The gorgeous Glashütte Original Senator Navigator WorldTime 39-47-07-07-04 attempts to capitalize on the growing interest in “pilot’s” watches.
Surprisingly affordable (affordable for a brand that often offers three-handers in stainless steel for a price of an 18-karat gold Longines chronograph) yet smart, the Glashutte Original Senator Navigator WorldView 39-47-07-07-04 combines a deliberately vintage dial with a high-grade in-house caliber.
Delivered in a satin-finished stainless steel case, it features traditional diamond-shaped hands, oversized Arabic numerals, and a prominent chapter ring. Combine these with copious amounts of Superlominova, and you get a perfect tribute to an aviator’s watch from the 1920s-1930s!
The Dial
Well, to be frank, the diamond-shaped hands arrived at the niche of “aviators” fairly recently, but that doesn’t spoil the picture. I mean, this is not a re-issue so no need for historical accuracy here.
After all, the chosen shape of the hands allowed the German watchmaker to use more lume that greatly increased the overall legibility of the somewhat busy dial.
Unlike most similarly styled models, this one has a little twist to it. Only the even numbers on the dial have been painted with Superluminova, while the odd are simply white. In my opinion, this didn’t do anything to increase the nighttime readability, but it certainly made it more interesting.
The In-House Caliber
Like the recently presented Seventies Panorama Date, the new Senator Navigator WorldView, too, boasts the in-house GO 39-47 self-winding caliber.
Among other features (like the power reserve extended to 40 hours and the painstakingly finished Glashütte three-quarter plate,) it comes with GO’s signature Panorama Date module.
In two words, this beautiful complication features two co-axial disks with printed Arabic numerals. Together, they manage to display the date in the iconic “big date” with much bigger digits without adding too much thickness to the movement.
Let the pair of crowns do not confuse you. While the crown at 3 o’clock is used to operate the movement, the other crown –at 4 o’clock– is here to set the rotating flange ring that lists the main time zones.
The Dial
Although there are only 12 hour markers on the timekeeper’s dial, the watch is still capable of displaying the whole 24 main time zones.
The trick was done logically splitting the rotating flange into two groups. The cities on the outer part of the flange are going at the same time of day as our home city and the ones on the inner part are on the opposite side.
It sounds complicated, but take a look at the picture and see for yourself: reading the data is easy.
In the photo, our “home city” is set for Glashutte and it is 10:13 there. It means that in Moscow it is already 12:13 and it is just past noon, but in Anchorage, it is 00:13 and it is still midnight there.
Of course, since the complication is easy, it still requires some basic knowledge of geography not to confuse the current date in the desired city, but, anyway, this is not the real purpose of the watch, isn’t it?
See also: Ulysse Nardin Monaco YS Maxi Marine Diver
Photos: Glashütte Original
WWR’s Verdict
Originality 4/5
Versatility: 4.5/5
Build Quality: 5/5
Usability: 4.5/5
Overall Legibility: 4/5
Nighttime Legibility: 5/5Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Glashutte Original Senator Navigator WorldView (Ref. 39-47-07-07-04) specification
Price: €7850 (MSRP)
Movement: Automatic, GO caliber 39-47, 39 jewels, 30.95 mm in diameter, 5.90 mm in height, 28,800 vph, German silver balance, Nivarox flat spring, Made in Germany
Movement decoration: Glashütte three-quarter plate with stripe finish, skeletonized winding rotor with Glashütte stripe finish, 21-ct gold oscillation weight
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, panorama date, second time zone (GMT)
Power reserve: 40 hours
Case: Stainless steel
Shape: Round
Size: 44.00 mm
Case height: 13.90 mm
Dial: Black
Numerals: Arabic
Hands: Diamond-shaped, luminous
Water resistance: 50 meters
Strap: Calf-skin leather strap “cognac”; used look. Pin buckle in stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective on both sides
Back: Sapphire