In the detail-oriented world of watchmaking, it’s easy to forget how important dial color is when it comes to consumer appeal. An extra splash of color is one of the simplest ways a watch can become memorable to a person regardless of brand, material, or complication. After all, you don’t have to call yourself a watch enthusiast to appreciate color: making that choice is one of the most straightforward ways a watch can reach a larger audience. This was a topic I explored over the recent holiday season with the help of Glashütte Original and my extended family (see that story here). Could a watch like the Glashütte Original Sixties Panorama Date, with its remarkable green-to-black dégradé effect, make a non-horologically inclined group of people interested in what I had on my wrist?
Spoiler alert: It definitely helped.
That’s one of the reasons I’m happy to announce that Glashütte Original has revealed its latest colorful iteration of the Sixties and Sixties Panorama Date in what has become an annual tradition for the brand. This time around, GO went with a burnt orange dial that transitions from a light yellow in its center to dark orange — almost black — on its sides.
This colorway was achieved through a laborious process at the brand’s dial manufactory in Pforzheim, Germany. First, the dial receives a galvanic bath treatment which leaves it with an almost golden yellow tone. Then, the dialmakers apply multiple layers of orange and black lacquer to darken the sides of the watch and give it a transitional feel. Once the dialmakers are satisfied, the almost-finished product is fired in a kiln to burn in its final colors, making each watch produced totally unique. The three-dimensional texture is the result of a 60-ton press that leaves the dial with its embossed low-relief pattern.
Other than the new dial treatment, the two new watches are practically identical to last year’s releases. One of the models is strictly time-only with a central hour, minutes, and seconds hand (Ref. 1-39-52-13-02-04), while the other features a large date above 6 o’clock that Glashütte Original refers to as its “Panorama Date” (Ref. 2-39-47-09-02-04). Arabic numerals are found at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock, while all the other hour markers are fitted with diamond-cut indexes that sink into the dial and showcase its nickel silver base plate.
Sizing for both models, at 39 mm x 9. 4 mm and 42 mm x 12.4 mm, remains the same, as does the choice of movement, with Caliber 39-52 and Caliber 39-47 inside the time-only and Panorama Date models, respectively. Both automatic movements feature a 40-hour power reserve. The cases are built from polished stainless steel and come attached to a brown Louisiana alligator leather strap with a stainless steel pin buckle.
After the success of last year’s version in green, it makes complete sense for Glashütte Original to make the colorful Sixties an annual tradition. Although I have yet to see this new model in person, I’m already looking forward to seeing what the Pforzheim dialmakers come up with in 2020.
The new Glashütte Original Sixties and Sixties Panorama Date are priced at $6,400 and $8,000.
Reminds one of the iconic Gibson sunburst Les Pauls of the sixties. Beautiful.