German actor Sebastian Koch is a busy man. Koch has just come off a string of scene-stealing parts, including playing the billionaire Otto Düring on the TV series Homeland and featured roles in the Academy Award nominated films Bridge of Spies and The Danish Girl. With so many high profile gigs in 2015 alone, it’s no wonder he could use an alarm watch like the Glashütte Original Senator Diary to plan ahead in 2016.
Koch was seen wearing this uniquely complicated timepiece at the Glashütte lounge during the 65th Berlinale Film Festival. The Senator Diary debuted in 2010 and it was the first (and still the only) mechanical watch where one can set the alarm to go off up to 31 days in the future (most can only be set 24 hours in advance).
One note: the Senator Diary is not a perpetual calendar watch. You still need to reset the day and date at the end of the month. But the alarm function will automatically adjust when you do. And for those who love to plan ahead, it also employs an in-house self-winding movement with the time and date. And while setting the alarm is a four-step procedure, it’s a simple one—a third spring barrel makes certain that even if the power reserve runs down, the alarm stays wound.
Glashütte Original Senator Diary watch
Koch has made a lot of highbrow films, but you might also recognize his face from thrillers such as A Good Day to Die Hard and Unknown. That’s because German actors are the go-to guys for playing baddies in Hollywood films. Germans are also celebrated for their engineering and design skills. This example of haute horologie is powered by Glashütte’s in-house Caliber 100-13—a movement much admired by aficionados of automatics and one that you can spend hours gazing at through the sapphire crystal case back.
The 600-plus parts are nicely balanced by the simple styling of the watch. The case is available in shiny stainless steel or, like Koch’s watch, brushed 18k rose gold. At 43mm, there’s plenty of breathing room for all the day, date and alarm indicators. And the winders and pushers are arranged with a beautiful asymmetry. It’s not a light piece, but the overall look is very elegant.
For an actor during award season, you want to deliver a performance that gets you talked about (and at the end of the day, being able to set an alarm 30 days in the future is more about bragging rights than practicality) but will also stand the test of time. And the Glashütte Original Senator Diary is so original and that it has become a star in its own right.
