ReviewA Mixed Bag Of Calendar And Chronograph Dials: The 29er Line By Mühle-Glashütte

The name ‘29er’ belongs to a sailboat, basically a two-person high-performance regatta skiff that sailors vouch for racing in the youth championship class of the German Sailing Association. So enamoured was Mühle-Glashütte SA by the nautical aura of this dinghy—calling it “particularly fast, sporty and dynamic”, as quoted on their official website—that the German brand named an entire collection after it. Launched in 2006, the 29er collection is catered for the young, carefree sailing community. Their dials in subtle hues such as mint, apricot, south sea-blue, silver grey, sand, white, and black, set against the glint of silvery steel pretty much allow them to move swimmingly between the definition of a dive watch and a dress watch.

Mühle-Glashütte 29er: Pastel, Minimalistic Dials

Much of the 29er collection consists of minimalistic calendar three-handers, and two chronographs. These watches fall under the following subdivisions: the 29er Big for the regular dress watch version (metal strap and nautic blue canvas strap variants); 29er Pointer Date with calendar ring and corresponding hand (nautic blue canvas strap); 29er Day/Date with dual apertures (grey canvas strap); and 29er Chronograph variants with black and white dials in tricompax setup (with metal strap). The Mühle-Glashütte variants have a stainless steel case, measuring 42.5mm in diameter. Operating the hands and counters in the chronograph versions is a screw-down monogrammed crown with side guards that offer protection from accidents with potential to cause shock or abrasion and enhance the overall appearance. In the 29er chronographs, the crown has a dual purpose—click once to adjust the date, click twice to adjust the time.

The 29er Big features the insertion of a contrasting chapter ring and a date aperture at three o'clock

The surfaces of case, lugs and bracelet feature mirror and matt finishes for a good interplay of light, while the diamond-cut raised indices and watch hands appear alike as these are similarly polished and lume applied

Mühle-Glashütte 29er Shop The Collection

The surfaces of case, lugs and bracelet alternate between mirror and matt finish for a good interplay of light. Moreover, the polished accents match the diamond-cut raised indices and watch hands on the dial. The hour and minute hands are Super-LumiNova applied, while the slim, seconds’ hand in fiery red provides a stark contrast from the monotonous colour palette.

A design variation can be seen in the 29er Big and Pointer Date nautic blue strap variants. Both watches display the insertion of a contrasting chapter ring—in the Big version, it forms the dark blue outer minute track while in the Pointer Date version, it is the grey-blue rehaut for date scale. This demarcation heightens the legibility of viewing time. The chronograph watches come in white and black dials, with counters at six ‘clock (hour/dual time), nine o‘clock (seconds) and 12 o’clock (minute), and the date aperture jumps to four o’clock.

The Famed ‘Woodpecker’ Movement

All 29er watches run on the in-house SW200-1 movement, inbuilt with a special ‘woodpecker’ regulator and rotor. This movement ensures precision of functions, including stop-second, quick date correction, and power reserve—up to 41 hours for the calendar watches, and 62 hours for the chronographs.

Adding to the light, no-fuss, playful tone of the 29er range is the range of interchangeable straps in metal, canvas, leather and in black, blue, brown and grey hues. All straps are fitted with quick-release spring bars and pin buckles.

The 29er line was extended this year with two new 36.6mm calendar variants in mint green and apricot during springtime

Another new 29er watch in 2024 is the Big Small Seconds Edition 1994 with a decentralised small seconds display at six o’clock

The year 2024 proved momentous for Mühle-Glashütte as the brand completed 30 years as a public limited company. To celebrate this milestone, the 29er line was extended with two new 36.6mm calendar variants in mint green and apricot during springtime, and a Big Small Seconds Edition 1994 that features a decentralised small seconds display at six o’clock.