There is a very particular kind of quiet beauty in early morning, especially in watchmaking towns like Glashütte, when the mist still hangs over the valleys and the first light of the day tinges the horizon with blue. This PanoMaticCalendar, presented in a limited edition of 150 platinum pieces, borrows from that atmosphere. It is not simply another complication added to the Glashütte Original collection; it is a reflection of a certain philosophy of making watches – an ode to the rhythm of time as observed not only through hours and minutes, but also through silence and first light. The “Blue of Dawn” edition is a study in contrasts: stark technicality balanced with lyricism, pragmatic complication intertwined with visual poetics.
An Open Invitation into Mechanism
At first impression, one is immediately struck by the transparency and openness of the dial. Executed in a skeletonised brass base and shaded in a rich, almost ethereal “Blue of Dawn”, it is both contemporary and deeply artisanal. The finish, described as a fine “vinyl” pattern, scatters light across the surface, reminding us of the grooves of an old record – something intimate, suspended between technology and art.
The arrangement remains faithful to the unmistakable Pano configuration: an off-centre hours and minutes display, accompanied by a discreet small seconds, provides the anchoring geometry. At two o’clock, the moon phase display appears against a midnight field, where tiny stars are hand-applied, offering a lyrical foil to the technical lines of the retrograde month display that sweeps in a generous arc between three and six o’clock. This latter feature is of particular interest, using a sapphire crystal disc with recessed numerals, tinted and curved, offering only a single highlighted numeral at a time. At four o’clock, Glashütte Original’s signature Panorama Date asserts itself with characteristic clarity and sharpness, advancing without ambiguity at midnight.
The applied indices in white gold offer a discreet touch of refinement, while luminous points treated with Super-LumiNova provide practicality in darker settings. Completing the composition, the hands, blued steel with luminous inlays, assert precision without ostentation, their shape offering perfect legibility while harmonising with the blue palette. Altogether, this dial manages a rare synthesis: it is bold enough to invite exploration and subtle enough not to overwhelm the eye.
A Calibre Rooted in Precision and Decor
Inside the platinum case beats the manufactory calibre 92-11, an automatic movement that unites complication with ease of use. Beating at the familiar frequency of 4 Hz, it maintains remarkable energy efficiency with a full 100-hour power reserve, facilitated by contemporary engineering and rigorous energy management. A silicon balance spring, insensitive to both magnetism and temperature fluctuations, guarantees stability, while solid gold regulation screws on the balance wheel reinforce traditional fine adjustment. The balance system itself is shock resistant, underscoring a pragmatic understanding that daily life subjects even the finest watches to practical demands.
Glashütte Original movements are celebrated for their finishing, and here the brand displays its usual mastery. The rhodium-coated three-quarter plate carries the distinct Glashütte stripes, visible through the skeletonisation of the dial and case back, offering continuity between dial-side transparency and the rear view. Perlage, bevelled edges, polished steel elements and blued screws remind us that the pursuit of decoration in Glashütte is never gratuitous but always structured, part of a larger discipline of aesthetics. From the cut-away dial, one perceives not only gears in motion, but also glimpses of those finishes, a discreet framing of the watch’s soul.
Platinum Clarity and Balanced Proportions
Encasing this mechanical ensemble is a platinum body of 42 millimetres in diameter, with a height of 12.4 millimetres and a lug-to-lug distance of just under fifty millimetres. The proportions are impressive: it wears with gravitas, but not with intimidation. The weight of platinum conveys substance on the wrist, a reminder that luxury can also be tactile and dense, yet balanced by ergonomic curvature of lugs and strap integration.
The water resistance is rated at five bar, which while not suggesting aquatic ambition, is more than adequate protection for a complication of this kind. The polished and brushed surfaces of the case are worked with restraint, so the eye is not distracted from the openness of the dial. On the back, the sapphire crystal reveals once again the depth of the movement’s finishing, accompanied by an engraved case back. The watch is anchored by a choice of beautifully executed straps: either a deep blue Louisiana alligator leather option or a sportier woven synthetic fabric strap, both secured by a platinum folding clasp.
Between Silence and Complexity
What Glashütte Original has crafted here in the PanoMaticCalendar “Blue of Dawn” is not simply a novel iteration of an annual calendar. It is a meditation on duality: on one hand, the silence of the watchmaker’s early morning, and on the other, the intricate machinery that sustains accuracy day by day. The skeletonised dial, with its interplay of transparency, numerals, moon and date, opens visual conversations between function and feeling. The platinum case consolidates the technical achievement with stately assurance, while the movement within demonstrates the manufactory’s grasp of precision engineering married to meticulous finishing.
Presented in a limited edition of just one hundred and fifty pieces, this watch does not seek ubiquity, but resonance. It is meant for those who understand that the keeping of time is not only mechanical measurement, but also an intimate awareness of rhythm, silence and personal dawns. Among Glashütte Original’s creations, the PanoMaticCalendar “Blue of Dawn” thus stands as a rare balance of poetry and engineering, a tribute not only to time itself, but to the watchmakers who rise before the sun to shape it.
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Glashütte Original PanoMaticCalendar “Blue of Dawn” Limited Edition Technical Specifications
Reference number
- 1-92-11-01-03-61 (Louisiana alligator leather strap)
- 1-92-11-01-03-64 (synthetic fabric strap)
- Limited edition: 150 pieces
Functions
- Hours, minutes and small second, moon phase, annual calendar with Panorama Date and retrograde month display
Movement
- Calibre 92-11 with automatic winding, galvanic rhodium coating, finely finished movement
- Frequency: 28,800 A/h, equivalent to 4 Hz
- Jewels: 53
- Running time: 100 hours
- Balance: Solid gold regulation screws on balance wheel
- Balance spring: Silicon
- Shock resistance: Shock-resistant oscillation system
Case
- Platinum, engraved case back with sapphire crystal, water resistant to 5 bar
- Dimensions: Diameter: 42 mm, height: 12.4 mm, lug-to-lug: 49.28 mm
Dial
- Skeletonised, coated in blue, fine matt “vinyl” finish, luminous hour dots with Super-LumiNova®, polished white gold appliques
- Dial blank material: Brass with sapphire crystal element
- Hands: Blued steel with Super-LumiNova® inlays
Straps
- Blue Louisiana alligator leather or blue synthetic fabric, platinum folding clasp
