German watchmaker Glashütte Original caused quite a stir at the world’s largest watch and jewellery fair, presenting three new timepieces to considerable acclaim. After seven days at Baselworld the brand can look back on a very successful event.
“There was enormous interest in our brand and our collection. Along with innumerable visitors we were pleased to welcome to our stand more than 1,000 representatives of the press and media from all over the world, as well as a great many international dealers,” said Glashütte Original CEO Thomas Meier. “The positive response to our new products on the part of journalists and dealers confirms that we are on the right path with our product strategy. With their sensible functions and timeless, beautiful design, our innovative timepieces offer watch connoisseurs one fundamental benefit above all: substantial value at a fair price – and this is very much appreciated.”
Despite the challenging market environment the fair itself proved a great success with the public, drawing thousands of visitors including 4,400 journalists from more than 70 countries. The striking Glashütte Original stand at the fair saw the brand keeping elegant company with fellow prestige and luxury brands of the Swatch Group. Its elaborate two-story construction effectively placed the Saxon manufactory’s originality and excellence at the centre of attention. Multimedia presentations of characteristic product features – from elaborate decorative finishings to innovative technical solutions – offered visitors the opportunity to experience these values actively and at first hand. Insights into the current collection as well as the presence of a watchmaker and an expert from the watchmaker’s in-house dial manufactory gave added lustre to an already impressive experience.
The current new products were also presented under the sign of excellence and originality. The Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar, a new version of the Senator Chronograph Panorama Date and the new models in the feminine Pavonina line complemented existing product families in a manner as innovative as it was characteristic.
It was clear from the very first day of the fair just how much respect these various and highly-valued facets have earned the Saxon manufactory among its industry peers. The evening of that first day saw CEO Thomas Meier accept, on behalf of Glashütte Original, the “Trendsetter 2017” prize, awarded as part of the traditional selection of the “Watch of the Year”. The expert jury chosen by noted industry publications Armbanduhren and Welt am Sonntag conferred this honour on the Senator Excellence. The three-hand model built around the innovative Calibre 36 manufactory movement was presented to industry experts for the first time one year ago.
The basic principles of stability, precision, running time and beauty, established at the outset, have been developed further in the new Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar – and raised, with this most challenging of complications, to the highest levels of the watchmaker’s art. As one would expect, this model took centre stage at the Glashütte Original stand at Baselworld 2017. The exceptional functionality and reliability of the new version of the Senator Chronograph Panorama Date in stainless steel were the object of much appreciative discussion as well. The colourful additions to the Pavonina Collection with their timelessly elegant dials also attracted a great deal of attention in the early spring days at Baselworld.
