By Kien Lee

When the designers at Glashütte Original were thinking of additions to the Senator Chronograph Panorama Date family first launched four years ago, the thought of a gentleman with quality and class, bold yet understated, came to mind.

Back in 2014, the collection signified the introduction of the brand's first integrated chronograph movement Calibre 37, utilizing a column wheel approach, a more sophisticated (and more difficult to execute) chronograph preferred by haut de gamme watchmakers, as opposed to a cam actuated chronograph.

Exquisite and classy, sporty and functional — these qualities were ever-present in the two new stainless steel offerings in the collection.

The first, with a deep black dial and luminous blue Super-LumiNova highlights revealed last year.

At Baselworld 2018, the Saxon manufacture added a second option, this time with a clear white dial set with details in deep black.

Handcrafted by the watchmaker's experts in Pforzheim, the design of the dial reprises the Senator line's characteristic symmetry, with the addition of three chronograph-related sub-dials: the 30-minute and 12-hour counters and a small seconds dial with the power reserve indicator within.

Glashütte Original's signature Panorama Date is positioned at 6 o'clock, and with the two numeric date discs mounted at the same level, offers an unobstructed view of the two-digit display without a separation bar, clearly a one-up over other manufactures design-wise as well as in its smooth and impressive execution.

In the day, the hour, minute and stop seconds hands, indexes and Roman numerals at hours 6 and 12 are black, but with Super-LumiNova highlights emit a glowing green light, allowing for maximum legibility in darkness.

Alternately polished and satin-brushed in a 42mm stainless steel case, the Senator Chronograph Panorama Date is available with a brown calfskin model sewn with off-white thread, with a black rubber adorned with a lightly textured, laser-cut decoration; both with fold-over clasp or traditional pin buckle closures.

A third option is a bracelet in polished and satin-brushed stainless steel, complemented with a patented, innovative closure, which offers eight separate settings across eight millimetres. A double security mechanism with two buttons on either side prevents accidental opening of the clasp.

With its high-contrast elegance and contemporary design, this is a timepiece befitting of the style-conscious, of refined tastes and those with the ambition to ooze effortless elegance.

The stainless steel Senator Chronograph Panorama Date retails in Singapore for S$23,100.