We take a close look at the Glashütte Original PanoMatic Lunar in the green dégradé dial released earlier this year, and now available in stores.
Review: Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar in green dégradé dial
The Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar is an existing model which was originally presented in the early 2000s and its most recent update was unveiled in 2015.
The watch has become a classic, and features all the icons of the Glashütte tradition – off centered display, a dial with multiple complication, in this case a panorama date, and moonphase, and powered by an in-house movement with three quarter plate and embellished to the nines. In 2019, a salmon dial was introduced, and for 2020, the new PanoMatic Lunar is presented in Forest Green.
The case, dial and hands
The case and dial layout remains the same as earlier versions. The handsome stainless steel case has contrasting polished surfaces and brushed ones providing a nice visual aesthetic.
The dial itself retains the original display – one laid out in the Golden Ratio, with the time indicated by two off-centered sub-dials on the left being visually balanced by the panorama date on the lower portion of the right side of the dial and the moonphase display on the upper portion. The sub-dials both carry a decoration of concentric circles.
The hands are javelin style, with Superluminova infill for some lume in the dark. The hour markers are appliqué in white gold. And the seconds markers are indicated by ticks with enlarged 5 seconds bars. The tens of seconds are further denoted by arabic numerals on the inside perimeter of the seconds markers. The hour-minute and seconds sub-dials overlap, to form an inverted figure of 8.
The moon itself is a high polished disc mounted on a white background decorated with silver stars to provide a contrast to the green dial. The silver moon is made with a milling tool cutting out two moons on the display disc. This procedure gives it a convex form, which is then polished with a diamond milling tool to end up with a brilliant, bright shining moon. The date display is the classical GO design of two discs at the same level.
The forest green dial is indeed where the speciality of this model lies. The forest green colour is quite beautiful. The dial is manufactured by varnishing a green pigment over the entire dial, and progressively adding a black layer on the periphery to create a gradient such as the outer edges are darker than the center. The entire surface is then coated with transparent green lacquer. The result of this hand-crafted, highly detailed work is a special colour gradient that renders each dial unique.
The dial is made in the GO dial manufactory in Pforzhiem. Some details on the dial manufacture is found in our review of the Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date Special Limited Edition in Green and Grey.
The movement Calibre 90-02
The movement used is the GO Caliber 90-02 which is resident in all the PanoMaticLunar models. The movement is exquisitely finished and visible from the display caseback. The rotor is skeletonized and finished with a piercing to show the double-G logo and carries a 21k gold weight.
Of particular note is the fine adjustment system which features two swan neck systems mounted on two cocks. The cocks are hand engraved and infilled with gold, and look particularly attractive. In the photograph below, the left one is used in the traditional sense to adjust the rate. And the second swan neck is on the right which is attached to the stud holder, which enables the impulse pin to be centered in anchor fork, to optimize the insertion of the pallets in the escape wheel.
Movement finishing is exquisite, and up to the upper echelons of haute horlogerie. And as expected of a watch of this pedigree, the movement performs flawlessly in our past handling of earlier generations of the PanoMaticLunar.
The competitive landscape
The landscape for an automatic winding watch with moonphase display and a large date is perhaps not the most densely populated one. And especially at only S$15k for the watch, it is a less expensive proposition to the others. We have curated two lists of moonphase watches, but in both the lists, none feature the same combination of features that the GO PanoMaticLunar does.
The GO would, of course attract the obvious comparison to the Lange 1 Moonphase. (The link takes you to a comparison between the Lange Moonphase siblings). But perhaps not, as we think it will not make meaningful comparison. Lange makes two variants – the Grande Lange 1 and the standard sized Lange 1. Both variants are available in a selection of case material and dial choices. A third is also made in their Lumen style with a smoked sapphire glass dial. All the variants are only available in precious metal and with the gold cases being marketed at circa EUR 44k. The Lange 1 Moonphase offers the same combination of the asymmetrical dial, with both moonphase and a large date, but are only available with a handwound movement.
Concluding Thoughts
We find this latest addition to the PanoMaticLunar family to be absolutely an engaging beast. The luscious forest green with the dégradé effect is visually captivating. The watch looks very elegant and aesthetically well balanced. Coupled with the heft it feels on the wrist, despite of being in a stainless steel case, gives the impression of excellent build quality. Fit and finish is top grade.
We also feel that the Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar Forest Green is very well priced at S$15,000. And can heartily recommend it as a good buy.
Photography notes
All photographs are taken with the Canon EOS R6 with EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro.
Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar Forest Green Specifications
REFERENCE NUMBER 1-90-02-13-32-02 ALSO AVAILABLE 1-90-02-13-32-31 (fold fastener)
CALIBRE MOVEMENT Automatic movement 90-02
FUNCTIONS Small second (off-centre) Second stop Panorama Date hour and minute (off-centre) moon phase
CASE Stainless steel, satin-brushed and polished, sapphire crystal on top and bottom, waterproof up to 5 bar
DIMENSIONS Diameter: 40.00 mm, height: 12.70 mm
DIAL Varnished in green and black with dégradé effect with appliques
STRAP Louisiana alligator nubuck leather strap brown with buckle
PRICE
14.900 SGD* — 1-90-02-13-32-02
15.400 SGD* — 1-90-02-13-32-31 (fold fastener)
2 Comments
Nice looking watch with good quality finishing. Great photographs.
Agreed. Very good quality, and excellent value.