I have made no secret over my affinity for the watches coming from Mühle-Glashütte. There is just something about their refined-yet-utilitarian designs that grabs my attention. One of the more recent models, the M29, also spoke to my background on working with dial gauges in a previous life. Well, if you liked that overall style, but find yourself more drawn to aviation watches, then perhaps the Mühle-Glashütte Terrasport I Beobachter is more to your liking.
As you can tell, this watch is very much aviation-derived. It is based on the observations watches used by navigators in the past. Those original models normally ran around 55mm in diameter (to aid in readability), whereas the Mühle-Glashütte Terrasport I Beobachter comes in a much more wrist-friendly 44mm. It still keeps the design features you would expect from the original.
For me, that really comprises of the inner hour-marker track, and then of course the separate minute track at the outer edge of the dial. The first time I saw one of these style of dials, I was really taken aback. Here was a clear example of how and why we could (should?) have the length of hands that we do. Of course, with the printing as we have on the Mühle-Glashütte Terrasport I Beobachter, this also lends to show that the handset is of the appropriate length. For my tastes, I would have liked to seen the hands be a touch wider, but it’s still a sharp look.
The inner track also helps tie the Mühle-Glashütte Terrasport I Beobachter, at least visually, to the M29. There are other things (such as the SW200 movement) that mark the similarities, so for my book, I’m treating them as similar watches. To the prospective buyer, it really does boil down to what style you prefer – the more tooling-oriented M29, or the eyes-in-the-sky Mühle-Glashütte Terrasport I Beobachter. If you opt for the latter, bring along $1,999 for it on leather, or $2,199 on the bracelet. Availability has not been officially announced yet, but it should be by late summer or early fall of 2015. muehle-glashuette.de
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Mühle-Glashütte Terrasport I Beobachter
- Price: $1,999 (leather), $2,199 (steel)
- Who we think it might be for: You weren’t completely sold on the M29 design, because you like your watches with an airplane lineage
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: Hard to say without having seen it in person – and side by side with the M29.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: I think widening the hands a bit would be a welcome change
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: If it wasn’t clear, it’s the family lineage it shares, design-wise, with the M29
