Thinking wrong because …

A German watch, a watch made in Glashütte, Saxony, an elegant time only execution, center seconds, clear bright dial, Roman numerals, railroad minute track, heat blued steel hands. I bet that every reader will now have a specific brand in mind. Exactly! I mean this brand. It’s exactly the brand that is almost always in the shadow of the other brand that we all immediately think of. And so as not to confuse it with other models or newer versions from the Senator series: it is the Glashütte Original Senator watch with the super long reference number 1-39-59-01-02-04.

The Senator Automatic

The Senator Automatic has a diameter of 40 mm, and it seems to be a really large watch. Believe me, I always ask myself: why not 38, why not 37? And yet the Senator Automatic is an extremely beautiful, simple, and classic watch. The watch dial is excellently printed, the fine railroad minute track and all words printed on the dial are super accurate and sharp. The long second hand has the Glashütte Original logo as a counterweight. The readability of the time is first class, and the dial is so clear and beautiful because there is no date indication that could be disturbing. We usually look at our watches from the dial side, we read the time with a quick glance. The dial of the Senator Automatic is perfect for this.

The 40 mm case is made of stainless steel, it is big and a bit bulky with large lugs (lug width 19 mm !) and a strong bezel but I see all proportions as perfect. The Senator has a sapphire crystal both on the front and on the back. I don’t know any watch, I don’t know any steel that gets (micro)scratches and flaws more easily than the material of the Senator watches. That really is a mystery to me.

Comfort and precision

The Senator Automatic is incredibly practical in everyday life thanks to the automatic movement which runs precise and accurate. The sound of the winding rotor is neither audible nor perceptible. Glashütte Original uses the automatic Calibre GO 39 for this Senator. The winding rotor has open surfaces, so you can see relatively many areas of the automatic movement. It features Glashütte stripes, lettering that is laid out in gold, a swan-neck regulator and polished edges. The movement is just as beautiful as you would expect from a watch made in Glashütte.

Not fair

The watch is simple, elegant, classic, balanced, reserved, and unobtrusive. There’s nothing wrong with this watch, it’s an excellent everyday watch of fabulous quality. Its only problem is that it comes from the brand that is almost always overshadowed by the other brand that we all immediately think of – as I wrote at the beginning of the text.

Yes or No?

If you flip through the following criteria, you might find the answer to the “Is-the-Glashütte-Original-Senator-Automatik-the-right-watch-for-me-Question”:
1) You admire watches Made in Glashütte, Saxony, Germany.
2) You like time-only watches without any gimmicks.
3) You like a very classic design and a center second (sweep second).
4) You recognise the great importance of Glashütte Original watches.
5) You do not find it strange to have a Glashütte watch from the Swatch Group.
6) You do not think 40 mm is too big for a classic watch.
7) You like watches outside the mainstream.
8) You can live with a watch that has no gimmicks (neither on the movement, nor on the case, nor on the dial).
9) You like a watch from a maker “Glashütte Original” which most people simply cannot pronounce correctly.
10) Nine reasons are enough for you to decide in favour of a watch.

Pros
– it is not the Richard Lange (see below)

– it is not a manual winding watch (see below)

– it looks excellent on a solid bracelet too

Cons

– it is a rather large watch

– it is not the Richard Lange

– it is not a manual winding watch

Quality
90

Style
95

Value
60

Wearability
75