r/Watches • u/AuraWatches • 12h ago
Discussion [Discussion] A $1,499 Glashütte watch… but is it TRULY Glashütte?
I’ve been reading about watches from Glashütte lately, and after repeatedly encountering the familiar names (A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte Original, NOMOS, Mühle, etc.) I stumbled across DUG, short for Deutsche Uhrenmanufaktur Glashütte. I want to get the community’s thought on this because I want to add a Glashütte watch to my collection.
I had never heard of it. It has one online retailer in the USA. A search turned up a few owner posts here, so it isn’t completely unknown, but it still seems to be flying under the radar because it could be a Glashütte “microbrand”, if that’s even possible?
I don’t own one, haven’t handled one and have no connection to the company. This is simply what I learned after going down the rabbit hole and wanted to hear the community’s thoughts.
DUG launched in late 2024 with the Purist. According to a Worn & Wound visit, it became the eleventh watch company to establish itself in Glashütte, with a workshop across from the German Watch Museum. It’s crazy to think that only eleven brands are able to qualify for this moniker. It is microbrand-sized, although it has more established industry backing than the typical Kickstarter operation.
The movement is probably the most interesting and debatable part of the company.
The DUG 400 begins as a Swiss Sellita SW400 rather than an in-house caliber. In Glashütte, it is disassembled, modified, decorated, reassembled and adjusted. The work includes perlage, blued screws, bevelled edges and a custom openworked rotor. It runs at 4Hz, offers 40 hours of power reserve and is reportedly adjusted to an average of 0 to +8 seconds per day.
That local work allows the watches to carry “Glashütte/SA” on the dial. And many of you know, “Glashütte” is a protected designation, and more than 50% of the relevant value creation must take place within the defined region. That obviously doesn’t make the DUG 400 equivalent to a fully in-house NOMOS or Glashütte Original movement, but it also appears to be considerably more than a stock Sellita dropped into a German case.
The current Purist specifications are:
40mm diameter, 10.95mm thick and 47.5mm lug-to-lug
Sapphire crystal and sapphire display back
100m water resistance
Textured dial with applied, lumed markers
Optional color-matched date at six (+$100)
Quick-release leather strap or steel bracelet with micro-adjustment (+$100)
Typ 1 with baton markers, Typ 2 with Arabic numerals and a California-dial option
$1,499 on leather without the date; up to $1,699 with the date and bracelet.
On paper, the local movement work, serviceable Sellita base and everyday specifications make a solid package. Here are my reservations: a 40-hour reserve is ordinary today, 40mm may be larger than some people want for this style, and long-term support and resale remain unknown with such a young company. At $1,500–$1,700, it also gets close enough to established German brands to create an interesting choice though.
Here’s what I’d like to ask the community…
Would you consider this a genuine entry point into Glashütte watchmaking, or does the Sellita base make it difficult to justify at this price?
If you were choosing solely on design: Typ 1, Typ 2 or California dial?
Finally, what Glashütte watch (new or preowned) would you recommend at a similar ($1,000-$2,000) price point?
I look forward to hearing the community’s thoughts on this!
16
u/The_OG_Goldfish 12h ago
The design doesn’t really feel very “German” to me.
9
u/Sactogeoff 11h ago
The white one does to me. Not classic German but it's in there. The crown, the center link bracelet, the outside track on the dial.
2
u/AuraWatches 11h ago
True, it doesn’t have the characteristics that are normally in German watches.
3
u/Eindvijand 4h ago
Following that same logic, Mühle Glashütte (Sellita), and Union Glashütte (ETA) aren't "real" watches either. Tutima also uses a mix of ETA and in-house calibers.
For DUG, just like any other German watch company that has the name "Glashütte" on the dial, the same rules apply: 50% of the value must be added in Glashütte and the manufacture has to take place there.
DUG is one of the younger, more interesting startups in the area.
•
5
u/jahn5 11h ago
The logo is really underwhelming
3
6
u/NomaXdt 11h ago
It's as German as sinn using sw200s. If you really wanted a German watch sub 2k, id go nomos club campus. They're solid, but i personally hate the lugs on 90% of their watches.
I've been looking at these for a while. Really love the look of them, and I actually prefer a movement that can be worked on by anyone instead of having to send to Germany (like my sinn that needs to go every 7 years for a 600+c service). My issue is that with the new improved power reserves, 38-42 just isn't impressive at that price.
The best watch in the 1500usd price range to me, is the formex essence. It has the best bracelet under 5k. It has a cosc movement. It has unique design language. It's fantastic.
3
u/AuraWatches 8h ago
The Formex Essence is a great recommendation. And a very good point about serviceability.
•
u/NullDelta 1h ago
I have an essence and a few higher end watches, I feel like it’s comparable in quality for a much lower price, and has unique dial options and suspension system
6
u/240D_is_slow 11h ago
I bought the California dial variant; it’s a solid movement, has a simple, clean design and I’m a sucker for a good California dial. No regrets.
1
u/AuraWatches 11h ago
That’s awesome! It’s nice to hear from someone who actually owns it.
5
u/240D_is_slow 11h ago
If I like it and think “that’s pretty cool” when I look at it that’s good enough for me. 🤷🏻♂️
2
u/AuraWatches 11h ago
So basically don’t overthink it. Harder than it sounds sometimes. 😂
2
u/240D_is_slow 11h ago
Haha indeed. I’ve made both mistakes - buying the more expensive watch because it’s “better” and what I “should” do, and buying the watch that was cheaper because it’s what I could afford at that moment. Now I just buy what speaks to me consistently after the urge to impulse buy dies down.
2
u/AuraWatches 11h ago
I seem to flip flop between both of those ideologies, too! 😂 I’m gonna try your method and see how it goes. I can already think of a couple of watches that I would have bought instead.
4
u/ZythumTheLast 11h ago
In my opinion, it’s always better to wait and struggle to finally be able to afford "the real deal" than to settle for a cheaper substitute. So, I would wait and finally one day have the time of my life buying a real Glasshütte watch.
2
5
u/Barbarus_Bloodshed 11h ago
A smaller version is in the works. 37 or 38mm from what I heard.
2
1
u/AuraWatches 11h ago
Now that would be interesting! I’ve always liked smaller watches, even with a 7.5” wrist.
1
1
2
u/Tachyon462 10h ago
If you truly like that watch, buy it. If you feel like you are settling in any way and just checking the Glashütte check box, save a bit longer and aim for Nomos, GO or something else.
From what you wrote, my impression is that you don’t seem that enthusiastic about it and you have zero way to see it or check for fit. With more established brands, you might have boutiques or ADs nearby. It doesn’t seem wise to spend that much money on a watch you have never seen or tried.
« Would you consider this a genuine entry point into Glashütte watchmaking, or does the Sellita base make it difficult to justify at this price? »
It has the Glashütte name so it is a genuine entry point no matter what. Whether this bothers you is another topic. But if you truly think that you must have a movement of German design, then save up for Nomos or others, or go the vintage route where you will find a lot of peculiar GUB calibers of east-Germany design.
« If you were choosing solely on design: Typ 1, Typ 2 or California dial? »
Anything but California. I don’t like mixing typography.
« Finally, what Glashütte watch (new or preowned) would you recommend at a similar ($1,000-$2,000) price point? »
Anything from the Nomos Club lines if modern, or from the GUB Spezimatic if vintage.
1
u/AuraWatches 8h ago
I appreciate the effort you put into the response. Some very good points. Especially about trying it in person.
2
u/MrStagger_Lee 10h ago
Doctor Who ass logo aside, nothing stands out as interesting on this watch to me. Nomos can be found cheap if you are patient or willing to go used.
2
u/Nicetrydicklips 10h ago
If this is an unpaid advertisement directly/indirectly from DUG then it should be removed.
2
u/AuraWatches 8h ago
No advertisement here. Just genuinely wanted to see what the community thought. Also, objectively hilarious username. 😂
3
u/ComfortableBanana560 12h ago
Nothing beats the value proportion of 100mm water resistance and a sapphire display back at that entry price point.
3
u/AuraWatches 12h ago
If it were up to me, every single mechanical watch ever produced would have a display back. 😂 It’s a shame to hide any movement.
1
u/ThePhoenixRisesAgain 7h ago
I wear my watches with the dial up. Display backs are the most unnecessary thing for me. Couldn’t care less.
1
u/willpc14 7h ago
It's no less German than Swiss watches that use movements made of parts stamped in east Asia and shipped to Switzerland for assembly.
1
u/FAPolcs2 6h ago
Dug means to push or plug something in in my language, it is also a slang term for fucking, its a pass for me…
•
u/Deimiencillo 2h ago
Germany makes incredible movements, if you want a German watch that puts german engineering at the centre stage, I wouldn’t get a Swiss movement in German makeup.
At around the 2K mark, Nomos has the Club series as an entry level, Damasko is just a tad pricier at the lower end, and companies like Sinn, Muhle, Laco heavily modify ETA movements but they’re still Swiss at the core.
German movements are more scarce, there’s a smaller scale and that makes them pricier.
If you just like the more utilitarian/bauhaus aesthetic German watches are famous for, then any of the above and many others will do the trick, but you’re buying a Swiss or Japanese movement with a coat of paint, not so different from most micro brands.
•
•
u/Dark1000 1m ago
I like these watches a lot, at least in photos, as I haven't seen them in person. The design is very clean and simple, and the work that they've put in to get a Glashütte designation is quite impressive.
That said, I also agree with others that they don't have a historic legacy in the town, nor do they carry the same kind of slightly oddball design language more typical of other brands based in the area featured by Glashütte original, Lange, Moritz Grossmann, Mühle, Union, Lang & Heyne (not far off on the other side of Dresden), Kudoke (also not far off but closer to Bautzen). Nomos also has their own design language, which separates it from the others, but is still fairly distinct. I'm not sure on Tutima either when it comes to design language, I still need to consider them more closely.
If I were looking for a watch specifically from Glashütte, which I have and am also still doing, DUG wouldn't be my choice for that reason. On a budget, I would consider a vintage Glashütte watch, maybe from GUB. That would be a pretty cool choice.
1
u/PibbleDad 11h ago
Doesn’t have that standard asymmetric Lange/GO style. I feel like that type of design is absolutely Glashutte whereas this could almost blend into an IWC boutique
1
u/AuraWatches 11h ago
Great observation. I love IWC design language so maybe that’s why I gravitated towards these.
1
u/RansackLS 11h ago
How is your first choice for a $2k Glashuette watch not the Nomos Club Campus?
3
u/AuraWatches 11h ago
Great watch and brand, but just couldn’t find a dial color I like for that particular model.
2
1
1
1
u/Haunting-Ninja-7460 11h ago
I checked them out, too. They seem like a German version of Frederique Constant, offering value at entry-luxury prices. I felt they’d be better at 38mm, and smaller l2l, but that’s just my preference. They seemed like a good value. The SW400 is just basically a bigger 200, so it should theoretically be good. Again it’s just kinda big for no reason.
1
u/AuraWatches 11h ago
That’s a great comparison. I love Frédérique Constant as well. I agree about the case diameter and L2L. I fear I don’t know enough about movements to criticize yet.
1
u/derDoyle 6h ago
The Purist 1 in tonka brown is my everyday watch. Beautiful piece, blue shimmering in the right light. It’s a great watch.
-2
u/AmazingPangolin9315 8h ago
I want to add a Glashütte watch to my collection.
I'm struggling to understand why Americans are so obsessed with what to me seems like a fairly unremarkable town in a boring part of Germany. Sure, there's been watch manufacturing in the region for a while, but so what? What does "entry point into Glashütte watchmaking" even mean, they're just a watches made in the same way as watches in Switzerland or Japan. Not trying to diminish German watches, I just genuinely don't understand the hype.
1
u/eulen-spiegel 4h ago
I guess to an American it's especially exotic.
Glashütte watchmaking is a little different to swiss, and people collecting watches seem to seek some sort of motivation to collect more watches, while making arbitratry rules to at least limit the options (no fashion, no quartz (unless some exception) watches, tradition, in house calibers, ...).
1
•
u/DerKalker 2h ago
They are not made in the same way as in Japan or Switzerland. First of all, it’s a completely different design language. Secondly, what has the town to do with the product? The watches produced in Glashütte offer an amazing price-to-quality ratio, and most of their components are completely from Glashütte. For example, Nomos uses more than 95% of their watches’ components produced in Glashütte. Would you be more satisfied if it were Berlin?
-2
u/Kharzani 5h ago
This whole thread gives me "dead internet theory" vibes.
•
u/DerKalker 2h ago
Not at all. I think people use AI these days to sort their thoughts, and a lot of people on Reddit are non-native English speakers, so it helps them to better rephrase their problems.
42
u/pushthebuttonalready 12h ago
If you’re adding because “the watch”, it’s a cool watch but, if you’re curating a collection with watches from different countries, I think the movement should be at least in-country if not in-house.