While many associate extraordinary timepieces with Switzerland, the land of mountains and chocolate doesn’t have a lock on them. Close to the Czech Republic border in the German watchmaking center of Glashütte, Teutonic brands are crafting outstanding models with their own distinct flavor and zeitgeist.
(1) A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus
A. Lange & Söhne is a time-honored brand founded in 1845. Alas, the factory was demolished during the bombing of Dresden and the surrounding area in World War II, then the region fell under East German rule. In 1990, after German reunification, the founder’s great-grandson returned and the maker rose, phoenixlike, to produce some of the world’s most exacting, desirable watches. The bold Odysseus model, rendered in stainless steel, is the brand’s first serial-produced timepiece—coined as a sporty-elegant wristwatch, yet it carries the DNA of the popular Zeitwerk style via large date displays at 9 and 3 o’clock and impeccable detailing throughout. A. Lange & Söhne; Cellini, cellinijewelers.com; Wempe, wempe.com; alange-soehne.com
(2) Glashütte Original PanoReserve
Glashütte Original embodies the finest of German watchmaking and proudly carries the name of its hometown. Often, the house mines its wealth of heritage models, as is the case in the new PanoReserve timepiece, which carries a punchy blue color theme. Framed in shimmering satin-brushed red gold, the PanoReserve’s dial design DNA is instantly apparent: stacked, off-center dials for the hours and seconds; a distinctive upside-down fan retrograde 42-hour power reserve indicator; and a signature large double-digit date indicator at 5 o’clock. $20,500, Wempe, wempe.com; glashuette-original.com
(3) Tutima Saxon One Red Chronograph
Well-known for producing pilot watches and chronographs of high precision and quality issued to Luftwaffe and NATO flyers, Tutima is a German brand making more and more headway in the U.S. market. This festive red edition of the Saxon One chronograph in steel features a bidirectional rotating bezel (with a red marker to quickly determine orientation); a heavily modified Valjoux movement with an in-house-developed chronograph mechanism; and unique Tutima design notes, such as a month indicator rendered in a traditional chronograph subdial format at 6 o’clock and chunky H-shaped bracelet lugs. $6,700, D’Amore Jewelers, Cliffside Park, N.J., damorejewelers.com; tutima.com
(4) NOMOS Glashütte Club Sport neomatik 42 date black
With NOMOS Glashütte, you get a double dose of German inspiration. While the timepieces are manufactured in the town of Glashütte, the brand’s design studio is located in Berlin, hence its strong alignment with Bauhaus and Deutscher Werkbund principles, as seen in its in-house movements and aesthetics. In the Club Sport Neomatik 42 date black watch, we see NOMOS Glashütte’s most rugged and—dare we say—American-style timepiece. The simple, clean, legible design speaks for itself, yet 1,000 feet of water resistance and a burly NOMOS steel bracelet make this a piece of art that’s ready for action. $4,060, London Jewelers, londonjewelers.com; Tourneau TimeMachine, tourneau.com; Wempe, wempe.com; nomos-glashuette.com
Photography by: Photos courtesy of brands
