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Glashütte

Senator Chronometer - Precise to the second

Life in the global village is wild — an important meeting in twenty minutes, a conference call this afternoon, dinner in Hong Kong tomorrow—there’s so much going on at once and a million things need to get done on time, the days go by so fast that everything becomes a blur. Yet no matter how busy, how frantic, how rushed life is, there’s always a moment when time comes to a stop: For one extraordinary moment, everything is illuminated and we see the world anew. It’s moments like these that make life worth living. They heighten our awareness of what matters, etch themselves into memory, and enhance our appreciation of extraordinary achievements — a work of art, a brilliant invention, an astonishing piece of fine mechanics. For the connoisseur of extraordinary moments, the Senator Chronometer. Unique. Precise. Original.

The connoisseur’s appreciation of the Senator Chronometer begins with the silver dial, produced in accordance with a vintage technique known as l’argenture grainée, frosted silver plating, which results in a fascinating surface texture. The layout of the dial recalls that of a pocket chronometer, with subsidiary seconds and power reserve displays along the central axis and the characteristic Glashütte Original panorama date positioned at 3 o’clock. The silver dial provides a rich contrast for the polished, blued sweep minute and pear-shaped hour hands and hand polished arbor. A milled railroad chapter ring encircle the central time display, and the milled Roman numerals add to the classic appearance of this impressive timepiece. Enhancing the elegant styling is the Senator Chronometer’s pink or white gold case, held in place perfectly by a black Louisiana alligator skin strap with a folding clasp for a secure and comfortable fit.

At the heart of the Senator Chronometer is the manually wound Caliber 58-01. This fascinating, finely finished movement, recently redesigned, is visible through an antireflective sapphire crystal case back. An eye-catching example of Glashütte watchmaking, with its three-quarter plate, screw-mounted gold chatons, and handengraved balance cock, the movement features newly developed planetary gears that control the display of its 45 hour power reserve.

A novel stop-seconds/reset mechanism allows the wearer to set the precise time with ease. Pulling the crown stops the time display and causes the second hand to jump to the beginning position, where it remains; the minute hand moves simultaneously to the next full minute. When the crown is then turned to set the time, the minute hand stops only on the indication of the full minute, thus always guaranteeing the correct relationship between the minutes and seconds displayed. A new day/night indicator facilitates setting the time when changing the date: From 6:00 am until 6:00 pm the small circle located between the power reserve indicator and the center of the dial is white, and from 6:00 pm until 6:00 am it is black.

Connoisseurs of fine watchmaking know that “chronometer” denotes an especially accurate watch. In the past, marine chronometers were essential for sea and air navigation, and official institutes carried out demanding tests to ensure that a timepiece performed with the necessary accuracy.

Today, such rigorous testing continues, and only if a movement survives all tests is it permissible to call it a chronometer. It goes without saying that at Glashütte Original all manually wound movements are tested according to these strict criteria: the Senator Chronometer is the first to be released with official confirmation in the form of a certificate, issued by the German Calibrating Service (DKD).

New initiatives by HMT Watches Limited

The trade needs it to come in a big way

HMT watches limited, pioneer in watch manufacturing in India has drawn up plans for revamping and restructuring of business operations to meet the market challenges. Restructuring strategies include consolidation of operations, increased outsourcing, as well as various strategies in the areas of product mix, manufacturing / technology up-gradation, design, marketing and brand building, human resource management and financial management.

Several measures are being taken by the company to keep pace with the changing marketing scenario. Launching new attractive watch models and increasing production volumes, market segmentation and product positioning are the strategies redrawn by HMT watches limited. From Jan’09 till end Nov’09 the company has brought out 54 nos. watch models in Economy series for both ladies and gents with different dial combinations priced most affordably at Rs. 325/- to Rs. 345/- oriented towards rural market. In line with the current trend, HMT has introduced environment friendly models of high precision automatic day/date watches in the price range of Rs. 3,000/- to Rs. 3,500/- targeting mid high end and youth segment of the market. To widen its existing range, HMT has introduced six models in HQ, INOXGOLD and Elegance – Quartz series in the price range of Rs. 650/- to Rs. 1,900/-. In addition to this, the company has added several models of pocket watches with transparent back cover for niche market and ladies Braille watch. New shaped models for ladies including Quartz multi-functional watch with retrograde feature for segment display of day are under pilot production and shall be released during this financial year. HMT is also planning to introduce more models in the youth segment and watches for children.

The company expects a growth of 25% during the current year. HMTWL is broad basing the market by appointing more dealers, sale of watches through different channels for rural marketing, e-marketing, tie-up with marketing outlets of other organisations etc. The company has been conducting sales & service camps in Government establishments / offices. Public sector, prominents places, etc., with view to reach the customers at the doors.

The company has also been generating additional revenues through customer components for various sectors such as & aerospace by utilizing its spare capacities. The company proposes to further exploit its precision component manufacture infrastructure and skill base through various initiatives. HMT (International) Ltd., the mini-ratna, sister concern of HMT Watches Limited aggressively promoting sale of HMT watches in Middle East, Sri Lanka and other Eastern countries.

With the implementation of the envisaged business plans with a thrust to restructuring, the company is confident to turn the corner and come back in full force as a leading player in the country’s watch market. 

The SEIKO Spring Drive Spacewalk

Charities benefit from success in the auction room

The SEIKO Spring Drive Spacewalk watch that was taken into space by Richard Garriott was auctioned at the Antiquorum sale in New York. The price it realized far exceeded both the reserve and the estimate, and the sale generated some lively bidding from the very start. Antiquorum themselves were delighted with the price achieved, stating in their release that “SEIKO fared extremely well with the GMT Spring Drive Spacewalk.”

SEIKO has now donated the proceeds to the two charities that Richard supports, the NatureConservancy (www.nature.org) and the Challenger Center forSpace Science Education (www.challenger.org).

In a recent letter to SEIKO, Richard expresses his gratitude as follows:

“Throughout this project I have been overwhelmed by the support I have received from your company. The initiative to auction a watch taken into space and donate the proceeds to causes that are so important to me is deeply touching.”

The next step in the life of this remarkable watch will be the release, early in 2010, of a commemorative edition of 100 pieces. Richard Garriott’s intention has always been that the watch that SEIKO created for his space adventure would be made available to a wider public as a way of promoting the whole idea of space travel and the furtherance of space science. This Limited Edition commemorative watch turns this ambition to reality.