The way I see it, Mühle-Glashütte has been on a bit of a tear as of late. They introduced quite a few new models this year (and even a new lineup), spanning from sportier divers to more classic, dressier pieces. Their latest, the Mühle-Glashütte Antaria Tag/Datum definitely hails from that latter camp. While I can’t quite grasp the association they’ve made for the line to Antares (the brightest star in the night sky), this is still an interesting piece.

Looking at it, you might be tempted to think it’s just like any other dress type of a watch. What allows this one to stand out, for starters, is hiding right in the handset – you’ve got small bits of lume in there. It’s not anything that’s (I’m guessing) effective after an hour at the most, but it’s still a nice inclusion – an easy way to check the time in a darkened meeting room, say. Past that feature, you’ve of course got the day and date displays (which is how we get the Tag and Datum parts of the model name).

This is a standard complication for many styles of watches, but dress watch purists prefer to not have it included. As to myself, I do not mind seeing it, and in this specific case, I think it makes for a much more flexible watch, allowing it to work for the office as well as an evening out. This is particularly true of the day of the week – with the general hustle of the work world and life in general, it’s not a surprise to me when I am not 100% certain what day of the week it is. That is, until I check on a watch like this (or, you know, the phone or computer).

Continuing out from the center arbor, we arrive at the indices. These are applied, which is something I appreciate for the dimensionality it gives to the dial. Depending on the dial color you choose, you’ll end up with either nickel-plated numerals (on the opaline silver dial) or rose gold (on the anthracite dial). While the 42mm case this is all housed in is a healthy size (especially if you’re considering this as a dress watch only), it comes in at a rather slender 11.5mm tall.

As you well know, keeping a slender case for an automatic watch (in this case, we’ve got the SW 220-1 beating away) is a trickier proposition for some watches. With the Mühle-Glashütte Antaria Tag/Datum, I think it is getting a nice balance of giving you a watch that easily slips under a cuff, while still allowing it to have some heft on your wrist, which lends a sense of robustness to the piece. This is all held in place on your wrist by a black leather strap set into the screwed in lugs – and while this works easily for both, I could see a brown leather (flat, as the black, or maybe a croc) taking up residence pretty easily.

With pricing for the Mühle-Glashütte Antaria Tag/Datum starting at $2,999 (for the opaline/silver) and popping up to $3,199 (for the anthracite/red gold), this is certainly getting you to the realm of luxury watches, but on the more affordable end of that spectrum. I have not yet seen these in person, but I have been impressed with prior hands-on time with their other models – so I have no reason to suspect that the Mühle-Glashütte Antaria Tag/Datum won’t be delivering more of the same solid construction paired with Teutonic good looks. muehle-glashuette.de

Tech Specs from Mühle-Glashütte

• Movement:  SW 220-1, automatic with woodpecker neck regulation, own rotor and characteristic surface finishes, quickset mechanism for day and date, stop second, 38-h power reserve.
• Case: Brushed & polished stainless steel with a gold-plated bezel in the anthracite-colored model (10 Micron). Anti-glare sapphire crystal. Transparent case back. Screw-in crown. Ø 42.0 mm; H 11.5 mm. Water-resistant to 5 bars.
• Strap: Russia leather strap with stainless steel butterfly clasp. Screwed strap attachment bridges.
• Dial: Anthracite with gold-plated numerals and hands / Opaline silver with bright nickel-plated numerals. Super LumiNova coated hands.
• Price: $2,999.00 (opaline/ silver), $3,199.00 (anthracite/ red gold)