Alexander Shorokhoff Glocker Review — Elegant Alarm Watch with Vintage Poljot Mechanism

Published on 23 March 2022 at 20:33

Almost exactly three years ago, I reviewed Alexander Shorokhoff’s (AS) first alarm watch, the Tschaikovsky, which used the Poljot 2612.1 movement. At the time, the review was published only on our local watch forum, but about a month ago I revised and republished it on my website. If you haven’t read that review yet, I recommend checking it out before continuing with this one.

While preparing the updated review for my site, I revisited Alexander Shorokhoff’s current collection. What caught my attention was that, although the Tschaikovsky was originally expected to be a limited edition—due to the scarce supply of the Poljot 2612.1 movements—the line has since been expanded to include several new models. However, none of the newer models use the Poljot movement anymore. Instead, they are powered by the A. Schild AS 1930 (an improved version of the AS 1475). This means that the original Tschaikovsky with the Poljot 2612.1 is no longer in production. Interestingly, the prices of the new models are even higher than the original version—currently listed at €5,000!

During this exploration of AS's website, I also came across another alarm watch—this one still using the Poljot 2612.1 movement—called the Glocker (German for "bell"). To be honest, I already knew of its existence, having seen it previously on the Poljot24.de webshop. But at the time, I didn’t pay much attention to it.

On the Poljot24.de website, only the Glocker with a black dial was listed at the time, and that version simply didn’t intrigue me enough—so I forgot about it. However, while browsing the Alexander Shorokhoff website more recently, I came across a silver dial version—and that changed everything. That model immediately caught my attention, and I quickly decided it had to become part of my alarm watch collection.

Since I have a great relationship with the owner of the Poljot24.de webshop, Julian Kampmann, I asked if I could purchase the silver-dial Glocker through his store, even though it wasn’t listed there. Julian checked with the factory, confirmed that the watch was in stock, arranged everything swiftly, and just a few days later, the watch arrived.

Before shipping it to me, Julian took some photos and a short video of the watch. With his permission, I’m using some of those photos and the video here. So while not all of the visuals shown in this article are mine, the watch featured in all of them—including the video—is indeed my Glocker.

I’m quite certain that the designers of this watch never read my review of the Tschaikovsky, yet many of the things I disliked back then have clearly been improved here. First of all, the Glocker is significantly larger: with a diameter of 43 mm and a height of 13 mm, it feels like a proper, serious watch that fits my 19 cm wrist very well. The last photo—where the watch is worn on the right wrist—is not my hand; I believe it’s Julian’s, whose wrist is slightly smaller than mine. Still, you can see the watch fits nicely.

As you can see, the alarm hand on the Glocker is very long. Additionally, the watch features an inner alarm sub-dial that spans from 5:30 to 9:30, with ten-minute intervals. The combination of the long alarm hand and this additional dial makes it possible to set the alarm quite accurately. I’ve tested it several times and never missed the intended time by more than two minutes. Of course, this level of precision only applies within the designated interval.

If, by chance, you need to set the alarm outside that 5:30 to 9:30 range, you’ll need to rely on the hour and minute markings on the outer ring. In that case, each minute marker effectively corresponds to a 12-minute alarm window.

The Poljot 2612.1 movement also includes a clever trick that allows for even more accurate alarm setting. When you rotate the hour hand counterclockwise and it reaches the alarm hand, it “grabs” it—causing both hands to move together. Once you position the alarm hand where you want it, you simply turn the hour hand clockwise to set the correct time. (I actually forgot to mention this trick in my Tschaikovsky review!)

The next major improvement is the use of Super-LumiNova. This watch features outstanding lume—good enough to make even many dive watches jealous. Only the hands are lumed, but that’s more than sufficient. The lume easily lasts through the entire night without any issues.

I’ve owned—and still own—many watches, and if I had to choose just one to wear overnight, the Glocker would definitely be near the top of that list.

Since the Poljot 2612.1 movement was already described in my Tschaikovsky review, I won’t go into too much detail here. As with the Tschaikovsky, the movement in the Glocker is also decorated and gilded—which, to be honest, is exactly what I expected.

But one important difference compared to the Tschaikovsky lies in the construction. In terms of design, the Glocker returns to the movement’s roots: the hammer once again strikes a pin mounted on the caseback, and the back plate is not screwed in, but simply snapped on. Since the case is now relatively large for this movement, a substantial steel spacer is used to secure it in place.

It’s a pity that AS didn’t take advantage of this spacer by incorporating a gong bumper into it—as they did with the Tschaikovsky case. That would have allowed for a transparent caseback, which the beautifully decorated movement truly deserves! Why invest so much time and effort into decorating a movement, only to hide it under a solid steel back?

Okay, the caseback is engraved—with a large bell, the Glocker name, and also a moon and a building (though I’m not sure what those symbols represent)—but personally, I’d much rather admire the movement itself, especially in action.

As the engraving on the caseback shows, the watch is limited to 100 pieces (plus 100 with a black dial), so it seems AS decided to use up the remaining stock of Poljot movements for these 200 watches. That’s also why the Tschaikovsky line is now powered by AS1930 movements instead.

Even though the caseback is just snapped on, the watch still carries a basic water resistance rating of 5 ATM. Not much, but it’s sufficient for everyday situations like washing your hands—which, to be honest, is all you really need for a watch like this.

Now let’s finally turn to the dial, which was most likely intended to be the watch’s main visual attraction. The already mentioned alarm sub-dial is decorated with eight mother-of-pearl segments.

Each of the eight mother-of-pearl segments has a different shade, arranged in a gradient from very dark (nighttime) to very light (daytime). What makes this especially fascinating is that the colors constantly shift depending on the angle of light. From one perspective, the entire sub-dial appears dark; from another, the same segments shine brightly. In the shade, you see one color palette—under sunlight, an entirely different one.

I tried to capture both the brightest and darkest appearances in my photos, but they simply don't do justice to how dynamically the colors shift. Still, if you review all the images and the video once again, you might catch a glimpse of this impressive play of light and color.

Despite being visually striking and unique, the use of mother-of-pearl raises a fair question: is it even a good idea? I'm quite sure some of you will find it unattractive, while others might think it's beautiful. Personally, I find it a bold and creative design element—and I quite like it.

To be honest, before buying the watch I was concerned that the overall look might be too pink and overly feminine. In regular daily wear, that’s not really the case—but there are moments when you just can’t ignore the fact that the dial leans into pink tones a bit too much.

And there’s one element I genuinely dislike—the design of the alarm hand. Aside from its length (which is excellent), the rest of the design is, in my opinion, a misstep. The “prison stripe” pattern? Why? And the heart at the tip? Oof. That’s just too much for my taste. Granted, AS watches are known for their extravagant and artistic designs—this Glocker belongs to the Avantgarde line, which is evident in the bold styling of the hands and the dial, especially with the oversized 60 and 20 numerals. Combined with the already eye-catching mother-of-pearl subdial, that would’ve been enough flair for me. The alarm hand pushes it one step too far.

That said, my wife had a different opinion—she found the heart at the end of the alarm hand “cute.” She also commented that the Glocker label and bell symbol on the dial actually ruin the aesthetic. At first, I didn’t mind that detail, but the more I look at it, the more I tend to agree. The Glocker logo just doesn’t quite harmonize with the overall design of the dial. At the very least, a different font might have made it feel more integrated.

Both crowns are signed, as are the pin buckle and the leather strap. AS also offers this watch with a Milanese bracelet as an alternative to the leather strap, but since I generally don't like Milanese bracelets, my decision was an easy one.

I’m very satisfied with the supplied leather strap. It’s comfortable and, despite being brand new, already quite soft and wearable.

Everything comes packaged in a high-quality presentation box—one that I’m already familiar with from other AS watches.

And finally, the price. If you're already familiar with the pricing of the Tschaikovsky model, the 2,800 EUR for the silver Glocker and 2,900 EUR for the black version is actually a pleasant surprise. I honestly don’t understand why the Tschaikovsky was priced so much higher—at least back when it still used the Poljot movement. Now that the Tschaikovsky comes with a Swiss movement, the price difference makes a bit more sense. :)

What’s also worth pointing out is that while it was possible to get the Tschaikovsky for significantly less—and even today, Poljot24.de still offers the original version with the Poljot movement for just 1,600 EUR—getting the Glocker for below its official retail price is quite a challenge. I did find one store in Slovakia offering both versions for just over 2,400 EUR, but unfortunately the silver dial was not in stock. All other retailers appear to stick strictly to the official pricing. Luckily, Julian was able to offer me a competitive deal.

In my opinion, the price is also the main reason the Glocker hasn’t sold as well as it perhaps deserves to. Even though it’s limited to only 100 + 100 pieces and is a well-built, visually attractive watch (at least for the right 200 buyers—I’m sure of that), it’s still available more than two years after its launch. A base price closer to 2,000 EUR might have made a huge difference, I think.

To wrap things up, I invite you to watch the video of my Glocker. You’ll also hear the alarm sound—not exactly spectacular, but it gets the job done. It’s loud enough to wake you, and possibly even too loud if you intend to use it just as a reminder for some event.

P.S. Important disclaimer: Even though I mentioned Poljot24.de and its owner Julian Kampmann, this is not a paid review. I’m simply a long-time, regular customer—and in fact, the first buyer of the silver version. I also have no affiliation whatsoever with the Alexander Shorokhoff company.

Add comment

Comments

There are no comments yet.