Horological Meandering

I am very interested in this watch that I saw over the weekend:

GO Senator Chrono XL.

Any comments on the movement, the design, or the company itself would be helpful.  I am new to the company Glashutte Original and Im just trying to decide between this, IWC 5001, or Breguet XXI.


Thank you

A very underated manufacturer of some really classy, technically brilliant watches !

As you ask for opinions: the GO chrono is quite big, I suppose.

IWC's Portugieser is very, very tempting due to it's 7 days power reserve.

The Breguet: no points, as we Eurovision lovers would say.

From this three: the GO winns hands down due to it's movement !

Regards


Moritz

When we get down to the basics, it's the movement that counts - Count!

I would choose it over IWC and the other one any day.

As always at your service,

Amerix
This message has been edited by amerix on 2010-11-05 15:58:55 This message has been edited by amerix on 2010-11-05 15:59:50 This message has been edited by amerix on 2010-11-05 16:01:15

You are absolutely spot on: the movement is the greatest factor behind any watch !

If design complements it than it results in beauties like , RL PLM,  1815 moonphase, Ellipse, Datograph, 5140,  ... .

Hope you are doing well

Moritz

movement? How does this GO movement stack up against the IWC in-house...or any other comparable in-house movement in the same price range?
thanks for the replies

... to have the untutored views of someone who knows very little about the competing technical merits of those selections, but who knows what he likes in a watch? If so, then read on: with the caveat, however, that these are the very personal views of an idiosyncratic novice in such matters.

The GO (although this is an earlier iteration of that model) is sharp, precise and inspires confidence.  The attention to detail is noteworthy - very crisp, front and back. It is perhaps best described as 'purposeful'; in this company, though, it compares as being somewhat 'cold'. The movements of GO watches are always a delight: they seem to strike the right balance between form and function - just enough finish to inspire admiration, not so much finish as to inspire awe. In that respect GO punches above weight.

 

 

IWC watches are often described in terms of being clinical, too technical, or soul-less. Whether or not that is true of other models, it cannot be said of the Portugueser models. Here you get the whole package: a decent 'back story' and the horological significance of the model itself; technological innovation (the Pellaton winding system) and a monster of a movement with a hefty 7 days reserve (which is really more like 8 days - not that you'll ever need it). The dial is one of the most legible there is: it has sharp applied Arabics in a very sensible font, the hands are like needles and the date clicks over at 24:00:01 precisely! The only possible drawback to which some might point is the bulk, but you quickly get used to it and if it were an issue you wouldn't be shopping in this league anyway. Regrets? Only that it isn't the Jubilee, the 'Panda' or the MR!

 

 

 

 

After that rap you'd think that the vote would go to the IWC: the Breguet, however, is right up there. Here you get 'entry level'  top house prestige (for whatever that may be worth) - sports watch or not, it travels comfortably in any company. The central 'sweep' minute counter is a great deal more informative than the sometimes hard to read minutes sub-dial of other chronos but as against that the 24 hour dial is not so helpful. What many people fail to notice at first is the rich 'Belgian chocolate' brown (close to black) colour of the dial, which gives the watch great warmth. It is the small things which add so much to the watch - the different subtle guilloche patterns and contours on the dials, for example, or the way in which the strap ends have 'shoulders' which been designed to fill the lugs and hug the the case. With this one you also get full lume, which may or may not matter to you.

 

 

 

 

Of the three, the IWC is the better instrument; the Breguet, however, is the better package. The GO is a lovely watch, make no mistake (and the model which you are considering may be in a different league again), but in this company; for this enthusiast; on this occasion - GO comes third. Not the sort of thing you want to be writing on the GO forum, but there you have it: sorry Art, sorry guys!

 

Cheers,

pplater.

thank you

Tony

Thanks for the review/comments. GO forum or not, it was great reading your perspective.

Pplater --

Your post exemplifies the kind of insightful and thoughtful introspection I love to see on a forum like this....yours are the words of a true "WIS" and I, for one, appreciated hearing what you had to say and how you said it.  I say that regardless of whether or not I'd reach the same conclusion as you.  Given your excellent post, I'll defer offering my own (subjective) opinion and simply say that I think your post is one of the best I've read in a long while. 

Thanks
DB Darien

That is remarkably kind of you, db darien; thank you for those flattering (if undeserved!) sentiments. Can you be persuaded, though, to alter your plan just a little?

 

One of the great things about this forum, as you know, is that we all share our views. Although those views are necessarily subjective, each little insight adds one piece more to the collective thinking. In that respect, your [subjective] thoughts would still be most valuable, and therefore very interesting to know, regardless of what may have been posted before.

 

Thanks again,

 

Cheers,

pplater.

As the contenders are not quite comparable, not quite the same:

two chronos, one "simple" watch, two non inhouse movements, one inhouse, one is a pilot watch, one a sixties design , one a pocket / maritime chronometer  and all are big watches.

In order:

The GO is an inhouse movement that has been combined with a modul that adds the chrono function to this watch.

Most likely from Dubois Depraz, a well known manufacturer of moduls and supplier also for Girard-Perregaux and Audemars Piguet.


The Breguet is a pilots flyback chrono with a Lemania 1350 based non-inhouse movement.

But many prestigious manufacturers like Patek Phillipe use Lemania chrono movements, too.


The IWC is the only pure, real inhouse movement.

Also a great watch that comes with a big power reserve.



If it should be a chrono I would go for the GO as it has got a partially inhouse movement.

The only TECHNICAL ISSUE with the modul might be a delay in the starting sequence of the second / minute hand.

As and advice: test the watch and pay attention to the hands of the chrono !



BUT you can see that a pure, inhouse build chrono is / was a real big issue for even the most renown brands.

Patek just came recently with an inhouse one.

A modul to use is quite common, as it would be far too expensive to built always new movements with a new complication in a watch.

Patek uses various existing calibers and adds a pp calendar or other complications as a modul on top.

Lange is so far the only brand that uses a new movement in every new watch, but they struggle a bit from time to time to deliver this pledge.



MOST IMPORTANT is still how you feel about the watch: how is the haptic experience ? How does it feel on the wrist ? What are your associations with the watch ?

Hope this is even more helpful and all the best in decision making.

And do not forget: examine the starting sequence very, very closely !

Please let us know what you went for at the end !


Regards

Moritz

but you're making it tough on me to decide which one is Best. .in the end?  it all depends what other Watches you have in your collection.

 i think they all are Great and different . but FROM THE LOOK STAND ???! i'd pick the Portuguese for it's White Dial and useful Function. .then Breguet as my second Choice for it's Brown Dial and Date function .

 the GO is nice but the Dial Color is just Ordinary..but that does not make it lesser than the other 2 Pieces.

 good luck

 Tony

. . . in recognition of the likely intent of bar2020 to canvass the wider audience here; he also posted independently on the G O forum, and I've responded to that query.

Let's take a good look at the Glashütte Original that has bar's interest:



This is Tony A's G O Senator Chrono XL [photo credit to Tony A, of course!]. I think it's fair to say that a close inspection will leave an objective observer with a positive impression as regards to movement finish, case and dial refinement, and proportionality. It is a rather large watch, but not excessively so by today's standards. The black dial will tend to ameliorate the subjective sense of bulk on a smaller than average wrist; this factor, along with the absence of a date and minimalist dial execution, would render the G O as the more suitable of the three for formal wear, in my humble opinion.

All three of the watches on your list can be considered approximate equivalents. The IWC may have a perceived reputation for ruggedness that eludes the others, but my experience with the cal 39 is sufficiently developed to assert a useful level of durability and shock resistance. One of my perpeptuals endured a two-foot drop onto a tile floor with nary an effect on the movement. The cal 39 may not excel in any particular facet of performance, but overall, it's difficult to think of another movement that offers a comparable balance of virtues.

One other factor I'd like to mention is pride of ownership. Whenever I strap on one of my G Os, I'm pleasantly reminded of their reputation for manufacturing each movement in every watch they make. There are very few competitors that can make that claim, and neither IWC nor Breguet are amongst them.

Cordially, Art
This message has been edited by Dr No on 2010-11-06 11:26:19

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Does the GO have the flyback function? I stand to be corrected but my understanding is the Breguet doesn't have one.

Best

Mally

. . . flybacks . . . cordially, Art

I would pick the Breguet, i like the overall look of it more than the others

MR