Brand in Focus: Glashtte Original

This month, our brand in focus is Glashtte Original, a brand with a fascinating history that can be traced back over 150 years. Glashtte Original deserves a mention when discussing not only watchmaking history but also the history of Germany itself as well as the Soviet Union. Watchmaking in the German town of Glashtte started in 1845 when Ferdinand Adolph Lange (of Lange & Sohne) began creating pocket watches with a small loan from the government of Saxony. Such was his talent that within 10 years, talented watchmakers were heading to Glashtte to study and set up their own companies.

The first timepiece with the name Original Glashtte on the dial was made by Karl W. Hohnel in 1916 and after 1921 this became common practice to prove the watch was Original Glashtte quality and not a foreign imitation. This same year, Alfred Helwig created the world's first Flying Tourbillon at the German School of Watchmaking in Glashtte, further strengthening the town's bond with haute-horolgie'.

Fast forward 70 years, Germany and Glashtte had been significantly affected by worldwide events, in 1990, with the reunification of Germany, came a new found freedom and a fresh start for watchmaking in the town. During the Soviet era, all Glashtte watch companies were merged into one, state owned company, in 1990, this company became Glashtter Uhrenbetrieb GmbH, the legal commercial heir to every former independent watchmaker in Glashtte as far back as 1951. In 1994, the brand name changed to the more commercially attractive, Glashtte Original.

In the years that followed, Glashtte Original really came into their own, in 2003, they opened their own Manufactory, where they handcraft every precision component for every watch. They even have their own Dial Manufactory where they hand paint, polish and design their own dials from concept to completion. The brand is a part of the Swatch Group Portfolio and makes up part of the luxury brands, along with Breguet, Blancpain and Jacquet Droz.

From extremely complex pieces like the Senator Grande Cosmopolite Tourbillon, with a perpetual calendar, a flying tourbillion and a solid Platinum casing to the everyday, iconic Sixties and Seventies range, Glashtte has a diverse range of watches to suit every collector and appreciator of fine watchmaking. At BaselWorld 2018, Glashtte unveiled a Special Edition Sixties Panarama with a deep green textured dial, a Special Edition that will only be produced during 2018, the detail in the dial showcases Glashtte's almost unique ability to be creative and innovative due to their manufacturing capabilities. Not only this but Glashtte Original have a fantastic range for ladies, strengthened greatly by the BaselWorld 2018 release which saw a gorgeous light blue Mother of Pearl Dial PanomaticLuna with a full Diamond Bezel, the Chisholm Hunter team were blown away by this piece and thought it complemented, an already very strong range, perfectly.

Chisholm Hunter are proud to be the exclusive retail partners of Glashtte Original in Scotland, the collection is available to view and buy online, in our Princes Street, Edinburgh store and in our Luxury Watch Boutique in the Argyll Arcade, Glasgow. This month, Glashtte Original are celebrating the launch of the new Senator Cosmopolite, a perfect time companion for travelling professionals, and for the occasion, Chisholm Hunter are hosting an exclusive Launch Event in our Flagship Boutique in Edinburgh on Princes Street. The event will be held on the 27^th September from 18:00 onwards, if you are interested in attending please click here to RSVP.

Click here to browse the Glashtte Original Collection at Chisholm Hunter, with Interest Free Credit available on the entire range or alternatively, click here to visit one of our stores.