Glashütte Original SeaQ Chronograph Review

For our previous review of the Glashütte Original PanoMaticCalendar we went pretty deep on the history of Glashütte Original, so for this review we’ll skip over the history of the brand. If you’d like to learn more about Glashütte Original before proceeding with this review, please read the opening of our PanoMaticCalendar review.

Today Glashütte Original is by far one of the most advanced watch manufactures residing in a manufactory building boasting over 10,000 square meters of production space. The brand has the ability to produce just about every component in this facility in-house. Although Glashütte Original’s facility is cutting edge, the brand still holds on to their roots of traditional watchmaking that has made them a beacon in one of the most famous of all watchmaking cities, Glashütte. All Glashütte Original watches wear the “Made in Germany” quality seal on their dial, meaning the watch adheres to the most stringent of standards. Glashütte Original is a true manufactory, producing their movements entirely in-house.



While Glashütte Original and typically most brands from the region are known for their dress and complicated watches, today we’re going to look at something a bit different from Glashütte Original. One of Glashütte Original’s core collections is the Spezialist series, this collection consists of their dive watches known as SeaQ. The hallmarks of the Spezialist series are watches that offer the most durability and reliability both above and below the surface.

The SeaQ collection currently consists of chronographs and time only dive watches which mostly feature the brand’s Panorama Date Big Date function. The model we’re going to look at today is the most complicated watch in the series being the SeaQ Chronograph in stainless steel reference 1-37-23-02-81-36.



We recently wrote about the new line of straps that Glashütte Original released for Summer and reached out to the brand to see if they could send us a SeaQ on one of the new straps and they graciously agreed. The blue dialed SeaQ Chronograph came equipped with the brand new Synthetic Orange strap.

When the watch arrived, the first thing I noticed about the watch was just how nice it felt. I’ve been around a ton of dive watches recently, but the SeaQ Chronograph just felt heads and shoulders nicer than any of them. The SeaQ Chronograph just exudes quality while handling the watch. I imagine this is kind of where Rolex is heading with their Submariner, but I think they still have far to go to reach the level of finish on this Glashütte Original.



The next thing I noticed was how well the deep blue ceramic bezel goes with the blue dial. The colors match perfectly and the dial just looks amazing under the heavily domed sapphire crystal. The contrast between the deep blue and the stark white of the bezel markings, dial hands and markers is also stunning.

Finally the bright orange synthetic strap really goes well with the deep blue of the dial and bezel. The whole package just works so well together. I’m typically not the biggest fan of blue dials, but the way Glashütte Original executed blue on this watch just works. I have a strong feeling the reason I’m liking the blue so much is because of how the orange strap really highlights all the blues.



The Glashütte Original SeaQ Chronograph is crafted out of stainless steel and has a case diameter of 43.2 mm with a lug to lug of 51.4 mm and a case thickness of 17.2 mm. On the orange synthetic strap the SeaQ Chronograph weighs 135 grams. These measurements are 100 percent in my wheelhouse of watch dimensions, and needless to say, the watch wore fantastic.

As touched upon before, the SeaQ Chronograph features a 60 click unidirectional bezel with a deep blue ceramic insert. The bezel action is nice and firm with absolutely no play and a very nice click on each turn. Some people might complain there aren’t 120 clicks, but I’m not really sure of the point of that when the bezel only has 60 markings. The bezel has bright white markings and each 10 minute marker is an Arabic numeral with 60 being a lumed triangle. The bezel also has sharply cut edges providing tons of grip and should be able to easily be operated with dive gloves on.



The front sapphire crystal of the SeaQ Chronograph has a strong dome to it, adding to the thickness of the watch but also giving it a unique look and aiding with the 300 meters of water resistance. The crystal is extremely clear and gives a great view of the radiant blue sunray dial underneath. 12 and 6 o’clock are done in Arabic numerals while the rest of the hour markers are stick indices. Along with the oversized minute hand, hour hand and small running seconds, all dial markers are coated with Super Luminova.

At 3 o’clock you have the 30 minute totalizer sub dial for the chronograph and at 9 o’clock you have the running seconds subdial. The chronograph’s seconds hand is a center large hand with a Glashütte Original logo as its counterbalance. At 12 o’clock you also have the Glashütte Original logo and at 6 o’clock you have the Panorama Date Big Date with a blue background. Like mentioned before, the “Made In Germany” text is also found at 6 o’clock. Overall, the dial displays a ton of information without being the slight bit busy.



The majority of the stainless steel case of the SeaQ Chronograph is satin-brushed finished with some edges and pushers being polished. The brushed finish really gives the SeaQ Chronograph a tool watch look, while the polished pieces give it a bit of elegance. This watch would look just as good on a boat getting ready for a dive as it would at a nice restaurant.

The right hand side of the watch features the two chronograph pushers and the large screw down crown. The pushers are not round and are more geometric in shape. The upper pusher starts and stops the chronograph with a satisfying click, while the bottom pusher resets the chronograph. Not only does the bottom pusher reset the chronograph, but the SeaQ Chronograph is also a flyback chronograph, so if the chronograph is running when the bottom pusher is pressed, the chronograph will automatically reset and start timing again. The flyback chronograph is one of the more underrated complications, but also one of the most useful.



The large crown features nice sharp edges like the bezel and is a breeze to screw and un-screw. The top of the crown also features the Glashütte Original logo. Un-screwing the crown allows for manual winding. Pulling the crown out one more position allows for setting the Panorama Date and the last position allows you to set the time.

Flipping the watch over shows off the beautiful in-house Calibre 37-23 automatic movement. The 37-23 runs at 28,800 vph (4 Hz) and offers a more than ample 70 hours of power reserve. On our timegrapher, the 37-23 ran at – 2 to +1 seconds per day, well within Chronometer specs. The hair spring of the Caliber 37-23 is also done in high-tech silicon which isn’t affected by magnetic fields and provides steady oscillation. On top of the movement is a large skeletonized rotor with a Glashütte Original logo and 21 carat gold oscillation weight.



The movement is also stunning with the three-quarter plate completely done with a stripe finish. All steel parts have a polished finish and the screws are either polished or blued. Finishing off the movement decoration are all edges either being polished or beveled. The Glashütte Original logo and “Made in Germany” are also proudly displayed on the movement.

The lug width of the SeaQ Chronograph is 21 mm and the strap tapers down to 17 mm where it meets the stainless steel deployant clasp. The clasp is brushed and polished and features the Glashütte Original logo. Twin buttons are required to be pushed to release one side of the clasp. The other side of the clasp is held in place with a locking mechanism. I have to say the force needed to unclick the second side of the clasp is very high, which would make me feel pretty comfortable about it not getting dislodged by mistake. Like I’ve said for the millionth time, expensive watches should come on deployants and this Glashütte Original does just that.



This SeaQ Chronograph came on the new for Summer 2024 Synthetic Orange fabric strap. The strap is rather thin, but seems to be very strong and supports the weight of the stainless steel 43.2 mm SeaQ Chronograph just fine. The strap required zero break in and was comfortable as could be, even for being a brand new strap. Glashütte Original really nailed the color of the strap and it goes so well with the blue dial and bezel of the watch. The orange is definitely my favorite of the new colors released and probably the best choice for a blue dial as well.

For the time I had the watch, I frequently found myself picking the SeaQ Chronograph from the safe as the watch I’d wear for the day. Being a fan of larger watches, the well over 50 mm lug to lug meant the watch was really the preferred size of watch I like wearing. The slightly thicker nature of the watch also felt more at home with my personal watches. The watch did feel a tad bit heavy on my wrist though, but this is just that the watch is crafted out of stainless steel. Personally since most of my watches are larger, I prefer them to be made out of lightweight titanium, ceramic or carbon. I think a version of the SeaQ in titanium would be amazing.



As I said before, the Glashütte Original SeaQ Chronograph just feels like an expensive watch. The watch feels extremely solid and the finishing is top notch. Ever since Rolex kind of abandoned their tool watch look and feel of the five digit sports models for the more luxurious modern models, I feel they are trying to achieve what Glashütte Original has done with this luxury diver. The $14,700 retail price of the SeaQ Chronograph is a good deal more than the $10,250 retail of a new Submariner Date but it really does show.

One thing I need to point out is that I don’t really see the need for a chronograph on a dive watch. This is nothing against Glashütte Original since you can also get a chronograph version of say a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and Omega Seamaster for example. I know the chances of anything leaking from the chronograph pushers is pretty much zero, but it’s still two extra places where water can get in. Also the dive bezel pretty much makes using a chronograph on a dive pointless. People just love chronographs, so I can see why it was included. It should be noted that Glashütte Original also makes non-chronograph versions of the SeaQ as well.



On the other hand, I just love that Glashütte Original included the Panorama Date Big Date function in this watch. The big date has always been a favorite complication of mine and Glashütte Original does it as well as anyone. On the SeaQ Chronograph it is nearly impossible to tell that there are two discs making up the date since they match up so well. I’d imagine if you needed to know the date while diving, having the display being larger would be beneficial.

For daily wear the SeaQ Chronograph did all I could ask from it. The watch is sized well for my tastes and stayed nice and centered on my wrist. It fit in very well with my dress of t-shirts, shorts and sneakers as well. While the watch does have some heft to it, it never caused any fatigue to my wrist. The strap and deployant clasp are extremely comfortable and even on very long multiple hour long wearing periods in the extreme Texas heat and humidity the watch was a delight.



On the bright orange strap, the SeaQ Chronograph was not a wallflower. I had a lot of both strangers and acquaintances ask about the watch. Naturally the bright orange strap probably had a lot to do with the watch being noticed, if you wanted to be more incognito a black strap would help the watch blend more in. I love being asked about watches, so I saw the attention the orange strap brought upon the watch as a positive. Most people tended to really love just how “nice” the watch looks and feels in hand. Like I’ve said a few times in this review, the SeaQ Chronograph pretty much nails being a luxury dive watch perfectly.



The SeaQ also ended up being a perfect daily watch, meaning it was just as at home accompanying me on my mundane errands as it was going out to celebratory dinners and nights out getting a drink. The orange strap does limit how formal the watch can be, but opting for the metal bracelet or a black strap would take care of that. Like I’ve mentioned, the orange strap would be my preferred choice for this watch, but I’m the furthest from formal.

With a retail price of $14,700, the Glashütte Original SeaQ Chronograph is at the upper limit of what a dive watch costs. So you’re looking at basically countless alternatives under its retail price. For this review, I’ll try to stick to the higher end range of dive watches to compare the SeaQ Chronograph to. Naturally we’ll compare it to the two pioneers of the dive watch genre with watches from Blancpain and Rolex.

I’ll also toss in another luxury dive watch featuring a chronograph from Ulysse Nardin.



It’s mostly believed that Blancpain beat Rolex to market with the first true dive watch with its Fifty Fathoms by a few months. Today the Fifty Fathoms is more of a luxury timepiece than a true tool watch like the 1950s version. The 45 mm Fifty Fathoms can be had in a stainless steel case with a flyback chronograph with retails for $19,200 on a sailcloth strap with a pin buckle. While the case diameter is a little larger than the SeaQ, the Fifty Fahtoms does wear a bit smaller than its case size suggests. I would imagine that the Fifty Fathoms in stainless steel is probably the closest you’ll come to the fit and finish of the SeaQ Chronograph. Personally I prefer the more tool like variants of the Fifty Fathoms such as the titanium time only Fifty Fathoms, Act 2 Tech Gombessa and 500 Fathoms.



Next up you have the $10,250 Rolex Submariner Date. The Submariner recently grew in case diameter to 41 mm and now features a ceramic bezel. The high polish bezel and large size have now moved the Submariner more away from the pure tool watch look of older Submariners and now the watch is more positioned as a luxury product. The Submariner is over $4,000 less expensive than the SeaQ Chronograph, but is mass produced and offers much less complication wise. It has no chronograph and only has a simple date, while the SeaQ Chronograph features a big date.

Finally we have the Ulysse Nardin Diver Chronograph 44 in titanium at $13,200. With the Ulysse Nardin being in titanium, the Diver Chronograph gives off more of a tool watch feeling than the other three watches. It has a chronograph, but it doesn’t have the flyback complication. The movement like the other three watches is also an in-house caliber. I’ve been a fan of Ulysse Nardin and recently owned one of their Diver X models in titanium and carbon and just reviewed the amazing Diver X Skeleton.



So is the Glashütte Orginal SeaQ Chronograph for me? I’d say it is very close to being a nearly perfect luxury dive watch in my opinion. I’m extremely picky when it comes to my personal watches and feel there are just a few things that miss the mark personally for me. First I’d prefer the watch to be in titanium to reduce some of the weight. Secondly I’d probably prefer a version of the SeaQ without the chronograph function. With how well done the stainless steel version of the SeaQ is, I’d also love to see how the red gold version feels and wears. Otherwise, I can’t really find anything I don’t truly love about the SeaQ Chronograph.



Would I suggest the SeaQ Chronograph to somebody looking to buy a high end luxury dive watch? I would 100 percent suggest that somebody looking at a Submariner or Fifty Fathoms also look at the SeaQ Chronograph. For about 50% more than a Submariner you’d be getting a watch with superior finish, more complications and a beautifully constructed movement. I do feel like the SeaQ Chronograph is something that needs to be handled in the metal to truly get an appreciation for just how nice of a watch it really is. I cannot convey the tactile sensation of handling and wearing the watch through words alone.



I don’t really see how you could have much buyer’s remorse on the SeaQ Chronograph. Sure the watch is very expensive for a dive watch, but then again, how many people are really going to go diving with a nearly $15,000 watch. For a tiny fraction of the price of the SeaQ Chronograph you could get an extremely capable dive watch, but that’s really not the purpose of this watch. The main buyer of this watch is somebody who enjoys the look and capability of a dive watch, but wants something that is more elevated than a simple diver. The flyback chronograph function and beauty of this movement along with the fit and finish of the case more than easily make this watch one of the top luxury divers out there.

In the end I’m leaving my time with the Glashütte Original SeaQ Chronograph thoroughly impressed. I really expected it to just be another dive watch, but in the end I can say its price is justified and it is probably the nicest most luxurious and buttoned down dive watch I’ve ever worn. I would really like to thank Glashütte Original for sending us this SeaQ Chronograph to review. It would be awesome if they could send me a time only SeaQ Panorama Date in red gold to review, since I feel like it might be the pinnacle of luxury dive watches.



For more information about the SeaQ Chronograph please visit : Glashütte Original

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: 1-37-23-02-81-36

Retail Price: $14,700

Case Size: 43.2 mm

Lug to Lug: 51.4 mm

Thickness: 17.2 mm

Weight: 135 Grams

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Bezel: Ceramic

Strap: Synthetic Orange with Stainless Steel Deployant Clasp

Movement: In-House Calibre 37-23

Functions: Flyback Chronograph, Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Big Date

Power Reserve: 70 Hours

Water Resistance: 300 Meters