Union Glashütte shrinks the Belisar Speedster to 40mm for 2026

Union Glashütte has introduced the Belisar Chronograph Speedster 2026, the first Speedster to move down from a 44mm case to a more compact 40mm diameter. The watch also gets thinner: the new 316L stainless steel case measures 14.65mm against the previous 15.1mm.

This year's spotlight falls on a classic Porsche 911 owned by Mainz-based artist Marcus Haub, whose car gives the dial its color. The glossy beige face is enlivened by orange chequered details, with three matte black snailed sub-dials and a peripheral tachymeter scale reinforcing the motoring link.

Union Glashütte was founded in 1893 by Johannes Dürrstein in the Saxon town of Glashütte, with the stated aim of making high-quality German watchmaking accessible to a wider audience. Today it is part of the Swatch Group, combining traditional craftsmanship with distinctive design and value for money.

The Speedster has become something of a tradition since 2021, appearing in limited editions that celebrate classic cars and races. Past designs include the yellow-and-black 2022 edition, a 2023 tribute to a legendary 1970s car, a Porsche-themed 2024 model and a 2025 edition inspired by the Lancia Delta Integrale.

The slimmer case keeps the screwed-on case flanks and the mushroom-shaped chronograph pushers of the vintage look. A slim bezel surrounds a domed sapphire crystal, and the screw-down crown secures a 100m depth rating, unchanged despite the smaller case. Black nickel-plated and white lacquered hands provide contrast.

Super-LumiNova is applied to the hour and minute hands, and the date aperture is built into the 12-hour counter at six o'clock. The dial, flanks and pushers carry the retro motoring character of the whole Belisar Chronograph lineup, which has celebrated individual cars, rallies and the people around them.

What powers the 2026 Speedster

Inside is the automatic UNG-27.S1 caliber, built on a Valjoux 7750 architecture and enhanced with a silicon balance spring. It offers a minimum power reserve of 65 hours, and its functions cover small seconds, a date display and the chronograph itself.

A recessed corrector at ten o'clock adjusts the date, while a stop-seconds function allows precise time-setting. The movement is decorated, assembled and regulated by hand in Glashütte, and it is visible through the screw-down sapphire crystal caseback.

Two ways to wear it are offered: a black calfskin strap with rally-style perforations and orange stitching, or a steel bracelet. A quick-change system lets owners swap between them, and both finish in double-folding clasps with twin push buttons.

The Belisar Chronograph Speedster family has held the brand's classic-car affinity at its center from the start. Each edition has pointed to a specific car, race or personality, and the 2026 model continues that pattern by styling itself after Haub's 911 and its beige-over-orange palette.

The run and the price

Union Glashütte limits the Belisar Chronograph Speedster 2026 to 288 individually numbered pieces. They are sold through authorised retailers at a recommended retail price of EUR 3,450 including VAT. The brand points buyers to union-glashuette.com for more information.

The 40mm diameter brings the Speedster closer to the restrained sizing associated with other Glashütte names, such as NOMOS Glashütte, which we have covered among German watchmakers. Union's own pitch remains value for money within the Swatch Group.

What the 2026 model does is bring the Speedster's retro motoring language down to a wrist-friendly size without giving up the distinctive screwed-on flanks or the mushroom pushers. The beige dial, the orange checks and the perforated rally strap keep the car connection explicit.

Union Glashütte has not said whether further Speedster editions will follow this year. For now the 2026 watch continues a limited-run rhythm that began in 2021, with the 288 pieces available through the brand's authorised retailers.