I am an unapologetic fan of Glashütte Original’s more daring watches. Yes the Senator and SeaQ are nice, but they sit safely within their archetypes. Give me the bright colours and interesting textures of the 1960s and 1970s collection or the haute horological vivacity of the asymmetrical Pano range. Today we get to focus in on the Pano range further as Glashütte Original have combined the PanoInverse and PanoMaticLunar for the first time to create the new PanoLunarInverse.
Before we get too deep into the discussing the new watch, it’s probably worth understanding the two watches to which it owes its heritage. The PanoInverse is one of the more visually impressive in the collection as it features a partially openworked display that reveals a floating balance at roughly 3 – 6 o’clock. It’s also often the basis for some immaculate finishing or engraving as in the case of the PanoInverse Limited Edition. Then, the PanoMaticLunar is a closed dial watch with a moonphase function off-set towards 2 – 3 o’clock.
Combine both of these models together and there’s an apparent issue. The signature elements of the floating balance wheel and the moonphase complications overlap the same positional area of the display. Well, not precisely but near enough. As such, in order to produce the PanoLunarInverse, Glashütte Original had to completely reimagine the layout of the watch’s display. And thank goodness they did because the result is stunning.
The moonphase that was once banished to a small wedge on the periphery of the watch now finds itself in pride of place in the centre of the hours and minutes dial. What once was small, and frankly almost illegible, is now large and beautiful. The twin moons are engraved with as much detail as the PanoInverse Limited Edition I mentioned earlier, with each crater on the surface depicted with astonishing detail. The moons are presented against a backdrop of aventurine glass that emulates a starry background.
By moving the moonphase they also allow the exposed balance wheel to remain in its key position in the 3 – 6 o’clock quadrant of the dial. It’s part of the Calibre 91-04, an automatic movement with a 45-hour power reserve and guilloché finishing. It had to be specially adapted to accommodate the addition of the moonphase function to the Inverse construction with its dial-side balance.
Outside of the balance and the time display, the rest of the dial is stunningly finished with a diamond-like guilloché motif. It’s akin to Clous de Paris with its tessellating, geometric pattern. I particularly like the way the lines weave through the display creating a shifting, spiralling, scale-like appearance. And then it pulls your eyes inward towards the moonphase and you find yourself again shocked at the brilliance of the moons.
Housing this dial is a 42mm x 12.46mm case made from platinum. Considering that it’s made from such a high end, luxury material it’s perhaps not surprising to learn that it’s a limited edition. Although for a watch of this scale it’s surprisingly not as exclusive as you may imagine with 200 pieces available. It’s priced at $42,600 (approx. £36,600), which makes a lot of sense too. I could stare at this watch all day.
Price and Specs:
More details at Glashütte Original.
