The Senator Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase combines the date display with a further characteristic element from Glashütte Original: the moon phase complication. A silvery moon travels along its path, glimpsed through a softly curving dial window between 10 and 11 o’clock. The display, executed in the firm’s own dial manufactory in Pforzheim, Germany, is a refined expression of exquisite craftsmanship. Careful diamond milling renders the elegant curve of the moon, whose gently curving silhouette is set off by a starry, galvanic blue sky.

I recall first putting a Glashütte Original Seventies Glashutte Original Diver Watch Replica on my wrist back when the brand released the set in 2011. I’d seen the watch in pictures before trying it out and was pleasantly surprised how much more I liked it when wearing it compared to the pictures would have suggested. Like many timepieces, this is one of the bits that just happens to come alive in the event the wrist instead of being seen in the vacuum of advertising images. I believe that is since the cushioned square instance with its finely made tapering bracelet is very flattering to the natural curves of somebody’s hand and arm – which allows the design to sell itself through aesthetics and wearability. If you’re interested in another take, we previously reviewed the non-chronograph version of the Seventies Panorama Date watch here. In 2014, Glashütte Original followed up by expanding the Seventies collection with the Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date that I review here today.Speaking of all square-cased watches, the Seventies instance is 40mm wide by 40mm wide, and at the Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date version it’s 13.5mm thick (water-resistant to 100m). This makes it a genuine square, and the instance itself feels much more like a retro tv screen, which is intentional. Square or non-round watches are tough to get correct. Getting the proportions and total look of a non-round watch correct such that it is equally legible and looks great on the wrist is quite difficult to do. Though when it’s done properly it’s the makings of a classic.