A tribute to the Glasshütte tradition – Hands-on with the Tutima Patria and its beautiful in-house 617 caliber (specs and pricing)

Tutima has a long and prestigious history; the origins of the brand go as far back as the 1920s and 1930s in Glasshütte, when Tutima was the quality label of the UROFA-UFAG group. After the fall of the Berlin wall, several watchmakers looked at reviving the Saxon watchmaking tradition and the ‘made in Germany’ trademark, specifically in Glasshütte. Among them was Dieter Delecate, owner and CEO of Tutima, then headquarted in the north of Germany, near Bremen.

Although the brand is best known for its ‘sporty’ and ‘active service’ collections, powered by modified Swiss workhorses such as the Valjoux 7750, Delecate always wanted to bring Tutima home. This was initiated in the mid-2000s, and in 2011 the new Tutima Manufacture in Glasshütte was inaugurated. On this occasion, the notable Tutima Glashütte Hommage Minute Repeater, developed and manufactured in-house, was presented. The watch we are reviewing today, the Patria, is a pink gold dress watch powered by a handwound movement (the caliber 617) that was the base for the Hommage minute repeater which was presented in 2013. The Tempostopp, an in-house column-wheel chronograph was presented this year to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the brand, and its movement is simply drop dead gorgeous.

The Tutima Patria is an elegant dress watch which comes in two different versions: the Patria Small Seconds, a three-hander with a small seconds at 6, and the Patria Dual Time featuring a coaxial GMT hand inside the subsidiary seconds dial. Each model is presented with an opalin silver dial with either Arabic numerals or applied markers, paired with fine gold hands. The minimalist, highly legible dial has remarkable balance with a recessed center and a guilloche pattern for the small seconds subdial.

The handwound Tutima calibre 617 is a large (31.6 mm) movement finished to the ambitious standards of traditional Saxon watchmaking. The first thing to catch your eye is the three-quarter plate, gold-plated and decorated with striking even stripes. The ratchet and crown wheels feature a sunburst finish. The beautiful click is a nice touch. Three jewels are held into gold chatons and the screw heads are finely polished.

The movement is rounded out with an openwork cock and a variable inertia balance with gold screws and a Breguet hairspring. The calibre 617 runs at 21’600 vibrations per hour and delivers a healthy 65-hour power reserve.

The 43 mm round case is fashioned out of pink gold and features a slightly domed sapphire crystal with double sided anti-reflective coating. The crown-guard lends it a distinctive character. The see-through case back offers a fantastic view of the movement. On the wrist, the Patria is simply stunning, not to mention very comfortable, and a hand-sewn alligator strap secured by a gold pin buckle sets the final touch.

Tutima is not surrounded by the aura of some of the most prestigious Glasshütte brands. But the more I look into the brand, its history and products, the more I find Tutima interesting. At 13’800 euros, the Patria is definitely not cheap, but this handsome timepiece seems really fairly priced for what it has to offer.

For more information, visit www.tutima.com

Technical specifications – Tutima Patria small seconds

• Case: 43 mm x 11.2 mm – pink gold case – dome sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating – sapphire case back – water resistant to 50m.
• Movement: calibre T617 – manual winding – 31.6 mm x 4.78 mm – 65h power reserve – 21’600 vibrations/h – 20 jewels – hours, minutes, small seconds.
• Strap: alligator leather with pin buckle.
• Price: EUR 13,800

Same specifications for the Patria Dual Time with the addition of a second timezone (12 hours). Calibre T619. Reference: 6601-01 & 6601-02. Retail price: EUR 14’900.