Last month, we told you about a new chronograph from Glashütte Original that was funky, off the beaten path, and full of color. The Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date is a true enthusiast’s piece, with an uncommon movement, case shape, and feature set. That said, if your tastes veer toward the more classic and refined side of the spectrum, the Seventies Chronograph might not be your cup of tea. If that’s the case, all you need to do is hop in the Glashütte Original time machine, and head back just a decade to sample their Sixties Chronograph, a more traditional execution that gives up nothing in the areas of meticulous finishing and execution that Glashütte Original is well known for. The latest version of the Sixties Chronograph Annual Edition is as clean and classic as it gets, and would make a nice alternative to the Seventies Chrono, showing off the many facets of the brand behind it.
The watches in Glashütte’s Sixties inspired collections tend to have very dramatic, often brightly colored, textured dials. For this release, we get a look that’s about as subdued as this style of dial can get, with a stone-gray tone finished with a dégradé effect that makes the color appear darker at the dial’s perimeter and lighter closer to the center. Glashütte has always maintained that the embossed textures of these dials combined with bright colors is a tribute to the “flower power” look of the 1960s, and there is certainly something vaguely psychedelic about these dials when rendered in certain tones. But in gray it seems to speak less to what was once the counterculture, and more toward something that’s of a wide appeal. It’s clean and neutral, and that’s perfectly fine.
The stainless steel case measures 42mm in diameter and is 48.5mm from lug to lug. It’s a straightforward design that allows the focus to be kept squarely on the dial, which is a hard decision to argue with. There are little vintage details to keep collectors happy, like pump pushers to operate the chronograph, and a lack of crown guards. This is a sports watch in function but it’s really more of a design object, meant to evoke a particular era in a particular way.
The Sixties Chronograph runs on the Calibre 39-34, which features a 30 minute counter at 9:00 and running seconds indicator at 3:00. There is no date function, which makes for a much cleaner dial, and allows Glashütte Original a chance to show off a very cool (if minimally used) typeface. We just get a 12 and 6 on this dial, but the unique font choice goes a long toward placing this watch within a specific time period and context.
The new Sixties Chronograph Annual Edition is available this month at select Glashütte Original boutiques at a retail price of $8,500. Glashütte Original
