Back at Basel, we named their Patek Philippe Complicated Perpetual Calendar XPA320 watches Sentator Sixties Square one of our favorites, which was only confirmed after seeing it in person yesterday.We came across another Basel 09 introduction in the Tourbillon boutique here in NYC yesterday that we thought was pretty cool. It is called the Glashütte Original Sport Evolution Impact and it is one of the most clever sport watches on the market today. What makes this watch such a great sport model is that the in-house Glashütte movement is actually suspended within its own case. What do we mean by that? The movement is actually held in place by four Elastomer cushions that absorb 60% of all shocks sent through the watch. The cushions are the only fixation points for the movement to the case, which makes it appear as if the face of the watch is floating in air. While many of you may not think about it, doing anything strenuous while wearing a decent watch is actually hurting the movement. All those old farts that wear their Rolex Patek Philippe Complicated Perpetual Calendar XPA320 watches Datejusts while playing golf are dramatically shortening the accuracy and lifespan of the movement. The Sport Evolution Impact can easily be worn while playing golf, and is even tested to remain accurate after severe shocks caused by mountain biking, rafting, and playing tennis. This is a bad ass watch, one made even cooler by the apperance of the floating face. it is rather large at 46-47mm, but it makes sense with a watch like this. Retail prices for the chrono around $12,000, and the Tourbillon (pictured above) is around $111,000. For more details on the Glashütte Sport Evolution Impact click here or watch the video below.
We have featured about 260 rare and unique watches on Hodinkee since launching back in May. Approximately 255 of them have been Swiss made, 5 have been American. So what would happen if we came across a German made watch worthy of our attention? Well, we'd feature it just like any other watch, of course.Today we have found a great old aviator's chronograph, a Glashutte from the 1950s. Glashutte, now owned by Swatch, was Patek Philippe Complicated Perpetual Calendar XPA320 watches originally founded in 1875 in the Glashutte region of Germany. By World War II, the Glashutte region's manufacturers were really only producing military pieces for the Navy and Air Force. In the last few days of the war, the watch houses of Glashutte were badly bombed and the remaining resources were combined to form a state-run Glashutte watch company. We believe that the aviator's watch we have found for you today was made by the Eastern-German run Glashutte.In the 1990s, after the fall of the Berlin wall, Glashutte was converted from a state-run entity to the private enterprise we know today, and it was renamed Glashutte Original.The watch we have here is from the 50s and is all original. It is a Glashutte chronograph with a manual wind movement that is in good working condition. The watch is being sold for $2950, which is a reasonable price. Modern day Glashutte Originals are rather Patek Philippe Complicated Perpetual Calendar XPA320 watches expensive when compared to those like what we have featured today because those made in the 50s were made by the state-run firm, which was a decidedly less refined company that what we know today.Click here for the details of this 1950s Glashutte Aviator's Chronograph.Glashütte Original is the tiny German wing of the Swatch group. You don't hear much about them, but they are doing some pretty cool stuff.
