, we’re dealing with this collection’s first-ever release, I assume: the large, outsized date window has a white background.

Conversely, if you surf the current collections, you’ll notice they all come with a unique tone, all across the dial.

The blue one is hands down the eye-catcher, for two reasons: the dial turns from light blue to dark blue as you move towards the minute ring, and makes the Seventies‘ case look fresher and slimmer, given its size (40mm x 40mm).

The Big Date, else said “Panorama Date,” in GO‘s lingo, is very refined and flawless, with the window’s profile mimicking the case design.

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From a technical perspective, instead, what makes a Glashütte Original Seventies Panorama Date stand out, and why is it worth considering? It’s all about the refinement: it houses the Glashütte Original caliber 39–47, featuring a 3/4 main plate, with Glashütte stripes decoration, swan neck regulating system, balance wheel with micro screws and, finally, a winding rotor whose outer mass is in 18-carat gold.

It is hard to find something better in the benchmark, the only letdown being, surprisingly, such a low power reserve (40 hours, approximately). Moving back to the dial, once again, designers have placed luminous dots around each of the arrow-shaped applied indexes. Thumbs up!

glashuette original seventies panorama date

The Glashütte Original Seventies Panorama Date comes available with two strap options (leather or rubber) or a steel bracelet. The latter proves how careful engineers’ attention to detail and comfort was: featuring a three-link design, it sports a quick release system to add or remove links easily, without the need for any servicing.

Once you have done, you can then precisely fine-adjust the bracelet thanks to an ingenious micro-adjustment device, hidden behind the double G-logo push-button on the clasp. Summarizing, the Glashütte Original Seventies Panorama Date is an all-rounder, despite an 11,5mm case thickness.

I love the timepiece, also hope the brand is considering to shave off a couple of mm or so, and offer a close-to-an-ultra-thin sports watch; I’m sure the Seventies Panorama Date collection will enlarge its following even further.

(Photo credit: courtesy of samsveblenianobesession)

Gaetano C @Horbiter®

Swiss Made: Swiss-made means that a watch's movement is Swiss, it is cased in Switzerland, and the manufacturer carries out there the final inspection.
Date: It indicates the date of the month. There are different types of display: via a window or a pointer, where an additional hand is usually placed centrally or on a…
Case: It encases the mechanical movement and is crafted in one or more parts. It can also be a single piece, as with some professional diving watches, or made of unconventional…
Rotor: Part of an automatic watch that winds the mainspring by constantly rotating. Depending on the watch's winding capability, movement design, and value, it comes in various geometries, sizes, and materials.…
Balance wheel: A part of a mechanical watch that oscillates, dividing time into equal portions.
Power Reserve: A mechanical watch feature displays, on the dial or the case back, the remaining power in a watch movement, showing the length of time until the timepiece must be rewound.
Strap: A leather, rubber or other material band that secures the watch to the wearer's wrist.