BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
Part of the charm of luxury watches lies in admiring beautifully decorated movements through their exhibition case backs. But what if there was a watch that allowed the wearer to enjoy the movement and keep track of time, both from the front itself. If that tickles your fancy, you might want to have a look at the new Glashütte Original PanoInverse Limited Edition.
The dial on the new Limited Edition is inspired by the striking architecture of the dome on top of Dresden’s Academy of Fine Arts. Like previously released variations of the Panoinverse, the dial shows off the three-quarter plate along with a finely engraved full balance bridge of the inverted caliber 66-09. However, what makes this watch special is the unique guilloche pattern on the three-quarter plate that echoes the relief-like pattern seen on the glass and steel dome of the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts and gives the watch a futuristic outlook. Further enhancing the beauty of the dial are the blued screws and the rubies set inside the chatons. In terms of layout, a power reserve indicator has been placed between 1 and 2 o’clock, and there is an off-centered setup in black on the left for timekeeping. The large circular display on top displays the hours and minutes, whereas the small circular display below represents the running seconds. The black dial offers a nice contrast against the silver background.
Moving to the case, what we have here is a circular body crafted from Platinum to offer wearers the highest level of luxury. It measures a modern 42mm in diameter, has a thickness of around 12mm, and is water-resistant to 50 meters which is not bad for a watch of this category. The case geometry is straightforward but comes with a high level of finish showcasing a nice mix of brushed and polished surfaces. At the 3 o’clock position is a grippy crown that would make winding the movement a joy. Speaking of the movement, this watch is powered by the manually wound caliber 66-09, which operates at 4 Hz and offers a power reserve of around 42 hours when fully wound. The movement is visible from both the front as well as the back.
Before I conclude, It would be good to briefly look at other variations of the PanoInverse that currently exist in the Glashütte Original catalog.
Firstly, there is the PanoInverse that features a galvanic grey dial with a black ring with applied Arabic numerals and indices. It is powered by the caliber 66-06. The second is the PanoMaticInverse that features a light galvanic rhodium dial with a silver ring with applied blue indices and hands to offer a more elegant look. The PanoMaticInverse replaces the power reserve indicator with a big date display and is available to purchase in both stainless steel and red gold. This model is powered by the caliber 91-02.
The new Glashütte Original PanoInverse Limited Edition is accompanied by a Louisiana alligator nubuck leather strap and is limited to 25 pieces. The watch will retail for EUR 45,000.
