At the dawn of the 20th century, two pioneering styles of visual art responded to the advent of a new era in strikingly different ways. Art Nouveau turned to nature and its flowing, organic forms, while Art Déco embraced the geometry of modern urban life. Both gave rise to masterpieces that have become timeless classics. Around a century later, Glashütte Original draws inspiration from their boundless creativity to present two mechanical wristwatches with a distinctly contemporary appeal. The Senator Aventurine Art Déco Blue in platinum is dressed in cool blue, while the Senator from subtly sparkling aventurine, both dials reveal a remarkable sense of depth, offering a fresh interpretation of the aesthetics that define these historic styles.
The dawn of a new era
At the beginning of the 20th century, technological progress gathered unprecedented pace. Industrialisation, electricity and modern transport rapidly transformed everyday life. Art Nouveau, which flourished between 1890 and 1910, responded with an artistic return to nature: organic forms and flowing contours shaped architecture, furniture and painting. By contrast, Art Deco of the 1920s and 1930s captured the dynamism of a new era through bold geometric forms and pronounced symmetry. This period also marked an important turning point in Glashütte. Traditional watchmaking flourished at the turn of the century, yet by 1926 the foundations had been laid for pocket watches to give way to modern wristwatches that perfectly embodied the spirit of the age.
Aventurine: the glass dreams are made of
A century later, progress, connectivity and mobility are once again transforming everyday life in unforeseen ways. Each of the two Senator models meets this new era with its own distinctive interpretation of a historic style. Vivid green evokes Art Nouveau’s affinity with nature. Cool blue, a colour associated with progress then as now, recalls the aesthetic of Art Déco. Precious materials lie at the heart of both watches. Their dials are crafted from aventurine, first created in the 17th century by the glassmakers of Murano, Venice. Its characteristic sparkle comes from metal oxides added to the molten glass, which form glistening particles. Their random distribution makes every dial unique, reflected in the name aventurine, derived from the Italian “a ventura”, meaning “by chance”.
A black lacquer coating is applied to the reverse of each thin disc, lending the dial a subtly shimmering finish. Only the finest examples pass Glashütte Original’s exacting quality controls.
The Senator Aventurine Art Déco Blue combines a deep blue aventurine dial with a matching alligator leather strap and a slim, 40 mm case in cool platinum. In the Senator Aventurine Art Nouveau Green, sparkling green finds a harmonious counterpart in a warm red gold case and a brown Louisiana alligator nubuck leather strap.
A mechanical heart
The two new Senator Aventurine models form part of Glashütte Original’s Atelier commissions. Each watch is assembled in its entirety by a single watchmaker. Beneath the refined two-hand display lies the handcrafted Glashütte watchmaking art. The highly precise automatic manufactory Calibre 36 beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and delivers a running time of 100 hours. A silicon balance spring protects the movement against the effects of magnetic fields and fluctuations in temperature. Through the sapphire crystal case back, its exquisite finishes, executed by hand in the manufactory, can be admired in all their detail: Glashütte stripe finishing on the three-quarter plate, the hand-engraved balance cock, fine sunburst finishing on the winding wheels, and the skeletonised rotor with its mirrored-G symbol and solid gold oscillating weight.
The new Senator Aventurine Art Déco Blue and Senator Aventurine Art Nouveau Green will be available from October 2026 at all Glashütte Original boutiques and selected retailers worldwide.
