Let?s get this out of the way: the date aperture on the 44-millimeter Mühle-Glashütte Yacht-Timer Bronze is going to raise heckles because it is there in the first place, but also because that aperture is located at four o?clock and because its numerals are askew. However, not unlike Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, or my favorite beauty-marked star Natalie Portman, this watch might be bland without its little round imperfection disrupting an otherwise near perfect symmetry. Furthermore, true symmetry on a three-hander is only really possible at exactly 12:00, 12:30, 6:00 and 6:30, for a whopping grand total of just eight moments a day.
Upon closer inspection, we see that the date aperture is aligned with the Yacht Timer?s large steel screwed-in crown that?s tucked into bronze guards where it exhibits unabashedly off-axis contrast. And the askew date wheel numerals actually run parallel to the underside of the triangle marker at three o?clock, a spot where the designers were smart to leave off the 20-minute marker. Thus are the details of the Mühle-Glashütte Yacht-Timer Bronze, everything in its place doing its thing with ample space in which to do it.
The Helvetica ?30 atm? marking is entirely on its own, announcing its robust water resistance like a European road sign. The standard Mühle-Glashütte logo up top marks the brand with its signature authority, and there?s plenty of space for the super-bold triangles at the cardinal points, especially the one at 12 o?c...