One of the highlights of Glashütte Original’s new launches in 2015 is its redesigned Senator Observer watch, which, even in the cold nights of autumn never leaves its owner in the dark thanks to its use of a luminous material on its dial.

Launched at Baselworld watch and jewellery exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland, earlier this year, the new edition is distinguished by a matte black dial face, new fonts, lance-shaped hands, and the use of SuperLuminova.

With its exceptional legibility, the 2015 Senator Observer offers as convincing a solution as its historic predecessors, even under difficult lighting conditions, the German watchmaker points out.

Its dial, featuring generous use of SuperLuminova and produced in the firm’s own dial manufactory in Pforzheim, underlines the adventurous character of the watch: an homage to the long tradition of observation watches in Glashütte.

Until late in the 20th century, observation watches were decisive instruments for navigation on the high seas. Their precision, even under the most difficult conditions, was of critical importance. A ship's course on sea could only be determined reliably if the calculation of longitude was based on extremely accurate timekeeping. 

For Glashütte’s watchmakers this represented an additional opportunity to demonstrate to the world their technical sophistication, professional skills and innovative power.

With the most recent version of the Senator Observer, Glashütte Original has taken up once again the grand tradition of observation watches, and given it expression in the form of a modern, robust and beautifully designed wristwatch. 

As was the case with its predecessors, particular attention is paid to the legibility of the time indicators: Super-LumiNova highlight individual elements such as the white gold hour and minute hands, the Arabic numerals and the chapter ring hour indexes.

Super-LumiNova is an innovative luminous material that by day absorbs and stores light and in the dark radiates it with a distinctly visible green-white glow. As a result, all of the fundamental displays can be read – even in complete darkness – at a glance.

It is not just the phosphorescent details that assure clarity. The dial as well, designed with great care, leaves nothing to be desired with generous, finely curved numerals – evocative of their predecessors – accompanying   the  hour  ring.

Two symmetrically arranged auxiliary dials, for the small seconds at 9 o'clock and the power reserve at 3 o'clock, give the matte black dial its harmonious appearance and testify to a love of detail and absolute authenticity: the 55-hour power reserve display bears the German inscription "Auf" and "Ab", as can be found on many of the precision watches of the past. The brand's characteristic panorama date at 6 o'clock completes the Senator Observer's clear design: a timepiece that unites harmonious design and the very height of the fine art of watchmaking.

This timepiece is available with a masculine black calfskin or elegant metal bracelet. The previously versions of the Senator Observer without luminous highlighting offer distinguished silver-grained or grey-grained dials are also available with either a leather strap or metal bracelet. All models have a 44-mm polished stainless steel case.

Through a sapphire crystal case back one may admire the heart of the watch, the manufactory Calibre 100-14.

The automatic movement with the characteristic Glashütte three-quarter plate is finely decorated with Glashütte stripes and complemented by an elaborately skeletonized rotor in 21-carat gold, whose double-G logo marks with distinction the mechanical watches from Glashütte Original.

The watch is priced between $11,000 and $13,000 depending on the strap.