They are both masters of their trade: The German watchmaker Glashütte Original and the MEISSEN porcelain manufactory represent the finest in German craftsmanship in their respective fields. The two tradition-rich firms are bound by a long-standing friendship, which has inspired them to join forces for a very special project – three limited-edition wristwatches with delicately painted porcelain dials – combine the values of the two brands to form a timeless work of precision and poetry. Framed by an elegant red gold case, they are an homage to traditional craftsmanship, exceptional quality down to the tiniest detail, and human creativity.

A tale of two cities

The Glashütte Original and MEISSEN manufactories have a great deal in common. They are guardians of a craft heritage that has been nurtured for many generations and has rendered the names of their hometowns a synonym for top quality and consistency. In 2025 Glashütte Original celebrates 180 years of Glashütte watchmaking, whereas MEISSEN, Europe’s first porcelain manufactory, can look back on 315 years of history. The partnership between the two heritage brands is thus a meeting of like-minded actors whose experience and design expertise find expression in three unique timepieces.

With a steady hand and much patience

Every Senator Meissen is a miniature work of art. A 40 mm red gold case frames the hand-painted dials, whose hour and minute displays are reduced to a minimum. This purist interpretation structures the aesthetics of the watches in two ways: The movement’s low height makes for an exceptionally slim profile, while the two gently curved red gold hands cede pride of place to the decoration. The dials are fashioned from razor-thin porcelain discs, which are first fired at 1,400° Celsius and subsequently examined carefully to ensure high quality and a perfectly flat surface. At this point the decoration, lettering and Roman numerals are applied by hand with fine brushes, in several layers. Each layer is fired in the kiln at 900°C in order to achieve the desired depth of colour.

Painting in miniature on porcelain 

The new Senator Meissen offers three different dial designs. The first variant, in a limited edition of 150 pieces, presents the ornamental “Mystic Maison”, from the MEISSEN porcelain manufactory, in delicate grey against a flawless white ground. In a second version with identical decoration, also limited to 150 pieces, the colour evokes the origins of porcelain art: The Rocaille elements of “Mystic Maison” appear here on a green celadon ground. This colour refers to ceramic objects with a transparent green celadon glaze produced in China as far back as the 9th century. The third model features a collage that picks up on iconic motifs from MEISSEN's ‘Dekorwelten’ crater vase and is produced in a limited edition of only eight pieces. Animals and flowers in bright rainbow colours are set by the painter against a celadon green background and come together to form an enchanting fairy-tale scene.

An artful mechanism, elaborately finished

Ticking beneath the MEISSEN porcelain dials lies the art of Glashütte watchmaking at its best: the Calibre 36 manufactory movement combines exquisite mechanics with modern user-friendliness. It features bi-directional automatic winding and a running time of 100 hours. Its silicon balance spring is resistant to magnetic fields and fluctuations in temperature, and the second stop function allows one to set the time precisely when the crown is pulled out. The movement’s carefully executed finishes offer a refined counterpoint to the artful aesthetics of the Meissen porcelain and are easily admired through the sapphire crystal case back: The Glashütte three-quarter plate features a refined stripe finish, the balance cock is hand-engraved, and the manual winding chain is enhanced with a sunburst finish. The skeletonised rotor with the Glashütte Original double-G symbol and 21-carat gold oscillating weight, as well as even the smallest details, are elaborately finished by hand: the bevelled and polished edges, the polished steel parts and the tiny blued screws.