Hands-On With The DUG Purist Typ 1 And Typ 2
One of the most common complaints in the watch community concerns current pricing. Indeed, the COVID-19 period affected the prices of luxury items. Meet Deutsche Uhrenmanufaktur Glashütte GmbH, or DUG, which claims to bring the traditional craftsmanship of Glashütte watchmaking without charging the traditional high prices. This is a bold claim, so let’s find out how good the DUG watches actually are.
DUG Purist Typ 1 and Typ 2
Let’s start with the price, as that seems to be an important (U)SP for DUG. The Purist Typ 1 and Typ 2 watches we have here start at €1,299. The Typ 1 uses stick markers, while the Typ 2 has Arabic numerals. If you want a date complication, that’ll cost an extra €100. If you want a stainless steel bracelet, you’ll have to add another €100. The dial color may also affect the price. Here, we have a Typ 1 with a blue dial, a stainless steel bracelet, and a date window. This configuration adds up to €1,499, including VAT. The Typ 2 we received has a gray dial, no date, and no stainless steel bracelet. This retails for €1,349, including VAT. Both models are available in 40mm and 37mm cases. We received both in the larger size.
DUG Purist Typ 1 in blue
Let’s start with the Königsblau (Royal Blue) Purist Typ 1, complete with a date and a stainless steel bracelet. Now that I’ve mentioned the price, we’ll look at the important stuff. This is a 40mm watch with a choice of several dial colors (black, white, blue, brown, gray, and burgundy red). DUG lists all variations in German on its website, but it’s easy to understand which is which. The brown (Tonkabraun) version is a special edition.
Textured dial
The dials have a grainy texture, and all the hour indexes are applied. At 12 o’clock sits the applied DUG logo, and at 6 o’clock, we find the date aperture. There’s no frame around the date window, but the date disc is black to help it blend in with the dial. To make it a bit more seamless, the date aperture has a sloped edge toward the date disc. It’s all very nicely done, and just to be sure you know this is some Saxonian watchmaking, DUG printed “Glashütte/SA” between the date window and center pinion. The silver-colored hands contain white Super-LumiNova lume (BGW9) with a blue-green glow. The seconds and minute hands both end at the top of the hour markers, making them long enough to read the minute scale on the DUG Purist Typ 1’s rehaut.
Case design
The 40mm case features long, shaped lugs that curve slightly downward. The top of the watch has a polished finish, while the flanks have a brushed satin finish. You’ll also find a nice chamfer on each lug. The bezel is domed and fully polished, giving the case an elegant look that especially comes to life on a leather strap (more on the bracelet-and-case combination later). DUG warrants water resistance to 100 meters.
The DUG-signed onion-adjacent crown does not screw down, but it does the job perfectly. The watch also has a 10.95mm profile and a 47.5mm lug-to-lug, which are perfect for my 18cm (7.1″) wrist.
DUG 400 movement
The DUG 400
The case back reveals the DUG 400 caliber through its sapphire crystal. This is a self-winding movement based on Sellita’s SW400-1 (hence the “DUG 400” designation). This caliber features notable decoration, including hand-applied Glashütte perlage, rhodium-plated bridges, and blued screws. The rotor is plated with 24K gold as well. Sellita’s SW400-1 offers a 40-hour power reserve and a 28,800vph (4Hz) frequency. It is essentially an enlarged SW200-1; you can clearly see the spacer ring, which is also decorated with perlage.
Bracelet and clasp
The stainless steel bracelet reminds me of a design sitting between a Patek Philippe Nautilus and an IWC Ingenieur, with its mostly satin finish and polished, curved center links. For me, the contrast between the satin-brushed end links and the polished top surface of the lugs is a slight mismatch, but I guess the only way to solve this is to give the top of the case a satin finish as well. There’s a polished chamfer, so it wouldn’t look bad to do that. Anyway, I can only assume that not everyone will care about this combination of satin-finished (end) links and the polished top surfaces of the lugs (and case).
Aside from the aesthetics, it’s a very solid, comfortable bracelet with a folding clasp featuring an extension system. On the outside of the clasp is an engraved DUG logo and “Deutsche Uhrenmanufaktur Glashütte” written/engraved in full.
DUG Purist Typ 2 in Granitgrau
DUG Purist Typ 2
Up next is the Purist Typ 2, which I have here in Granitgrau on a leather strap. As written above, this watch has Arabic numerals instead of stick markers. At 12 o’clock, you will see, just like on the Typ 1, an exception to the rule. There’s an hour marker consisting of three lines, a graphical representation of the DUG logo.
The gray vignette dial is very attractive and adds a bit of depth compared to the blue dial, for example. All the other specifications are the same as with the Type 1. That said, as you can see, this model has no date. It does use the same DUG 400 movement, but rest assured, there’s no unused “ghost date” position for the crown.
We have the DUG Purist Typ 2 on a nice leather 20mm buffalo strap with a signed tang buckle. It also features quick-release spring bars, which seem necessary these days. I can do without these, as the tabs that stick out bother me a bit, but I know many of you do appreciate this feature.
Some concluding thoughts
Do the DUG Purist Typ 1 and Typ 2 watches live up to expectations, especially given the claim of competitive pricing? DUG explains on its website that by selling directly rather than through a network of distributors, it’s able to keep prices attractive. Whether you like the design is a matter of taste. I felt some design choices were a bit odd, like the satin-brushed H-link bracelet and polished case top, or the use of a rather cheap-looking tang buckle (much like Sinn’s buckles).
But the DUG Purist Typ 1 and Typ 2 watches offer good quality and features that match their price tags. The SW400-based movement’s decoration is sure to please many watch enthusiasts looking for a watch in this price range. The dials also offer a lot of detail and well-chosen colors.
As mentioned, the Purist Typ 1 and Typ 2 are also available in 37mm cases, which I might even prefer design-wise over these 40mm versions. They have less free space on the dial, and the proportions seem more on point. The possible dial colors are a bit more limited (black, white, and blue), but you’ll have options for a date complication and a stainless steel bracelet. The Purist 37mm models start at €1,199.
More information is available on the official DUG website. Let us know what you think about these German watches in the comments section.
