Tutima Glashütte has built a great-looking all-gold watch with an expertly designed dual time zone indicator—but is it enough to separate it from the pack of similarly priced competitors?
By Logan R. Baker
The concept of “home” is a funny thing. What should be the most readily available human comfort becomes complicated when geopolitical matters come into play. Such is the case with Tutima Glashütte, which returned to its birthplace in 2011 after being displaced in the aftermath of World War II. So, of course, with the return, there was reason for lots of celebration. Not just for brand loyalists and employees, but within the general sphere of the watchmaking cognoscenti. Anytime a company finds its way back home, there should be cause for joy.
The Patria, which translates to “homeland,” was introduced in 2013. In the aftermath of such festivities, there was a flood of new timepieces, one of which I was lucky enough to wear for the past week. The Tutima Glashütte Patria is a classic men’s dress watch that fulfills all the necessary trappings that the category requires with a subtly elegant complication hidden in the seconds subdial.
Right away, I could tell that this was a serious dress watch. At 43 mm and with a solid 18-karat gold construction, the watch shouldn’t remain trapped underneath a sleeve—it demands the opportunity to breathe and show itself off. In doing that, I received a fair number of compliments as I went throughout my days with the timepiece on. It’s a handsome watch that is redolent of German design intelligence. In fact, the watch feels extremely German on the wrist, and for me personally, even a bit too sober at times.
The second time zone is dictated by an hour hand in the seconds subdial. It’s set in a very attractive blue, making it instantly legible and it provides a great contrast with the rose-gold case. This understated and elegant complication is glaringly simple, but it’s absolutely perfect the way it is. It’s easy to comprehend, effortless to use, and doesn’t feel out of place on the watch at all.
The crown and crown protector are both great features of the Patria. The crown protector is very functional and attractive, allowing for painless access to adjust the time while also protecting the crown from any unfortunate bumps or jostles that come with normal wear and tear. The crown looks like a crown: It adds a nice bit of texture to the cleanliness that affects the dial. The rose-gold hands add levity to such a serious face as they stretch across the dial and tend to catch the light in a pleasing way.
Powering the watch is the Tutima Caliber 619, an in-house produced and manually wound movement running at 21,600 bph. It allows for a lengthy 65-hour power reserve and the see-through caseback offers a fantastic view of the gold-plated, finely-finished back. Looking closely through the crystal caseback into the gold-finished movement, you’ll see that the ruby jewels are held in place by gold chatons, a signature of fine watchmaking from Glashütte that I was pleased to discover.
The Patria, with dual time zones, comes in at $19,500 and in time-only at $17,900. This high price tag makes me wonder if a more affordable steel version is in Tutima’s future plans. As it stands, we have an attractive and well-executed dress watch that is ideal for the executive who wants to break away from the other German brands; but, unfortunately, the Patria seems to lack a certain identifying feature that would set it apart from the extensive range of similarly priced timepieces.
All in all, the Patria is an excellent representation of Tutima Glashütte’s growth as a brand since they returned home. Sport watches have long been the brand’s bread and butter, but if the Patria’s understated luxury and the Tempostopp—released this year to celebrate the company’s 90th anniversary—are a forecast of future models, then the brand’s ascendence into the $20,000+ range should be seamless.
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