Glashütte Original’s Latest Limited Edition Continues their Recent Tradition of Fun, 70s Inspired Chronographs

In what is becoming an unlikely summer tradition Glashütte Original is back with a pair of chronographs in fun, 1970s inspired colors. For each of the last two years, the German brand has introduced limited edition versions of their excellent Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date, an integrated bracelet sports watch that you’d be forgiven for forgetting was in GO’s catalog given that the lion’s share of watch enthusiast attention is placed on the watches that make up the Pano collection. Their vintage inspired designs, however, tap into a completely different, funky aesthetic that the brand owns every bit as convincingly as the more formal watches under the Pano umbrella, and the annual release of colorful, limited edition chronos has become a highlight. 

While Glashütte Original has opted for loud and bright colors in past limited edition drops, this year they’ve gone for something a little more muted. The “Golden Bay” chronograph is in an unusual ochre shade, and appears as a somewhat dull golden tone. It vaguely resembles a dial that might have been exposed to weather and harsh sunlight for decades, which fits into the 70s vibe nicely. The “Ocean Breeze” variant is a more obviously seasonal shade of light blue, clearly inspired by summer beach getaways. Both variants have a matte lacquer finish, and are accented with black subdials for the chronograph. 

It’s worth noting here that the chronograph functionality in this reference is anything but run of the mill. It has a unique display showing elapsed hours (up to 12) in an aperture underneath the 12:00 position, as well as a power reserve hidden within the running seconds subdial at 9:00. All that, plus the signature feature in the name of the watch: a big date display at the 6:00 position. The movement used here is the Glashütte Original Automatic Calibre 37-02, which is equipped with a silicon balance spring and runs for 70 hours on a full wind. 

The case of the Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date is a rounded square, measuring 40mm across. That’s a big number for a case of this shape, but it has a relatively short lug to lug measurement of 46.4mm which should help with wearability for those with smaller wrists. Each watch is available on either a matching stainless steel bracelet or a rubber strap.

Both the Golden Bay and Ocean Breeze variants are limited to 100 pieces each, and the retail price is set at $14,100 on a rubber strap, and $15,300 on the bracelet. Obviously, that’s pricey, but when you consider the unique nature of the movement and compare it to chronographs from Rolex, Zenith, Omega, and others, you can begin to see where the value is if you prize owning something that’s a little out of the ordinary and not from the usual suspects. Glashütte Original