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Christmas spirit; Glashütte style!Posted by Martin Green
Glashütte Original has some watches ready for you that breath the Christmas spirit in Glashütte style! 
Take for example the Panomatic counter XL. For the stainless steel version, Glashütte Original opted for a beautiful black dial where the counter function feature red numerals on a black background. That looks very appropriate for Christmas and gives you a sporty look for the rest of the year. Of course the counter is perfect for Christmas since you can count a lot of things; the number of glasses eggnog you had, how many Christmas decorations there are in the tree and the more greedy amongst us can use it to count how many gifts they got from Santa this year! With a little bit of imagination you can also see Christmas balls in all the dials and subdials, especially since the dial for the chronograph seconds is raised. This gives the watch a unique look and adds a lot of depth to the overall design of the dial. It is also the unique combination of the counter function and the off centre flyback chronograph that give this watch so much appeal. Another great aspect about this watch is that the counter function completely balanced the design of this watch, pushers included. The watch is powered by an in-house movement that Glashütte christened caliber 96-01. This stunning movement has enough to make any watch connoisseur feel it is Christmas every day when wearing this watch! It consists out of no less then 584 components, 72 of which are jewels and 217 support the counter function. Of course it has all the delicious treats one would expect on a watch from Glashütte; The famous three-quarter plate with Glashütte stripping, blued screws, column wheel for the chronograph, free sprung balance wheel and of course the Swan’s neck fine adjustment, from which the bridge is handsomely engraved. With 44mm in diameter and 16mm thickness this watch will give quite a wrist presence at Christmas, comfortably secured by a black Louisiana alligator strap with folding clasp, so you wont drop it in the punch bowl. 
When the Panomaticcounter XL is not sporty enough for your Christmas, since you prefer to celebrate it on the slopes for some high speed skiing, you might want to go for the Sport Evolution Impact Tourbillon. Again plenty of Christmas red, especially when you get the optional Trieste strap. The Tourbillon might remind you off a Christmas candle carousel, with its continuous spinning, although it is much more serious. The Tourbillon is of course manufacture, flies like Santa’s sled and of the one-minute kind. The beauty of this watch is the complexity of its simplicity, because it has “only” an hour and a minute hand, running seconds on the Tourbillon carriage and a panorama date at 12 o’clock. This gives the watch a very clean look, also helped by the generous size, since it’s diameter is 46mm. Part of that space is being used by the shock absorption system that Glashütte has come up with. The whole movement and dial are held by four elastomer elements that secure it in the case and absorb up to 60% of impact forces that the watch has to deal with. Ideal when you want to waken up your senses after Christmas lunch with a round of snowboarding. 
Another watch that makes you feel like a kid at Christmas is the Senator Navigator Perpetual Calendar. With it’s fliegeruhr inspired design it is perfect for the Christmas season because the richly used luminova lights up as a green Christmas tree in the dark. The dial of this Perpetual Calendar is so balanced that you almost have to look twice to notice that it is actually a Perpetual Calendar. Because of a diameter of 44mm did Glashütte Original not have to cut into the Arabic numerals to display all the features, which not only incorporate a moonphase, but a panorama date as well. A little extra Christmas spirit is brought by the leap year indicator at 12 o’clock, which features a dash of Rudolf red to remind you that this year you have to wait an extra day until it is Christmas. 
Some people prefer a more classical approach to Christmas. Not a bad choice although gold is perhaps not really a color, it is often associated with Christmas! One of the most beautiful golden creations by Glashütte Original has to be the Senator Rattrapante. The dial is, once again, simple and elegant with almost delicate Roman numerals and thin, blued hands. Well, that is except for one bright red hand that belongs to the Rattrapante function, enhanced by the red of the Arabic numerals that are around the outer side of the dial. Of course there needs to be a touch of Christmas in this watch apart from the gold case. The subdials of this watch are higher then one expects, being both above the meridian of the watch. Of course the panorama date is also present on this model, in the lower right corner. This is the only off center part of the dial, but because the IV numeral is scarified for it, the balanced look is still preserved! Christmas presents can often be found under the tree and with this watch a true present can be found underneath the watch. The manual wound caliber 99 redefines the term beautiful for watch movements! Prominent in sight are the two column wheels, ton’s of blued screws and the whole movement is spread out over different levels like a mountainous Maya city. Did we already mention that this Rattrapante also has a flyback-function? Apart from that, this movement also packs industries first like an escape wheel embedded between two end stones for more stability and a better amplitude. All this comes in a case that measures an almost modest 42mm, but a perfect size to enjoy this great watch with wrist presence without giving up all modesty. 
All these Glashütte Original watches are best enjoyed during Christmas with a glass of warm Glühwein in the hand. Happy Holidays! 
----------------------- Contributing Writer Moderator Revolution Online
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