Mühle Glashütte is not the most famous German watch brand. It’s not even the second most famous German watch brand. Hell, it’s not even first or second in Glashütte. But! That doesn’t make it any less formidable. Mühle Glashütte only started making wristwatches in 1996, after spending the preceding 125 years making precision measurement instruments, including speedometers for BMW and Triumph motorcycles.
While the brand’s offerings are a bit scattered, there are some gems to be found, and not a small amount of quirk (check out the S.A.R. Rescue Timer). At hand is the Mühle Glashütte ProMare Go, a watch that is not a dive watch. Instead, it falls into a niche genre I like to call “yacht watches.” Like the ProMare Go, a yacht watch often has sporty design and features significant water resistance (200m or more), but lacks other requisite elements, like a unidirectional bezel. These watches are born for the open seas…so long as you don’t rely on them while you’re under the open seas. The ProMare Go not only falls into this niche, but embraces it.
On the Wrist
There’s a modesty to the Mühle Glashütte ProMare Go. Its blues-and-white palette and case design both wade in the pool of excitement without splashing all over the place. A pop of color in the date wheel and the ring around the dial, plus the chamfer that gives tricks the eye into thinking the lugs curve out add just the right amount of flair. It’s an exercise in creating interest while maintaining aesthetic decency. The choice of a bidirectional bezel and an unlumed seconds hand dispel any notion that this is or should be a considered a dive watch (even the product page says “The ProMare Go is not a watch for professional divers.”). Let me be clear: if you use this for actual diving, you may die. But you’ll at least look good as water rushes into your lungs. It’s your call.
The ProMare Go sits well on the wrist. When I first picked it for review, I was concerned by the 42mm size (though other watches in the line are 44mm). While I have a 43mm watch in my collection, it’s an outlier, with most settling in around 40/41. The ProMare, though, has a similar feel to my Omega Seamaster 300m (2254.50)—flat on the wrist, without the height that accompanies most watches of its dimensions. The strap is also decidedly comfortable, despite its girth.
Sometimes you strap a watch on, open a book, and start planning your next daring adventure. That’s how one might feel when the ProMare Go is on the wrist. At the very least, you’ll have the itch to be on a swift-moving boat.
Dial Details
The dial of the Mühle Glashütte ProMare Go is a simple affair with just the right amount of personality. The matched ends of the sword hands and the hour markers provide consistency, while the varied blues provide a bit of contrast. It all works well with the metallic blues of the aluminum bezel insert. I’m curious about the use of the Type A Flieger triangle at 12 o’clock; this features on an array of models from the brand, only a few of which could be considering pilots watches.
The soft gloss of the deep blue dial is fully appreciable when gazing at the date window. The rounded corners coupled with the softened edges catch light and remind one of the dial’s nautical hues even when the rest seems black. The blue-on-blue of the ProMare Go is also on display here, with the date window, seconds tip, outer ring, and bezel quarter all sharing an electric blue. Many brands—even at Mühle Glashütte’s level—will simply opt for white or black for their date wheel. Matching to the accent blue was a great choice as it makes the date at once stand out against the dial and coordinate with the watch as a whole.
Never have I ever encountered applied markers and hands as highly polished and reflective as these. They reflect even the smallest amount of light—in those low-light situations where lume might be helpful, but isn’t quite bright enough, the reflectiveness of the hands and markers provides plenty of shine to read the watch.
The lume on the ProMare Go is certainly adequate. It’s not perfectly balanced–the handset and bezel plot are a bit dimmer than the applied indices, but all shine adequately. It’s a bit odd to look down at the dial in a dark room, lume shining, and not see the seconds moving; this is by no means a dealbreaker though, as it’s an intentional design.
Case and Strap
This case is a home run. Just the right amount of pep. It’s wide and flat, so it sits well on the wrist, and the curving chamfer gives the illusion that the lugs sweep outwards—they don’t, but it looks swell. The bezel is bidirectional which may give you pause, but it’s got great tension, solid grip, and operates satisfyingly. Plus, it makes timing things much easier. The one weak point of the watch is the crown. The sizing is fine, but the high polish and wide grooves don’t provide ideal grip; when setting and winding, I experienced some undesirable slippage. Okay, so maybe this case is a triple.
A nice display caseback shows off a bit of customization Mühle Glashütte undertook for the Sellita SW200-1. Once you finish reading the novel of text on the caseback, you can see not just a custom rotor, but the patented woodpecker neck regulator, the shape of which provides added shock resistance. Neato.
For a strap that measures nearly 7mm thick at the lugs (slimming down to 3mm at the buckle), this leather/rubber hybrid was a pleasant surprise. I opened this watch up, saw the strap, and rolled my eyes, expecting some stiff, unwieldy situation that would refuse to conform to my wrist. Instead, I experienced a pliable strap that, sized correctly, hugged my wrist without digging in.
With no drilled lugs—a feature that would have been doable and practical–I would’ve preferred quick-release spring bars; I had no issues swapping straps, though. The ProMare Go has enough ruggedness to find a home on a NATO, and enough charm to work on leather.
Final Thoughts
It’s time to blast 1981’s smash hit “Sailing” and climb aboard! The Mühle Glashütte ProMare Go is a certified winner. Despite its larger size (let’s keep smaller case sizes in our prayers for the years ahead), it manages to be both wearable, rugged, and attractive. The only thing holding it back from perfect is a slightly imperfect crown, and that’s nothing. The ProMare Go will serve well any casual seaman…or someone who just wants a ready-for-anything blue watch. Just don’t use it to time your dives.
Check out more sports watch reviews at The Watch Clicker
Check out the Mühle Glashütte website
Mühle Glashütte ProMare Go Specs | |
Case Width 42mm | Thickness |
Lug-to-Lug 50.5mm | Wrist-to-Crystal* |
Lug Width | Weight |
Crystal | Strap |
Water Resistance | Lume |
Movement Sellita SW200-1 | Price |
*Height of the watch from the wrist to the top of the crystal | |
I own this watch..out of my 75 watches, including my Rolex Submariner. I reach for this watch almost everyday..At 2100 it is a bargain and I would highly recommend. I put a polished mesh band on mine and it stands out. Buy one ! You wont be sorry!
I’ve owned this watch for about a year and like the other commenter, I wear this more than any other.
I am a judge and during the week I wear dress watches or at least dressy watches, but on a dark blue leather strap the ProMare Go, while definitely sporty, is dressy as well thanks to the thin case height that allows it to slide easily under most cuffs.
On weekends I put it on a rubber or NATO strap and bash it up pretty good as I do all of the usual outdoor household projects. This is also my go-to travel watch as nothing beats a clean dial with good lume and 300 meter water resistance for travel. Travel usually sees the original leather/rubber hybrid strap so I can just wear it anywhere, though I’ll also bring a proper dress watch for fancy evenings out.
I bought this as a beater and it is the least expensive watch I own, but this thing is far nicer than it has any right to be.