Horologii

Review of the Muhle Glashutte SAR Flieger Chronograph.

The beautiful Muhle Glashutte SAR Flieger chronograph has been around for some time now, yet has asar 2lways remained a composed, reliable instrument when it comes to choosing a classic and heavily modified pilots watch.

The timepiece provides another rationale to watch ownership which avoids flashiness or indeed the need to make a fashion statement, a factor so commonly seen within the luxury watch industry. The Muhle Glashutte SAR Flieger chronograph, developed for the rescue pilots of the German Navy, commits to conveying accurate time and this is really all it needs to do! The German Navy who work regularly with the rescue workers of the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service team have been graced with a timepiece that links the uses of a nautical instrument whilst simultaneously paying homage to maritime needs. The SAR Flieger boasts functionality with a handsome chronograph and a chronometer which is manufactured to DIN 8319. The timepiece designed by the “masters of precision measuring” is suitable for professional navigational use but equally embraces the sophistication of a conventional wristwatch.

The Muhle Glashutte SAR Flieger is constructed from a niche blend of tools including three quarter plates, Glashutte ribbing and gold chatons, all of which contribute to preserving the brand’s established reputation for luxury tools with a masculine persona. Since the year of 1996, the brand have been producing wristwatches of an exceptional quality, having taken two years prior to launching the company and progressively expanding on from their marine time systems and marine chronometers. Having admired the extreme limits of its specification from one end of the spectrum to the other, it is without doubt that the Muhle Glashutte SAR Flieger Chronograph has exceptional capacity for professional use.  The potential to deliver more than its wearer’s requirements imparts owner enchantment.  The black dial which features orange and white details bestows a bright and highly legible display. The sar 1black hour and minute hands with white tips are nice touches which echo the design language of a very traditional index. Reminiscent of the 1930’s and 40’s pilots watch, the hours are marked with striking white batons with a subsidiary seconds display located at the 3 o’clock mark. Pulling out the crown causes the seconds hand to hault, a faithful function which owes itself to the traditional pilots watch also. Between noon and 2 o’clock an orange scale is depicted which records short time measurements to allow the wearer to extrapolate flight speeds. A 44mm stainless steel surrounds the dial, consisting of a bidirectional rotating bezel featuring white Arabic numerals. Muhle Glashutte openly admit to using the ETA movement 7750 which has been re-named the MU 9408 and has been delightfully detailed with perlage decoration to the balance cock. The circular graining and blued screw finishes stand testament to the brand’s unparalleled standards of quality and excellence. Executed perfectly on either a robust stainless steel link bracelet or a more sporty black rubber band, the 100 metre water resistant watches are fitted with a sapphire crystal case back to expose some of the chronograph’s finer details.

The woodpecker neck regulated watch is extremely German and extremely compelling. Delivering capability on a grand form, the Muhle Glashutte SAR Flieger Chronograph harnesses much mechanical merit and will remain an old reliable for years to come.

Prices and availability information on the Muhle Glashutte SAR Flieger Chronograph can b found here.