Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar Anniversary Edition: A Special Timepiece Celebrating 180 Years of Watchmaking Craftsmanship

The number of items in a limited edition is usually imbued with great significance – and the new PanoMaticLunar Anniversary Edition from Glashütte Original is no exception. Its limitation to 180 pieces refers to the origins of the watch industry in Glashütte.

Thus, the name’s component ‘Anniversary’ does not refer to the collection, the model or the brand, but to the unique history of a very special small town in the picturesque Ore Mountains.

In 1845, the foundation for an impressive chapter in Saxon economic history was laid: with great craftsmanship and enthusiasm, four early masters of their trade, Ferdinand Adolph Lange, Julius Assmann, Moritz Großmann and Adolf Schneider, set up the Glashütte watch industry.

An idea gave rise to a new industry that would subsequently bring global significance to this town in the Eastern Ore Mountains. Glashütte Original is an important part of that story.

Glashütte Original: A brief summary of a long history

After the Second World War, all remaining Glashütte watch companies were merged in 1951 to form VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe (GUB). Just a few days after the reunification of East and West Germany, this resulted in the formation of Glashütter Uhrenbetrieb GmbH, which was entered in the commercial register on 16 October.

In 1994, German entrepreneur Heinz W. Pfeifer and Nuremberg jeweller Alfred Wallner purchased the company from the Treuhand privatisation agency. Under the new brand name Glashütte Original, watches were initially sold in Germany and then beyond Germany’s borders. Just six years later, the Swiss Swatch Group took over the brand and successfully drove forward its internationalisation. Today, Glashütte Original watches are available in more than 40 countries.

Aventurine dial for the new PanoMaticLunar Anniversary Edition

Glashütte Original celebrates 180 years of Glashütte watchmaking with the PanoMaticLunar Anniversary Edition. And in doing so, it looks even further back into the history of timekeeping: to a time when gazing at the night sky was still essential for determining the time. Before the advent of mechanical watches, the movement of the stars was, so to speak, a precise, natural clockwork mechanism.

The PanoMaticLunar Anniversary Edition thus pays homage to astronomical timekeeping using the ‘star clock’ and celebrates the anniversary of the watchmaking industry in Glashütte, as symbolised by the twinkling stars on the dark blue aventurine dial.

The material was first produced by master glassmakers in 17th-century Murano, Venice, and has enchanted admirers ever since with its combination of deep, dark colours and subtle sparkle: like a glimpse into the infinite vastness of the universe.

It is Glashütte Original’s first aventurine dial, but retains the typical asymmetrical layout of the Pano collection and the panoramic date characteristic of the brand, with no dividing bar between the numerals. As an elegant addition, white-gold hour and minute hands with Super-LumiNova coating circle on the off-centre display and indicate the correct time by means of solid gold indices. The small seconds and moon phase with a domed mother-of-pearl moon are added to complement the design.

Thanks to the carefully chosen proportions and placement of the various displays, the dial appears balanced and harmonious even without mirror symmetry.

Precious platinum case for the anniversary

In keeping with the occasion, one of the rarest and most valuable metals was chosen for the 40-millimetre case of the PanoMaticLunar Anniversary Edition, which is water-resistant to five bar: platinum. The 12.8-millimetre-high protective case, allows for an unobstructed view of the in-house calibre through the sapphire crystal caseback.

Manufacture calibre with 100 hours power reserve

The anniversary edition of the PanoMaticLunar features the automatic manufacture calibre 92-14 for the first time. It is equipped with a generous 100-hour power reserve and a shock-resistant 4-hertz oscillating system.

The fine finishes and numerous traditional decorations, such as the Glashütte stripe finish, are showcased through the sapphire crystal caseback. The watch offers the following functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, panorama date, moon phase, and seconds stop when the crown is pulled out.

Matching straps in blue

A blue Louisiana alligator leather strap or a blue synthetic strap, both equipped with a platinum folding clasp, ensure a secure fit on the wearer’s wrist.

Price & availability

The PanoMaticLunar Anniversary Edition is now available in Glashütte Original boutiques and from selected retailers. The price is 39,000 euros for both the version with a synthetic strap and the version with a leather strap.

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