The Glashütte Original Sixties Small Second in Gold is as sophisticated as it is subtle

During the 1960s, what is now Glashütte Original was known as the GUB (Glashütte Uhrenbetriebe), a state-controlled conglomerate comprising all seven of the previously distinct brands that had called Glashütte their home before the creation of the German Democratic Republic.

In 1994, the GUB was privatized and rechristened Glashütte Original. The chosen name is perhaps a less-than-subtle nod to the fact that legally speaking, Glashütte Original is the direct descendent of the original A. Lange & Söhne, founded in 1845. While most everyone in and around the industry regards the modern iteration of A. Lange & Söhne as the true, spiritual successor of the region’s first master, that fact remains is an interesting wrinkle in the history of Saxon watchmaking.

Now, six decades on from the era of this watch’s inspiration, Glashütte Original has a healthy lineup of watches that bring to life (and the wrist) the imaginations of what the company might have produced at the time, had it existed with its current autonomy.

The Low-Down

The Glashütte Original Sixties Small Second watch has a 42mm wide 18-karat rose gold case and stands 12.4mm tall on the wrist, with a lug-to-lug measurement of 49.5mm. While 49.5mm is, in itself, not the smallest lug-to-lug distance, given the relatively slim, sub-13mm height of this watch when compared to its 42mm diameter, the watch wears well, with a large visual impact exacerbated by the slim bezel and expansive, uncluttered dial.

In fact, when it comes to “clutter” the only thing to acknowledge on this galvanic silver-opaline dial is the recessed sub-seconds dial between six and center. The sub-seconds display is decorated with a “vinyl” pattern, which takes the form of many concentric circles, adding a touch of dynamism to an otherwise reserved display.

The characterful font used for the surviving cardinal numbers is era-appropriate and something that recalls the watches being produced in the area at the time. The wise decision to leave the sub-dial without numerals of any kind means this watch does not suffer from the too-often jarring mixture of fonts that many brands feel forced to turn to for the sake of retaining legibility on sub-counters. Here, the sub-dial itself remains relatively pure, with only the tasteful “Glashütte/SA” text arched above it to speak of.

One of the most essential aspects of this line is the subtly domed dial, which is tracked by similarly curved hands. This is the kind of element that is hard to appreciate on press pictures but comes alive on the wrist. It would be easy to dismiss the majority of the Glashütte Original Sixties core range as dull when seen on screen alone. That’s why it’s always worth seeking out these pieces in the metal and trying them on. They offer a surprising amount of versatility in the metal, with their only real drawback being a somewhat basic 30m water resistance.

Of course, the GO Sixties line is perhaps most famous for its anything-but-dull limited edition models with vibrantly colored (and wildly textured) dials. These eye-catching pieces are generally released as annual editions and frequently snatch headlines for their bold, almost out-of-character vivaciousness. While I do love these eccentric colors, I keep coming back to the core line as the real stars of the show. There is an underline teutonic confidence in their design and the addition of a sub-seconds model, with surprisingly modern dimensions, could one day be regarded as the finest of them all.

Sitting behind the dial is the brand’s in-house 39-60 caliber. This movement has an up-to-date 28,800vph operating frequency and is finished to a high standard befitting the brand’s status. The sapphire crystal case back reveals Glashütte ribbing and beveled edges on the bridges, polished screws, a swan-neck regulator, and the famous “Double-G” rotor, which employs a 21k weight to enhance inertia.

IMHO

In many ways, I view the Sixties and Seventies collections from Glashütte Original as some of the most satisfying “heritage-inspired” models in the entire industry. Why? Because they are entirely new watches that do not seek to piggyback on the rarity or popularity of a long-departed model. Instead, they take aesthetic cues from the watches of the day and create them using the finest manufacturing techniques and much-improved materials of the modern day.

It is currently the only 42mm wide, 12.4mm thick time-only watch in the Sixties line, clearly having been given the same case as the extant references 2-39-47-01-01-04 and 2-39-47-02-01-04 Panoramadatum watches. If I have one small point of criticism about this watch, it is this component-sharing. While the Panoramadatum watches have a central three-hand stack (with a centrally mounted seconds hand sitting above the minute and the hour), and the panoramic date complication, which one might imagine necessitated the 12.4mm thickness, the Glashütte Original Sixties Small Seconds is consequently much thicker than the other time-only watches in the collection (which all have 39mm diameters and 9.4mm thicknesses), when, thanks to its recessed sub-seconds, one could argue should be thinner still.

However, in Glashütte Original’s defense, the dimensions remain more than palatable as they are and it is arguable that making this watch as thin as its time-only brethren without reducing its 42mm diameter, would have made it appear almost comically flat on the wrist. As it is, it is a well-balanced, and “comfortably new” novelty that immediately feels as if it’s been part of the collection for a very long time indeed.

Tech Specs

Glashütte Original Sixties Small Second (Ref. 1-39-60-01-01-04)

Movement: 39-60 manufacture automatic caliber, 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds
Case: 42mm x 12.4mm, 18K rose gold, 30m water resistant
Dial: Brass with a silver-opaline galvanic treatment
Strap: Dark green Louisiana Alligator
Price: USD 16,000