Glashutte Original Senator Tourbillon
Glashutte came out with guns blazing at Baselworld this year with the release of the Senator Tourbillon. Glashutte Original has always been a watchmaker par excellence but with this model, the brand has definitely shown its mettle.
The Senator Tourbillon features a special tourbillon – a flying tourbillon. It was, in fact, Glashutte’s own watchmaker Alfred Helwig that developed this type of tourbillon. Flying tourbillons are the most sophisticated tourbillons as they aren’t supported at the top or the bottom; instead they are supported from the sides. This lets the complication have a greater range of motion, hence the name. The flying tourbillon occupies the 6 o’clock position where it shares a subdial with the small seconds indicator with a blued steel hand. 
Glashutte used the Senator case due to its very clean lines and straightforward layout of the dial. The case is fashioned in 18kt white gold and carries case dimensions of 43mm for the diameter (excluding the main crown). The two tiered bezel holds a sapphire crystal which superbly resists nicks and scratches. The main crown is ridged for the effortless winding of the watch, and the setting of the time.
Driving this watch is the in house Swiss made Caliber 94-03. This movement is self-winding with the oscillating weight in 21kt white gold. The oscillating weight carries Glashutte Ribbing (Cotes de Genève), the double ‘G’ original Glashutte logo, and is off-centered in true Glashutte style. The balance wheel beats at 21,600 VpH and carries a power reserve of 48 hours.
The dial is a grainy grey with Roman numerals for the hour markers and ‘poire’ shaped hands in rhodium tone. The conservative minute track is engraved first and then inlayed with silver. At the 12 position is the panoramic large double date which adds balance to the Senator Tourbillon. Securing the watch is a black alligator strap equipped with a single folding clasp.
