Some watches make an immediate impact from press pictures alone. Others, quite simply, need to be seen to be believed. The Glashütte SeaQ 39.5 mm dive watch is a model that falls squarely in the latter camp for me. When this collection was first announced, it seemed to miss every mark for me. I was underwhelmed by the product photography (as elegant and professionally done as it was), unconvinced by the story, and thoroughly stunned by the price. This was not what I had expected to see come out of one of Glashütte’s most respected manufactures, and I couldn’t fathom how the brand could possibly hope it could compete with the similarly priced and far more sought-after Rolex Submariner.
As it turns out, I was too quick to judge.
Glashütte Original SeaQ - Credit WatchGecko
Let’s address my initial misgivings in reverse order. Firstly, the price. At a shade under €11,000 for the model on the bracelet, and nudge under 10K for the models on the rubber or synthetic straps (with prices ranging from €9,600 with a regular pin and tang buckle to €9,900 for the folding clasp), the SeaQ is not exactly an entry-level piece. The RRP of the bracelet model is over that of a modern Submariner Date (which for comparison’s sake currently stands at €10,500). While this knocked me for six the first time it dawned on me, I must admit, I was looking at it in the wrong way.
At the time of the SeaQ’s release, I didn’t own a Glashütte Original. My first foray in that regard came a couple of years later when I bought the Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date in Vibing Orange. I’d known the brand was famous for its high-end horology but had not truly appreciated the level of finishing and technical refinement you get for what then started to feel like a very reasonable price indeed.
Glashütte Original SeaQ on WatchGecko Ridge British Military Watch Strap - NTTD Bond - Credit WatchGecko
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While a superficial analysis of the SeaQ’s price bracket could lead you to the same conclusion as I initially reached — that a model like this has no chance of out-punching a Rolex Submariner at retail — you don’t need to dig much deeper to appreciate that these two watches are worlds apart in terms of actual quality.
Yes, design is subjective, and deciding between the two pieces in question may be a very short process in either direction if one or the other happens to tickle your aesthetic sensibilities, but the objective superiority of a model like the SeaQ versus a heavily mass-produced item like the Rolex Submariner, is, I believe, beyond question.
Glashütte Original SeaQ - Credit WatchGecko
The SeaQ may be wrapped in a dive watch’s skin, but it is a serious horological work. The movement, Glashütte Original’s own automatic calibre 39-11 is a work of art. Although it makes thematic sense to have hidden this expertly finished movement behind a closed case back, it is a shame that the good work done is not on display. With modern machining techniques, it would have been possible to retain the SeaQ’s 200-meter water resistance with a sapphire crystal case back, but the brand — in typical German fashion — chose not to bow to that particular market pressure, and, instead, opted for an authentic recreation of the source material’s case back.
And that leads me to my second point of initial contention. Through nothing but ignorance, I had not realised the SeaQ’s long history. By 1969, the GUB (the name given to the GDR-era state-run conglomerate comprising all previously independent companies in Glashütte), the Glashütte Spezimatic Type RP TS 200 had been released. Glashütte Original now claims that the Glashütte Spezimatic Type RP TS 200 was the very first dive watch created in Glashütte, and, it has to be said, it was a beauty.
Glashütte Original SeaQ - Credit WatchGecko
The inspiration for the SeaQ came in at just 37 mm and was powered by one of the low-end Spezimatic movements for which the GUB was well known. During our recent visit to the Glashütte Original manufacture, I made another mistake in my assessment of the SeaQ that was, thankfully on this occasion, quickly rectified. Upon hearing that the original was 37 mm in diameter (2.5 mm smaller than the current model), I blurted out, “You should have kept the same proportions.”
I couldn’t see my own face at the time, but I’m sure it was wearing an expression of smug, self-satisfaction with the extremely basic commentary that had just sailed out of its mouth. I must commend our guide for not slapping that look straight off my mug. Truth be told, I kind of wish he had. I would’ve deserved it.
Glashütte Original SeaQ on WatchGecko Vintage Tropical Style FKM Rubber Watch Strap - Grey - Credit WatchGecko
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Rather, our charming guide smiled softly and handed me the original Glashütte Spezimatic Type RP TS 200 and the current SeaQ. That shut me up. He didn’t need to say anything. The decision to increase the size while retaining every shred of the original model’s character was inspired.
At this point, I realised that the press photography had not communicated the whole story. The modern iteration wears much, much smaller than the black and white measurements suggest. The broad, gently sloping bezel and smallish dial aperture help with that. The version from the ‘60s felt dinky and toylike in comparison. The modern model felt assured, invigorated, and ready for action.
Glashütte Original SeaQ - Credit WatchGecko
It is a surprisingly strong ambassador for what a modern luxury dive watch should be in that it was not trying too hard to be the tool we assume they all have to look like. It is a more soulful interpretation of life beneath the waves. It is highly legible, thanks to its large numerals, handset, and abundance of lume, but it does not, in any way, throw its chest out and pretend to be anything other than what it is.
It is an extremely well-made, well-finished, considerately proportioned timepiece that simply tells the time (and date). It seems to accept its role as a throwback and perhaps that of a copilot during a dive, to be worn comfortably alongside a modern dive computer.
Glashütte Original SeaQ - Credit WatchGecko
I’m not a diver. If I were, I’d likely use modern electronic kit for survival reasons, but would probably also like to wear a mechanical dive watch while submerged, as much for my spirit as anything else. The SeaQ would hands down be my choice over the Submariner. The only brand that now holds a candle to GO in this regard in my mind is perhaps Ulysse Nardin, which also has a long and esteemed history of creating marine instruments.
However, having handled and worn this divinely crafted thing and seen first-hand how it can shift from one setting to another thanks to its fit, finish, and versatile dimensions, I’m sold. The question for me has lurched jarringly from, “Why would I ever buy that model?” to, “When will I own a SeaQ?”
The answer, I can but hope, is, “Very soon.”
Glashütte Original SeaQ - Credit WatchGecko
Technical Specifications:
- Name: Glashütte
- Collection Reference: 1-39-11-06-80-35
- Case Dimensions: 39.5 mm wide by 12.5 mm thick
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Water Resistance: 200 metres
- Movement: Glashütte Original 39-11, automatic caliber with a 40-hour power reserve
