As the watch journalistic saying goes: I would be hard-pressed to find today a more purpose-driven tool watch than the Mühle-Glastütte S.A.R. Rescue-Timer in Nautical Blue. The world is such that fewer and fewer of us require dedicated timekeeping devices to live our lives and do our jobs. Gone are the days when divers needed a reliable mechanical dive watch to keep track of bottom time, pilots to calculate fuel reserves, doctors to check the pulse of a patient, and business folks to make it on time to their pitch meeting. Today we are surrounded by digital equipment which does a much better job at telling time than any mechanical or quartz watch ever would. (And don’t get me started on the actual inaccuracy of time…for example, a minute is not exactly 60 seconds. But I digress.) So wearing a watch is, for 99.99% of us, a preference and a choice. And it is however a necessity for 0.01% of the human population. 

The latter tiny portion of humankind is composed, I assume, of elite groups of the military, professional rescue teams, and perhaps the occasional spy. Those who require an analog mechanical or quartz watch in order to do their job because using a smart device would either compromise their strategic position or get in the way of saving a human life. And because the actual use-cases for old school timekeepers are extreme, then these watches are most likely to be equally extreme in their design and construction. If you found 20 minutes to read my recent profile article on Mühle-Glashütte, then you already know the story behind the S.A.R. Rescue-Timer and how here forms absolutely follows function. There is nothing random about this watch and everything you see and can touch serves a practical and pragmatic purpose. For $2,563 USD (tax included) I would indeed be hard-pressed to find a more singular tool watch. 

Specifications 

In 2001, Mühle-Glashütte contacted the “Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger” (DGzRS for short), the German search and rescue teams operating in the North and Baltic seas, to create a watch specifically for them. Given where they work—aboard ships and helicopters in chopping bodies of water—and what they do—risking their lives to save the lives of others by swimming in high-current seas, pulling people out of the water and inside a boat or helicopter and such—they do indeed require a robust tool watch to keep track of time and coordinate rescue operations. Historically, members of the DGzRS have used their personal watches which have been, for the most part, inadequate for the job. Akin to putting a crystal glass inside a rock tumbler, their watches would often break and be smashed to smithereens. So when Mühle-Glashütte coordinated the design and specifications of the future watch with the DGzRS, they came up with a list of unique specifications that had yet to be seen in the world of horology. 

For example, a flat piece of sapphire crystal 4mm thick—or three times that of a standard sapphire—to withstand extreme frontal shocks. As we know, sapphire is more resistant to scratches than hesalite but less resistant to shocks than the later. So in order to keep the crystal clear from scratches but be as shock-resistant as hesalite, the brand opted for the thickest piece of sapphire ever imagined at that time. Mühle-Glashütte went for a flat profile and several layers of inner anti-reflective coating to make the crystal as clear as possible at any angle and under any lighting conditions. (The sun reflects on the surface of the sea like light onto a disco ball.) To further shield the watch from shocks, and to protect the person being rescued from any scratches, the bezel is made of a rubber ring color-matched to the dial and rubber strap, another creation from the German brand. Moreover, the sand-blasted stainless steel case is deprived of any sharp angle or finish for the same reasons. 

The high customization of the S.A.R. Rescue-Timer went a step further as Mühle-Glashütte equipped the Sellita SW200-1 that ticks inside (4Hz/42 hours of power reserve) with an in-house developed and manufactured Woodpecker neck regulator which increases the movement’s resistance to shocks and reduces its potential loss of accuracy in those events. I find the latter element to be quite exceptional to find at the aforementioned price of $2,563 USD on a rubber strap. The latter is a thick cut-to-size S.O.B. of an FKM rubber fastening apparatus, attached to the lugs with dual-head screws, and equipped with a double-pusher deployant clasp which comes with a diver’s extension. There is also a cyclop above the date aperture, a rather large and partially recessed screw-down crown located at the four o’clock and screw-down case-back for 1,000 meters of water resistance, as well as generous applications of blue-glowing SuperLuminova (I assume BGW9) on the hands and printed hour markers. 

Design 

As mentioned in the introduction, the Mühle-Glashütte S.A.R. Rescue-Timer Nautical Blue does make the case for your de facto watch where form absolutely follows function. As we just saw, the case was designed and finished to be free of any sharp angles so that it glides against the skin of the wearer and of the person being rescued. Its fine bead-blasted finish is silky smooth to the touch and up-close comes with a delicate pearlescent finish evenly applied throughout the case, which shows immediately how much energy was poured into the design, manufacturing, and finishing of the case. Seen from above, it is a big circle to which are attached two rectangular pieces of bead-blasted steel north and south of it, to which the FKM rubber strap is securely mounted. Seen from the side, the case comes with a mostly flat profile save for the hooded lugs which angle down towards the wrist. Its flanks are straight but angled, and the rubber bezel flows perfectly into the mid-case. 

As you can see, the Rescue-Timer isn’t just a superbly spec’ed out tool watch but one which comes with a singular design. 

The latter can also be observed on the dial which is a cross between a dive and pilot watches and something else entirely. At the 3, 6, and 9 we find Omega Seamaster 300-like triangles pointing inward, at the twelve the ubiquitous triangle-and-dots marker of military pilot watches, and batons everywhere else. Those and the minute hash-marks, as well as the brand logo and depth rating located on either side of the pinion, are printed crisply and evenly, which contributes in creating a stark contrast between these elements and the matte nautical blue dial. The cycloped date aperture is cleverly placed at the 4:30, has numerals printed in white on a black date disc for superlative legibility, yet again a superb form-follows-function attribute of the S.A.R. Rescue-Timer. Lastly, the handset has a gunmetal finish which absorbs light and contrasts with the dial, where the hour and minute hands are shaped like wide pencils and the seconds hand has a fully-lumed arrow-shaped tip. 

The Heart of the Matter

You obviously noticed that I have yet to mention the dimensions of this exquisite tool watch. For they didn’t matter to me as much as the story, specifications, and design of the Mühle-Glashütte S.A.R. Rescue-Timer did. But because we know it has a 4mm thick piece of sapphire on top, a 1,000-meter depth rating, and that it was created to be used in some of the toughest of natural environments and humanely tolerable conditions, you will most likely, and rightfully so, assume that it isn’t sized like a pea. Indeed, it measures 42mm in diameter, 47.6mm lug-to-lug, 13.5mm thick and comes with a 20mm lug width. Well, these dimensions are quite reasonable given what the S.A.R. Rescue-Timer is made out of, who and what it is made for, and it wears better than I thought it would on my 6.50”/16.5cm wrist. (Maybe the story would be different on the optional stainless steel bracelet which I would have loved to try.) 

But here we are with probably the most purpose-driven tool watch I’ve ever strapped to my tiny wrist. And so the heart of the matter is this: whichever way you look at the Mühle-Glashütte S.A.R. Rescue-Timer—either from a dimensions, design, specifications, or price perspective—you cannot fault it. You cannot pretend it is something else than a professional-grade, ultra focused utilitarian tool watch. You cannot diss it on the basis of its dimensions alone because they make sense given what it is made out of. You wouldn’t find reasons to critique its design because it is goal and mission oriented to the fullest extent imaginable. And you couldn’t reasonably find fault in its movement, depth rating, and lume application as they are highly appropriate—and required—for a tool watch of this nature. In other words, the S.A.R. Rescue-Timer is exactly what it was meant to be in nothing else. It is the tool watch by excellence. 

Conclusion 

It is normal for us watch nerds/enthusiasts/collectors/experts to always want to discuss the cost of a watch in relation to its specifications. We want the best bucks for the money and this is a department in which the Mühle-Glashütte S.A.R. Rescue-Timer excels: for $2,563 USD (tax included) I would indeed be hard-pressed to find a better spec’d tool watch. 1,000 meters of water resistance, excellent daytime and nighttime readability, a solid movement complemented by an in-house regulator, a smooth and robust case, a functional rubber bezel, a good strap, and great wrist comfort despite all of that. And we also demanded singularity of design which is also a domain in which this wonder of German watchmaking excels at. Given all of this, I would be doubly hard-pressed to find another watch for this amount of money which can be called The Tool Watch. 

Thanks for reading.