To celebrate the launch of its most recent masterpiece the Saxon watchmaker Glashütte Original invited guests to an exclusive evening of technological sophistication and timeless elegance. More than 120 guests, among them numerous business partners, customers, journalists and friends of the brand, accepted the invitation to join the celebration in the QF quarter near Dresden’s Frauenkirche.
Star of the show was the innovative Calibre 37 chronograph movement, which was developed from the ground up and made in the firm’s own manufactory. The new automatic movement debuts in two exquisite models at the same time: the elegant Senator Chronograph Panorama Date and the sporty Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date. The initial presentation in spring at the Baselworld fair attracted a great deal of attention; today the new watches make their initial appearances in the firm’s own boutiques around the world, to be followed by their step-by step presentation in the stores of authorised dealers. Thus the guests in Dresden were among the first to experience the new chronographs “live”.
Glashütte Original managing director Yann Gamard and Germany’s brand manager Lothar Schlichting opened the show with a word of welcome and an invitation to explore the new chronographs in all their facets and technical particulars. There were plenty of opportunities to do so: two watchmakers from the manufactory were on hand for live presentations of selected steps in the assembly of the Calibre 37 and other mechanical movements. Interested guests were offered a chance to try their hand at the watchmaker’s craft. The technology of the new chronograph movement and the history of chronograph production in Glashütte Original were presented in an interactive exhibition, which is to remain open to the public for 10 more days on the lower level of the QF centre in the Frauenkirche area of downtown Dresden, before it continues its international road show.
One attraction proved especially popular with the guests: a slot-car racetrack featured a track in the form of the typical Glashütte Original “Double-G” logo. As the model cars raced around the track, the individual times, along with that of the evening’s fastest driver, were stopped, precisely and reliably, using the new chronographs.
Musical accompaniment for the evening was provided by music producer, Echo Prize winner and DJ Sven Helbig, who made his name with numerous international appearances and music projects undertaken with, among others, the Pet Shop Boys. Together with the cellist Konstantin Heidrich and in the following DJ set, Sven presented an unusual mixture of electronic and orchestral music.
This performance, the first-class catering and many interesting discussions made time seem to fly, and so it was already late when a further high point of the evening was announced. The event coincided with the second birthday of the Glashütte Original boutique. A birthday cake drew great applause upon presentation, and the first pieces were presented to the Dresdner Glashütte Original Boutique team led by boutique manager Sebastian Prinz – in recognition of two very successful years at the Dresden location. Throughout the evening the boutique remained opened to guests, allowing them to discover, along with the new chronographs, other fascinating models in the Glashütte Original collection.
Related
Further stops on the road show
The Dresden event on 10 October 2014 and subsequent exhibition in the QF quarter at the Frauenkirche in Dresden (11 – 21 October 2014) is the first stop on a worldwide road show featuring the new chronographs with the Calibre 37 movement. Additional stops have already been confirmed and will be followed by others. Next up:
Stuttgart, Kaufhaus Breuninger: 3 – 28 November 2014
New York, New Museum: 13 November 2014
Chicago, Tourbillon Store: 17 – 24 November 2014
Short Story Contest
Content from our partners
Anyone unable to attend a live presentation can learn about the new chronograph in the context of an interactive online campaign. An innovative initiative headlined „Our Chronograph – Your Story. The Art of the Chronograph in Short Stories“ invites fans of watch technology and connoisseurs of the art of German watchmaking to write a short story on one of five themes involving the new chronograph.
The short stories can be sent by email to TheChronograph@Glashuette-Original or submitted directly using the contest form on the web page set up for this purpose at
https://the-chronograph.glashuette-original.com. Details of the contest and conditions can be consulted on this page.
The short stories will be published on the web site blog, where they can be read and judged by fans. Fans will be asked to choose a crowd favourite, while Glashütte Original will select an additional finalist. The 2 winners take home an exclusive invitation to the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival. The short story contest runs from October 10 through December 8, 2014.
(Source: Glashütte Original)
