Glashütte Original is launching the new Sixties Chronograph 2026 Annual Edition.
For this year, the German watchmaker offers a fresh interpretation of the collection’s characteristic vintage-inspired style through a luminous purple hue.
Created as a tribute to the design language of the 1960s, the Sixties Collection draws inspiration from a successful watch introduced in 1964 by the then state-owned VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe: the Spezimatic, produced until 1979 in numerous versions and dial colours.
The 2026 Annual Edition stands out for its refined dial, the result of an elaborate production process involving numerous artisanal steps, considerable time, and long-standing expertise.
We had the opportunity to preview and wear the watch for a few days, and we are delighted to share our impressions and photographs with our readers.
The watch is housed in a stainless steel case measuring 42 mm in diameter, 12.4 mm thick, with a lug-to-lug distance of 48.5 mm.
Water-resistant to 3 bar (approximately 30 metres / 100 feet), the classic round case is fitted with pump pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock to operate the chronograph start/stop and reset functions respectively.
The fluted, non-screwed crown is decorated with the brand’s signature Double-G logo.
A domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides protects the equally domed varnished dial, distinguished by its rich violet shade and refined dégradé effect that darkens gradually towards the outer edge.
Thin bronze strips form the foundation of this striking dial. An embossing stamp first imparts a delicate texture to the metal before the dial blank is cut out and fitted with tiny boreholes.
Precise milling then creates the collection’s characteristic “vinyl” finish — fine parallel grooves reminiscent of vintage record albums. The dial is subsequently domed and treated with a galvanic gold coating.
At this stage, a translucent purple lacquer is carefully applied by hand and fired in a kiln. Departing from conventional watchmaking techniques, the hour indexes are neither applied nor printed; instead, they are manually cut directly into the domed lacquered surface.
This process reveals the warm shimmer of the bronze base beneath the lacquer. Finally, the surface receives a protective clear lacquer coating.
Through several precise operations, the white Arabic numerals and logo are printed and kiln-fired before luminous dots are applied by hand at each hour marker.
The red-gold-plated rod-shaped hands are individually curved by hand to follow the domed profile of both the dial and sapphire crystal. This shaping ensures readability from different viewing angles without distortion.
For improved legibility in low-light conditions, the hands feature Super-LumiNova inlays.
Visible through the sapphire crystal caseback, shaped to optimise wrist comfort, the self-winding Calibre 39-34 powers the display of hours, minutes, small seconds, stop seconds, and the chronograph’s 30-minute counter.
Operating at 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour), the movement offers a power reserve of approximately 40 hours.
This manufacture calibre features traditional Glashütte finishing elements, including the characteristic three-quarter plate with stripe decoration, bevelled edges, polished screws, and swan-neck fine adjustment.
The skeletonised rotor is fitted with a 21-carat gold oscillating weight and decorated with stripes and the Double-G motif.
With its balanced proportions, the watch sits comfortably on the wrist, a quality further supported by the black textile strap.
This adds a more casual character to the timepiece, making it suitable for different contexts.
The strap measures 20 mm at the lugs and is secured by a stainless steel pin buckle engraved with the Double-G logo. For reference, the wrist shown in our photographs measures 17.8 cm / 7 inches.
The new 2026 Annual Edition of the Sixties Chronograph combines a captivating vintage charm with a state-of-the-art construction.
The watch achieves its one-of-a-kind character primarily through its elaborately refined dial, which gives the timepiece a strong visual presence on the wrist. For collectors seeking a high-end manufacture piece that pairs traditional German watchmaking with a bold aesthetic, this latest iteration stands out as a distinctive choice.
The new Glashütte Original Sixties Chronograph 2026 Annual Edition (ref. 1-39-34-08-22-04) is priced at €10,100. glashuette-original.com
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