Perpetual calendars have always fascinated me. To wear a watch that mechanically just knows what day and date it is, for decades or centuries to come, not forgetting the added info about leap year and moon phase, just connects me with eternity and the Cosmos. But let’s get back to the test: this is very hands-on, putting the watch in everyday situations, and giving it one of three grades, dependent on outcomes: Top, Intermediate, or Room for Improvement. These grades will cover five categories: User friendliness, design (wearability), design (visual), Value proposition, Worn in different environments and time of day.
Here goes, for the 42-millimeter, automatic red gold Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar.
1. User Friendliness: Intermediate
The watch is delivered correctly set, and if it stops it is super simple to reset. You just use the provided pusher tool to push the sunken universal corrector button at 8 o’clock. One push forwards the date, and month and the leap year indicator at 11 o’clock (which runs anti-clockwise), follows automatically. But it is that: You need a tool, and you should not set dates between approximately 8 PM and 4 AM. Also, you should not move the date backwards. Of course, you can also set the different indications individually, which requires some patience as you want to make sure all indications are synchronized correctly. All this is normal for QP (quantième perpétuel = perpetual calendar). And it is not a problem as it’s actually quite fun to have a little tool and to play around. However, more user-friendly QP movements exist today where you can go backwards and forwards and play around at any time without risking damaging the movement.
2. Design – Wearability: Top
Teutonic watch designs tend to be on the chunky side. And to me, having a bit of volume and weight when it comes to proper haute horlogerie is a good thing. It measures a full 44 millimeters, but despite my small wrist, it feels smooth and anything but clumsy. It also fits under the cuff without having to fiddle. And here is one major reason for all this: The triple clasp. It feels like it was made to measure for my arm, it is secure, feels good, looks good, and it’s always a good thing to know that you’re carrying a bit of extra gold on your wrist!
3. Design – Overall Visual Impression: Top and Intermediate
First, let’s start with the top: I am a sucker for the big panoramic date at 04 o’clock, a design touch that is simply mastered by the Saxonians of Glashütte. Not only is the generously sized aperture beautiful, it also works wonders for the legibility – not a bad thing for a watch lover above the age of 50. Using a serif font also adds an extra touch of classicism, which fits very well with such a classical perpetual calendar. The rest of the indicators use a sans serif, and have a traditional layout: Leap year at 12 o’clock, month at 02 o’clock, Moon phase at 08 o’clock, and day at 10 o’clock. Seeing a handful of fonts gives a little bit of a split impression of a layout that is actually quite together, and most importantly, readable.
4. Value Proposition: Intermediate
At 32,000 CHF, this is what you should get. It is really good value for money, and the competition in this field is high.
5. Worn in Different Environments and Times of Day: Intermediate
The Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar is a beautiful, dressy statement watch that is extremely suitable for formal events, suits, dress shirts – any occasion where you put a bit of effort into your clothing and appearance. To me it is not one for casual occasions – but then again, why not? A watch like this can also be an excellent companion to jeans and T-shirt as a contrasting statement.
So, if you want to feel right at home in stylish circumstances with an impressive timepiece, go for a Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar. You won’t be disappointed, and it won’t go unnoticed.
Discover our video of the watch review here.
