Mühle Glashütte have long been specialists in the business of maritime precision instruments, cementing that reputation with the S.A.R Rescue-Timer back in the early 2000s. It was a collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger (DGzRS), the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service. Now, on the 160th anniversary of the Service, Mühle Glashütte are honouring their long-time partner with a special edition S.A.R. Mission-Timer “160 Years DGzRS”.
For this special edition they’ve upgraded the 43mm steel case with rubber bezel to titanium with a ceramic bezel. It makes it substantially lighter weight, ideal for long days at sea, while also being nice and scratch resistant thanks to that ceramic. It retains the signature smooth shape with integrated bracelet so that there’s nowhere for obstructions to find purchase and damage the watch as you’re tossed about on the waves, instead glancing off harmlessly (hopefully).
Matching the industrial vibe of the case is the dark titanium dial, which has been decorated with a topographical sea map of the North Sea at Bremerhaven – the closest port town to Bremen where the DGzRS has its headquarters. It’s punctuated by the oversize, lumed hour markers and large date window, as well as the red tipped seconds hand. Red is the signature colour of the DGzRS so its use here makes thematic sense as well as adding a nice point of accent colour.
There’s another reference to the Service on the caseback, though this time it’s not actually celebrating the 160th anniversary of the Service as a whole but rather the 150th anniversary of their boat-shaped donation boxes that are a staple of fundraising events in Germany. It protects the SW 400-1 automatic movement with 41-hour power reserve. It’s been adapted by Mühle Glashütte to have a woodpecker neck regulator for improved shock resistance. It’s also been regulated to an improved rate of 0/+8 seconds per day.
In tribute to the anniversary, the S.A.R. Mission-Timer “160 Years DGzRS” is limited to 160 pieces at £2,900. That puts it firmly in the mid-range luxury dive watch price category alongside brands like Oris and Tag Heuer. But given its connection to German naval history and the high quality titanium and ceramic construction, I think it competes with those bigger name brands on an even footing. Especially with the interesting dial of this special edition.
Price and Specs:
More details at Mühle-Glashütte.
