BY JOVAN K
Glashütte Original is usually the place you go for buttoned-up, traditional Saxon watchmaking, but their Seventies line has always been the wild child of the family. While the Pano and Senator collections keep things classically German, the Seventies series brings the loud, unapologetic energy of the decade it’s named after. The new Seventies Chronograph XV 1-37-02-21-02-70 completely shifts gears by ditching the brand’s usual funky colors for something much more classic.
If you’re wondering about the “XV” in the model name, it’s the Roman numeral for fifteen, marking the 15th limited edition of the Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date and serving as a mirror of the previous “X” edition, which was offered exclusively for the American market. This time around, Glashütte Original is keeping things closer to home, releasing this sleek look only for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
The recognizable “TV screen” steel case measures 40mm x 14.1mm, but those numbers don’t tell the whole story; thanks to the 46.4mm lug-to-lug distance, it avoids feeling like a chunky block of metal and wears smaller on the wrist. The rounded corners keep the case looking balanced and streamlined, and are highlighted by satin-brushed and polished surfaces. A screwed-in crown keeps it water-resistant to 100 meters, and alongside a sapphire crystal front and caseback, it’s a watch made to be worn out in the real world.
The dial is where this limited edition gets its own identity, featuring a matte black lacquered backdrop contrasted by silver-galvanized subdials, 18k white gold hands, and applied hour markers, all filled with Super-LumiNova for low-light visibility. Glashütte Original has done a great job with the layout, managing to pack a massive amount of details onto the face without being cluttered.
Over at 9 o’clock, the small seconds subdial shares space with a discreet power reserve indicator, while a 30-minute counter sits over at 3 o’clock, and just below 12 o’clock, an arched window reveals the numerical 12-hour totalizer disc. Anchoring the entire design at 6 o’clock is the brand’s signature Panorama Date, which uses two non-overlapping, color-matched black discs.
Powering the watch is the in-house calibre 37-02 automatic flyback chronograph, which features a column wheel, an anti-magnetic silicon balance spring, a 70-hour power reserve, and beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz). As the movement has a column-wheel mechanism, pressing the pushers provides a crisp, tactile click, while the flyback function lets you reset and restart the chrono hand instantly with a single press.
The view through the caseback is dominated by a skeletonized rotor in 22k gold featuring the double-G symbol. The underlying three-quarter plate and bridges are decorated with classic Glashütte stripe finishing, accented by hand-polished bevels and blued screws.
Tying the entire design together is the integrated steel bracelet, featuring links that flow right out from the case edges with a mix of brushed and polished surfaces to match the case. The real party trick here is the clasp, featuring a micro-adjustment that lets you easily change the fit by 8mm.
If you want one, you’ll need to move fast as the Seventies Chronograph XV is limited to just 100 pieces, available only through boutiques and authorized retailers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It carries a price of EUR 17,100.
