Glashütte Original: The Senator Cosmopolite is the Perfect World Travel Companion

Fitted with the new Caliber 89-02, the Glashütte Original Senator Cosmopolite is an attractive and practical addition to one’s world travel accessories. Following the launch of the Grande Cosmopolite Tourbillon in 2012, this 44mm Senator Cosmopolite—available in red or white gold—has an array of attributes designed to take you to the four corners of the Earth.

The primary point of reference for the traveler is the local time at destination as represented by the central hour and minute hands, while the 12-hour home time dial is at 12 o’clock. Small seconds are shown on a subdial at 6 o’clock, and the day/night indicator is at 9 o’clock. Glashütte Original’s signature Panorama Date display, with black Arabic numerals, is at 4 o’clock.

The Caliber 89-02, developed in house, reveals the time of day in two timezones, thanks to an intricate interplay of complications. Specifically, the timezone wheel displays a choice of 37 world timezones, each indicated by the official IATA location code designating a key international airport in the zone.

The twenty-four timezones that are aligned at full-hour offsets with Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) show a black IATA code in the Daylight Saving Time (DST) or Standard (STD) windows at 8 o’clock, and the ten time zones aligned with GMT at half-hour offsets appear in blue. The relevant IATA locations of the three remaining zones at quarter or three-quarter hour offsets from GMT are shown in red. These color codes allow one to identify the offset from GMT at a glance.

When the traveler wishes to set the destination time, if heading east (forward in time), the crown is turned clockwise until the IATA code representing the destination time zone appears in the appropriate DST or STD window. If traveling west (back in time), the crown is turned counter-clockwise. The central hour and minute hands now indicate the correct time at destination, further enhanced by the correct day/night indication and the correct date at destination.

The lacquered silver-grained dial is embellished with a railroad chapter ring that surrounds Roman numerals on the dial. The home time dial at 12 o’clock features Arabic numerals encircled by a black minute ring. All numerals and rings are laser engraved and galvanized in black.

The central hour and minutes are in blued steel, along with the home time hour and minute hands, the small seconds hand and the day/night hand. And adding a lovely touch of detail and color, day/night is shown via a yellow sun or a starry night sky. The power reserve, which is 72 hours, is indicated on the home time dial, which also has a small dot at 6 o’clock to indicate day or night, in white or black respectively.

And as enchanting as the dial of the Senator Cosmopolite is, I think the caseback is equally mesmerizing. Thanks to its sapphire crystal, a clear view of the finishing and features of the automatic 89-02 may be seen, from the Glashütte striping to the off-center skeletonized rotor with its 21-karat gold oscillating weight. It is further complemented by the blued screws and hand-engraved and galvanized balance cock.

Comprising over 400 components, the 89-02 operates at 4 Hz and its oscillation system is regulated via four gold screws on the balance rim. The brushed and polished case of the Senator Cosmopolite is fitted on a matte black or blue Louisiana alligator leather strap with a red or white gold clasp to keep it firmly affixed to your world-traveled wrist.