Glass Date Models

The point of this post is to illustrate some of the characteristics of my Glass Series, but also to highlight one of my favorite models and compare the two variations.

10/6 Glass Date-C	10/6 Glass Date-S
Diameter: 42mm Height: 11.1mm Case: Stainless steel, brushed and polished combo Movement: Chinese DG2833, Hand-wound Power Reserve: 36 hours Jewels: 20 Tolerance: -30/+30 seconds per day Hands: Painted/textured navy blue hour/minute, yellow sweeping seconds (colored silver) Frequency: 21,600bph (3Hz) Crystal: Mineral, Flat Water Resistance: 100m/300ft Strap Pictured: Genuine leather, Alligator, Navy blue, 22mm Price: $225 Availability: On Etsy	Diameter: 42mm Height: 11.1mm Case: Stainless steel, brushed and polished combo Movement: Swiss Sellita SW210-1, Automatic Power Reserve: 38 hours Jewels: 26 Tolerance: -20/+20 seconds per day Hands: Blued steel hollow hour/minute, orange sweeping seconds Frequency: 28,800bph (4Hz) Crystal: Sapphire, Flat Water Resistance: 100m/300ft Strap Pictured: Genuine leather, Alligator, Navy blue w/white stitching, 22mm Price: $455 Availability: Contact me!

The first one I made was the Date-C, mainly because I could do so for a lower cost and maybe it would sell sooner. I liked it so much that I decided to make another Date model, but a notch higher on the materials and with different hands. Date-C uses a Chinese movement and Date-S uses a Swiss movement, hence the names. The movements and cases cost very different amounts and that means the retail costs are very different. Still, after making both models, I personally feel more drawn to the Date-C.

Let me walk through a brief comparison…

The crystals

The case designs are exactly the same except that the Date-S has a sapphire crystal, while the Date-C has a mineral crystal. In the long run, the sapphire is going to be less susceptible to scratching. Though a cost difference exists between the two cases, both will hold up well with care and both are housed in the same high-quality stainless steel. I have been wearing both cases/crystals for months via my own Glass models (42 – sapphire, Parallel – mineral). They still look the same and neither has a scratch. Still, sapphire is better quality.

The movements

As mentioned, Date-C uses a Chinese movement and Date-S uses a Swiss movement. Another big difference between these two Date models is that the Date-C is hand-wound and the Date-S is automatic. In the pictures of the case backs, you can see that Date-S has a rotor that will rotate as you wear the watch and wind the mainspring. With Date-C you just have to wind it up manually every so often. I have an array of both hand-winders and automatics in my collection and both have their merits. I like the thinness and primitive nature of hand-wound movements. I also like the less needy and mechanical haptics of automatics. The hand-wound versus automatic issue, along with the differing date wheel complications, leads to the higher jewel count for the SW200 over the DG2833 (26 to 20). The thickness of the DG2833 gives the Date-C more depth, while the Date-S has more contrast in metal tones. The two movements really are an apple and an orange, and both are likable.

Swiss watch manufacturing is the top of the movement mountain. Having tinkered with watches, I can tell you they are very different from afar and up-close. This is noticeable when interacting with the watches like winding the movement and quick-setting the date. The difference is clear visually with the quality of the machining. And it is particularly clear when taking the movements apart and putting them back together, in material quality, component arrangement, and design.

Still, only a 10 second difference in the tolerances begs the question…is the $100 difference between the two worth it? For some people yes, for some people no. It really just depends on what you want in a watch. Most of my watches have Swiss movements because I like the quality and they are easier to work on. By that I mean the components tend to be more resilient to being handled and will last longer because they are better quality metals. The reason why there is a difference in the loss/gain of seconds per day is because the DG2833, like most Chinese (and Japanese) movements, has the 3Hz rate while the SW200, like many Swiss movements, runs at 4Hz. For most people, over the course of a day, either is fine when we are talking about mechanical timekeeping.

Wearing the watchs

They mostly feel the same on the wrist due to the identical case design, but a couple differences exist. Since the SW200 is an automatic, you can feel and hear the rotor rotating from time-to-time. The straps are also somewhat different, both having pros. They are both navy blue, with the strap on the Date-C being a light navy and the Date-S being dark navy. The colors closely match the hour and minute hand colors on their respective models. The strap I put on the Date-S has white stitching, which is a nice touch. But the strap on the Date-C is softer and, to me, the more appealing color of the two.

Hands and telling the time

Both are easier to tell the time on than you would think, even with dials lacking. The hands are easier to see on the Date-C because they are not hollow like on the Date-S. I also really really really like how the textured blue hands turned out on the Date-C. I took regular silver hands and applied a couple layers of paint while pressing them to create the texture. They are unique and a great look. They both have the same sort of sweeping seconds hand, just one I colored yellow and the other is orange, both go well with the navy blue.

Conclusion

I really do like my Glass model 42 and it is probably the watch I wear the most (in a close battle with my Christopher Ward C65 Trident Vintage), but with this Date model being a new addition to the collection, we will see what happens. If you are interested in purchasing one of these models or would like something similar, contact me!