Introducing The Hanhart 417 ES Reissue Pilot’s Chronograph
(Live Pics & Price)
The first
pilot’s chronograph for the German armed forces, now re-edited.
23/10/2020
|
By Brice
Goulard
|
https://monochrome-watches.com/hanhart-417-es-reissue-pilot-chronograph-review-price/
The original Hanhart 417 ES, a watch measuring
39mm in diameter, had all the classic attributes of Flieger chronographs and
Hanhart stopwatches, with the signature continuously rotatable fluted bezel
with a red marking.
Hanhart
417 ES Reissue Pilot Chronograph
When
discussing pilot chronographs, one can’t overlook German manufactures,
especially Hanhart, which has specialised in this field for several decades.
Among the multiple timepieces created by the brand, such as the TachyTele
Pilot’s Chronograph, one holds a special place in the brand’s portfolio, for
two reasons. One, it was the first pilot’s chronograph for the German armed
forces. This watch is the Hanhart 417 ES, and today, it’s back in a slightly
modernized, ultra-cool re-edition with an accessible price.
Hanhart
417 ES Reissue Pilot Chronograph
A
Chronograph for the German armed forces
Although
manufacturing takes place in Germany, Hanhart was initially founded in
Diessenhofen, Switzerland by watchmaker Johann A. Hanhart in 1882. The
manufactory relocated to Schwenningen in southern Germany in 1902 and in 1924
Hanhart introduced its first stopwatch. The brand quickly specialised in this
field, and by the time Europe entered the war, Hanhart started to deliver
purpose-built wrist chronographs for military forces. The first Hanhart
chronograph launched in 1938 and was powered by the company’s in-house,
single-pusher calibre 40. The model quickly became popular with both German
pilots and naval officers during the war. A year later, the TachyTele pilot’s
chronograph launched with the new calibre 41, a double-pusher flyback movement.
In the
mid-1950s, Hanhart built the first pilot’s chronograph for the German armed
forces based on three criteria: robustness, reliability and readability. The
result of these requirements gave birth to the watch known as the 417,
available in chrome-plated brass (417) and stainless steel (417 ES, for
Edelstahl, German for stainless steel). Hanhart supplied the German armed
forces with this chronograph – so-called Bundeswehrchronograph – for almost ten
years until the brand concentrated on building hand stopwatches in 1963.
The
original Hanhart 417 ES, a watch measuring 39mm in diameter, had all the
classic attributes of Flieger chronographs and Hanhart stopwatches, with the
signature continuously rotatable fluted bezel with a red marking. A noticeable
evolution compared to the WWII-era timepieces is that the 417 ES was equipped
with pencil-shaped hands in place of cathedral hands. These were powered by the
brand’s in-house calibre 42, a hand-wound flyback column-wheel, two-pusher
chronograph movement with 17 jewels. It is believed that around 1,000 examples
were made, with only half of them being ES models.
The
Hanhart 417 ES Reissue
Fast-forward
to 2020. Hanhart is still operating and still produces watches that perfectly
match the original brand concepts of reliability, durability and heavy
pilot-watch inspiration. Hanhart has several collections in its range, from
very cool dashboard counters for racing and classic cars to bold and
instrumental aviation watches – like the Primus. Still, the most emblematic
collection remains the Pioneer, watches that pay tribute to military pilot’s
watches of the mid-20th century, mostly with traditional chronographs designed
for seasoned collectors.
And this
is the airspace of the Hanhart 417 ES Reissue. The idea behind this watch was
to bring back the legendary bi-compax chronograph of the German armed forces in
a slightly modernized version, at a relatively accessible price so that
enthusiasts could enjoy it.
Starting
with the case and the design, the watch looks and feels almost identical to the
original 417 ES, of course without the patina and the signs of time. The case
is made of stainless steel and has grown to a 42mm diameter – instead of the
39mm of the original watch. The height of the watch remains under control,
however, with a 13.3mm thickness that includes a thick, domed sapphire crystal.
The latter offers nice reflections and a cool retro vibe to this
vintage-oriented chronograph. Another positive feature is that the lugs are
rather short and well designed, so the watch appears quite compact on the
wrist.
On the
matter of finishing and quality, I was impressed by the solidity and precision
of the assembly of the case. All the parts feel perfectly aligned and neatly
assembled, with a pleasant feeling of robustness. The case is also nicely
executed, with polished and brushed surfaces, including a nice polished bevel
on the sides of the lugs. The transition between the different surfaces is also
precise and neatly executed.
Just like
the original, the Hanhart 417 ES Reissue is a two-pusher chronograph, equipped
with the signature fluted bezel with the red marking. The bezel rotates
continuously, in both directions, without clicks. It is smooth to operate and
firm enough at the same time, so no risk of accidentally changing the position
of the bezel when wearing it. The caseback is solid stainless steel and
engraved with the brand’s historic logo. The watch is water-resistant to 100m,
a very comfortable rating for a pilot’s chronograph.
To keep
the look as close to the historical model as possible, the 417 ES Reissue is
worn on a black calfskin strap (21mm between lugs) with an additional leather
underlay, a style that is known as a “Bund” strap. While this certainly adds to
the thickness of the watch and its presence on the wrist, it really contributes
to the overall coolness of this piece, and I wouldn’t wear it any differently –
even though you can, of course, remove the lower leather piece and wear it on a
classic 2-piece strap. The strap features Alcantara on the inside surface,
making it very soft on the skin. It is closed by a steel pin buckle.
Moving on
to the dial, Hanhart has also paid great attention to the details and has tried
to bring back most of the original spirit in a modernized package. First, the
417 ES Reissue Pilot’s Chronograph retains the classic bi-compax (and no-date)
layout of the original watch. Then, all the elements, including the logo, the
Arabic numerals, the different tracks – whether on the dial itself or the
sub-counters – the numbers of jewels or the shockproof mention have been
reproduced in a faithful way, giving this model its own identity in the
collection.
While the
position of the sub-dials has evolved – due to the contemporary movement and
the slightly larger diameter – their new position feels actually more balanced.
Hanhart has also maintained the typical pencil-shaped hands as well as the
arrow hand of the 30-minute counter. The dial is treated in matte black with a
fine-grained texture, avoiding undesired reflections. The Arabic hour numerals
and the three central hands are filled with beige Super-LumiNova – it’s worth
pointing out that the colour hasn’t been exaggerated and it has enough charm
without falling into a vintage gimmick. Altogether, the dial is spot-on –
faithful, warm, relevant, full of charm and very neatly executed… Special
mention for the minute hand, bent at the tip to follow the curvature of the
crystal.
The main
evolution concerns the movement. Of course, the calibre 42 isn’t produced
anymore and we don’t expect it to be back. Considering the usual price range of
Hanhart, this wouldn’t make sense. Thus, in order to keep this 417 ES Reissue
within a reasonable price range, Hanhart relies on Sellita and its SW 510 (a
movement based on the Valjoux architecture), here used in a hand-wound version,
for both historical relevance and thinness. This movement is known to be
reliable and precise, and both the crown and pushers operate smoothly. The
power reserve of this 4Hz cam-lever movement is also comfortable, with a
minimum of 58 hours when fully wound.
Thoughts
As you
might have guessed from this article, I’ve been genuinely impressed and pleased
by the Hanhart 417 ES Reissue. First of all, if not 100% accurate, the
re-edition is very close to the original, and the charm of the vintage model is
undeniably present. The watch is full of nice details, such as the fonts,
numerals and historical logos, and everything is well dosed, not overly done as
is sometimes the case of vintage re-editions.
Also, the
overall quality is pretty impressive regarding the price. The watch feels solid
as a rock and refined at the same time.
Coming in at under EUR 2K, the price is more than justified for a
hand-wound chronograph. This might not be very objective, but yes, I have a
crush on this watch…
Availability
& Price
The
Hanhart 417 ES Reissue Pilot’s Chronograph will be released as part of the
permanent collection and won’t be limited in production. It will be priced at
EUR 1,744.87 (with 16% German VAT). The coming year, after the adjustment to
19% value-added tax, the price will be EUR 1,790.
In both
cases, a fair price for what is an iconic German watch, with great built
quality, history and style. It is now available for orders at www.hanhart.com.
Technical
specifications – Hanhart 417 ES Reissue
Case:
42mm diameter x 13.3mm height - stainless steel case, brushed and polished -
fluted rotating bezel, continuously rotatable (no clicks), with red marking -
domed sapphire glass - screw-down stainless steel caseback - 100m
water-resistant
Dial:
matte black dial, painted luminous hour markers - beige Super-LumiNova C3 -
painted white hands with beige Super-LumiNova C - historical Hanhart logo
Movement:
Sellita SW-510 M - hand-wound chronograph, cam-lever architecture - 23 jewels -
28,800 vibrations/hour - 58h power reserve - hours, minutes, small seconds
(with hacking function), chronograph with 30-minute register
Strap:
21mm black calfskin "Bund" strap with white stitching and Alcantara
on the inside - steel pin-buckle with historical logo
Availability:
not limited in production
Price:
EUR 1,744.87 (with 16% German VAT)
EUR 1,790
(as of 2021 with 19% German VAT)
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