Following the launch of the exquisite Grande Cosmopolite Tourbillon in 2012, Glashütte Original adds a new mechanical work of art specifically aimed at the world traveller with its Senator Cosmopolite watch. Crated to simplify the life of those who frequently jump from one timezone to another, the Grande Cosmopolite Tourbillon married a 37-zone world time function to a forward- and backward-adjusting perpetual calendar, capped off by a flying tourbillon escapement.
Glashütte Original Watch
The beauty of the piece was that the user could precisely switch time zones—including the correct date—through a single crown.
“The world now has time zones on the half hour and three-quarters of an hour, and there is a [new] 38th time zone in North Korea,” said Glashütte Original CEO Yann Gamard,. “We decided to create a function that would handle every quarter of an hour. We can actually incorporate 96 time zones without altering the movement, just the display.”
Glashütte Original Watch
The dial of the Senator Cosmopolite has plenty going on. All its hands are made of blued steel; the central hour and minutes are poire-shaped. These hands tell the local time, which corresponds to the time-zone indicator – two apertures (for standard and for daylight saving) found at 8 o’clock. It has a big date display at 4 and a day/night indicator at 9; both of these correspond to the local time. The subdial at 12 o’clock is devoted to the home time: two hands provide indication in 12 hours, while a small aperture tells day from night. The home subdial also has Arabic numerals on the hours to differentiate it from the larger Romans around the dial.
Glashütte Original Watch
Available in white or red gold, the Glashütte Original Senator Cosmopolite comes on a lovely blue or black alligator leather strap. With a slim bezel, the large case size feels even bigger, and the Glashütte Original Senator Cosmopolite wears just as large as its 44mm sizing would suggest. This timezone taskmaster is powered by the calibre 89-02, an automatic in-house movement with a 72-hour power reserve, off-set micro rotor, and a rate of 4Hz. Comprised of over 400 individual parts, the 89-02 is, as you would expect, beautifully finished and regulated with four gold screws on the balance rim.
