Glashütte Original PanoGraph 61-03-25-15-05
The PanoGraph signals the return and contemporary evolution of a most remarkable timepiece.Twelve years ago at the Basel watch fair, Glashütte Original presented the PanoRetroGraph. Aquintessential illustration of the art of fine watchmaking in Germany, its startling asymmetrical dialdesign, its unprecedented retro chronograph mechanism and 30-minute chronograph totalizerearned immediate acclaim from critics and customers alike. The limited edition of 50 pieces inplatinum soon sold out. This was the timepiece that launched the entire Pano line of hand-craftedmechanical timepieces, among them its immediate successor, the PanoGraph, first presented atBasel in 2002.
Today, Glashütte Original presents the PanoGraph, a contemporary heir to its illustriouspredecessors. The PanoGraph takes advantage of a larger case (diameter 40.0 mm) and expansivedial to represent the Pano line's characteristic asymmetric visuals in a distinctly modern andcontemporary manner. Favoured by the larger and cylindrical case, the new design distributes theelegant interlocking hour/minute and subsidiary seconds dials to the left, while GlashütteOriginal's compelling big date display, the Panorama Date, takes up its usual position at 4 o'clock.
The chronograph's remarkable 30-minute totalizer represents the original design in acontemporary look with a supremely elegant set of three cumulative ten-minute scales with threeseparate pointers. Two chronograph pushers at 4 and 2 o'clock are labelled in black, START-STOPand FLY-BACK, respectively, the latter indicating the chronograph reset mechanism, the formerthe standard chronograph timing operations.
Presented in a red gold case with rose gold hour indexes and hands and rose gold stop/secondshand on the main dial and a rose gold subsidiary seconds hand, the PanoGraph visuals representthe epitome of simplicity and aesthetic harmony: like all Pano dials, the design was developed inaccordance with divine proportion, the fascinating golden ratio deployed by artists inextraordinary works of art, music and architecture from antiquity to the present day.
At the heart of this superb mechanical wonder is the Calibre 61-03, designed and hand-crafted inthe Glashütte Original manufactory. The manually wound column wheel chronograph is outfittedwith a classic switching wheel that operates the various chronograph functions, including start,stop, reset and a satisfying flyback mechanism allowing one to reset the chronograph without firsthaving to stop it: all functions are accessible through the two chronograph pushers on the rightside of the case. Easily visible through the sapphire crystal case back are the characteristic featuresand finishings of Glashütte Original movements, including the traditional three-quarter plate withGlashütte ribbing, screw-mounted gold chatons, screw balance, and swan-neck fine adjustment.The PanoGraph is available with a black Louisiana alligator or brown nubuck alligator leatherstrap, slightly broader than prior versions.
