Glashütte Original Senator Meissen Blooms with Cherry Blossoms

The Beauty of a Fleeting Moment

While autumn leaves turn shades of red, orange, and gold in the Northern Hemisphere, some cherry trees enter a second flowering season. The Japanese winter cherry, known as Jugatsu-zakura, begins to bloom in October, its delicate white and pink flowers contrasting with the colors of fall.

Glashütte Original and Meissen have captured this fleeting natural spectacle in the new Senator Meissen “Cherry Blossom,” whose white porcelain dial features hand-painted blossoms. The edition belongs to Glashütte Original’s exclusive Atelier commissions, each assembled in its entirety by a single watchmaker.

The Art of Meissen Porcelain

Nature has long been a source of inspiration for fine porcelain decoration. As Europe’s first porcelain manufactory, Meissen began painting botanical motifs on its creations in the 18th century. Initially influenced by Chinese porcelain, the designs soon expanded to include flowers and leaves from European flora. The cherry blossom remains popular, prized for its delicate forms and subtle colors.

For the Senator Meissen “Cherry Blossom,” Meissen’s porcelain painters apply the floral motif to a thin porcelain blank using fine brushes and colors developed in the manufactory’s own color laboratory. The carefully guarded formulas help achieve the desired shades, while successive layers of paint are fired in a kiln at 900 degrees Celsius to build depth and dimension. Two solid-gold hands indicate the hours and minutes, leaving the blossoms to take center stage.

Glashütte Fine Watchmaking

The artistry of the dial is complemented by the self-winding manufacture Caliber 36-16, which offers a 100-hour power reserve. Its silicon balance spring is resistant to magnetic fields and temperature fluctuations. Through the sapphire crystal caseback, the movement’s elaborate finishing is on full display. The three-quarter plate features Glashütte ribbing, while the balance cock is hand-engraved. A sunburst finish decorates the winding mechanism, and the skeletonized rotor features the brand’s double-G emblem and a 21K gold oscillating weight.

The Senator Meissen “Cherry Blossom” is housed in a 40mm red-gold case measuring 10.2mm thick. A dark blue Louisiana alligator leather strap with a red-gold pin buckle completes the design. The watch is priced at $38,200.