I used to be a “one watch” person before I was bitten by the horological bug. I remember searching, researching, and analyzing, before taking the plunge with my hard-earned money. You would think I was buying a house, the amount of energy I put into the task!
Collecting watches makes things so much easier, you can take risks, make mistakes, resell, and start over. But the “one watch” mission has its whole set of criteria – it has to be gorgeous, look good on your wrist, be comfortable, legible, practical, water resistant, durable, reliable, and forgettable so you can fall asleep with it on without even realizing it! It is also nice if not everyone in your entourage has one because it is a way to communicate your own particular style. I warned you it was difficult!
Over the coming months, we will be looking at different “one watch” solutions and to kick off proceedings, I would like to start with the Glashütte Original that we had the opportunity to test during our adventures to Scotland for WorldTempus on Tour.
Glashütte Original SeaQ
This isn’t a new timepiece per se, it takes its inspiration from a historic Glashütte divers’ model from 1969 called the Spezimatic Typ RP TS 200. The modern-day version keeps the same case shape as the historic timepiece, with its polished facets, and refines the aesthetic for today’s wearer.
The stainless steel case comes in a diameter of 39.5mm – which is smaller than the other models in the SeaQ line – and it is topped with a uni-directional bezel with a ceramic inlay. The hand-crafted, varnished, reed-green dial is what catches the eye first and it provides an elegant backdrop for the hands and large applied numerals and indexes, which have all been enhanced with a generous amount of SuperLumi-Nova for optimal legibility at night.
In terms of functionality, the hours, minutes, and seconds are in the centre and there is a white date on a green background in an aperture at 3 o’clock. The timepiece is powered by Glashütte Original’s automatic Calibre 39.11 that is equipped with a skeletonized rotor decorated with the brand’s double G symbol and offers approx. 40 hours of power reserve.
One of the most important criteria of the ”one watch” is that it needs to be able to go anywhere, in any weather conditions, so good water resistance is essential. Like the 1969 original, this new SeaQ has 200 metres of water-resistance thanks to a screwed crown and a centrally screwed case back. The case back also has an engraving of a trident, the brand’s double G logo, and 20 waves, representing 20 bar (or 200 metres).
The timepiece comes with a choice of a black or green rubber strap with a relief pattern, a stainless steel bracelet with an 8-step fine adjustment mechanism, or a durable grey nylon mesh strap, offering a range of different looks for your “one watch”, which could potentially get you hooked on the watch game, but that’s never a bad thing!
