Hands-On: Glashtte Original SeaQ

Here at Chisholm Hunter we are huge fans of Glashtte Original watches. From their Pano collection to the Sea Q watches, Glashtte certainly know how to create a beautiful looking watch that performs.

Quite possibly the finest watch specialists in Germany, Glashtte create some of the top performing watches in the world. But just how good are they? We wanted to push the stunning Glashtte Original Sea Q to the limits and what better way to do so than to take it up a mountain, in Scotland, in the middle of the night?

The Setting

So what were we up against? Beinn a'Chrulaiste is a mountain to the north of Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands and is part of the Grampian mountain range. With an elevation of 857m, this beast of a hike was the perfect setting to truly test this Glashtte Original Sea Q. Scottish sunrises are some of the most beautiful experiences, so we planned our hike so we would arrive at the top just in time to see the sun come up. This in mind, we arrived at at the foot of the mountain (or Corbett as they're known in Scotland) at 2am to give us time to reach the summit, but you can imagine how dark it was! With any rain holding off and our gear strapped on our backs, we set off up the rocky trail of Beinn a'Chrulaiste.

What Were We Looking For In A Watch?

When choosing what watch to accompany us on our trip, there had to be some factors to take into consideration. The watch had to be comfortable to wear for a day of activity, it had to be waterproof because you never know when you may get caught in torrential downpour in Scotland, and it had to be easy to read, especially when you love a pre-sunrise hike in the dark. The Glashtte Original Sea Q is made for the modern active wearer, and is ready for life's adventures, so we tested this watch against all our factors, and we must say, it did not disappoint.

Glow In The Dark

The first most noticeable thing when we took this watch out was how readable it is. Filled with bright Super-LumiNova, the hands and markers on this watch glow really brightly which was absolutely ideal for us. There were absolutely no issues reading the watch on our 4 hour hike in the dark..

Comfort is Key

Comfort is a really big factor to consider when spending a day in the great outdoors, and it's not just comfortable boots you have to think of! The watch you choose for your hike has to have a comfortable strap with a reasonable sized case, otherwise it's going to feel awkward and could rub with movement. Over the course of our hike, we found that the soft woven fabric strap on the Glashtte Original Sea Q was highly comfortable to wear, but we also think that the version of the Sea Q with the rubber strap would be equally as comfortable for outdoor activity.

In terms of case size, we would say that the 39.5mm case on the Sea Q is a happy medium, not too big, not too small. Being made from steel, with sapphire crystal domed glass, this watch is hard wearing and well protected against any scuffs and scratches you may encounter on your travels. We were really impressed with the comfort of this watch, it was something that was really important to us as we were hiking for approximately 8 hours that day, and it did not disappoint!

Ready For A Rainy Day

The water resistance on this watch was one thing we really tested. With a water resistance of 200m this watch is very capable of handling Scottish rivers, so of course we had to test that out. Fully submerged under flowing mountain rivers, the Glashtte Original Sea Q came out looking and working as if just out the box, very impressive and a testament to the quality of these Glashtte Original watches.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, what did we think of the Glashtte Original Sea Q? We've got to say, this watch definitely stood up to our tests. Not only did it perform excellently in terms of comfort, water resistance and readability, it looks great while doing so! If you are a lover of the outdoors and can't stop exploring new spaces, the Glashtte Original Sea Q is a fantastic choice, it will not disappoint you.

Here at Chisholm Hunter, we are authorised sellers of Glashtte Original timepieces. If you would like to take a closer look at this timepiece, please set up an appointment to view this watch in one of our 27 luxury boutiques. Alternately, this watch can be viewed on our website.