A Classic Tool-Watch Brand Just Revived a Forgotten 1960s Pilot’s Chronograph

This hidden gem of a brand favored by Steve McQueen is at it again.

a closeup of a hanhart pilot watch in the sky

Published December 3, 2024

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German watchmaker Hanhart has quietly had a pretty big year.

For years, decades even, Hanhart had largely been known for one watch: Its 417/417 ES. Debuting in the 1950s, the 417 made history as the first chronograph created for the post-war German Air Force (i.e., it wasn’t a Nazi watch). It later achieved even greater fame on the wrist of the late actor and style icon Steve McQueen, who frequently sported a stainless steel 417 ES in his personal life.

But lately, Hanhart has been branching out into new territory. Back in September, the brand launched the Preventor HD12 — a rugged three-hander pilot’s watch with solid Rolex Explorer vibes. The brand followed that up in October with the debut of the Aquasphere, the first dedicated dive watch in Hanhart’s 140-year history.

Now, Hanhart is at it again with another new release. But this time, instead of breaking new ground, the storied tool-watch brand is reviving a largely forgotten watch from its past.

a hanhart chronograph watch — Hanhart has resurrected its 415 ES chronograph from the mid-1960s.

The Swingin’ Sixties

Hanhart has reissued the 415 ES, a unique pilot’s chronograph from the mid-1960s that featured a couple of firsts for the brand along with several quirks — all of which have been carried over to the faithful new modernized version.

In Hanhart parlance, “ES” is used to designate the use of stainless steel, and the new 415 ES naturally has a stainless steel case that measures 39mm across — the same size as the 1960s watch.

The original 415 ES marked two firsts for Hanhart: It was the brand’s first watch to feature its then-new winged logo, as well as the first to have a bidirectional elapsed-time bezel. The new watch faithfully recreates both.

a vintage hanhart watch from the 1960s — This blurry photo depicts the 1965 415 ES reference on which Hanhart based its new design.

This marks the first time Hanhart’s winged logo has appeared on any watch in 40 years, and it now looks decidedly (and pleasingly) retro. Meanwhile, the 60-click bidirectional bezel now boasts a scratch-resistant matte ceramic insert instead of the original’s aluminum.

The dial of a specific 1965 415 ES reference from Hanhart’s archives has been reproduced almost exactly on the new watch, including its tachymetric scale, its bicompax layout complete with an arrow hand on the 30-minute register, and even the old-school “RUBIS” and “INCABLOC” text on the dial.

The most unique dial detail carried over from the original watch to today is the red 1/100ths scale in place of a minute track. You may be wondering what this is. After all, this watch isn’t a Zenith El Primero with a 1/100th-of-a-second chronograph movement inside.

a hanhart chronograph watch on a mans wrist — The industrial minutes scale is perhaps the quirkiest feature on this throwback chronograph.

The scale is meant to measure “industrial minutes,” sometimes called decimal minutes, which is a separate way of measuring time based on the decimal system. In this system, one minute is divided equally into 100 parts. The brand says the application is “important in industrial and technical applications,” and it was a detail present on the 1960s model.

Modern Upgrades

Hanhart was very faithful in bringing the 415 ES from the 1960s into the modern era, but the brand still added contemporary tech where necessary. The domed acrylic crystal has been replaced with AR-coated sapphire, while the lume is now extra-bright Super-LumiNova X1. As mentioned previously, the bezel insert is now ceramic.

The water resistance has been bumped to 100m, and the watch is also anti-magnetic and shockproof thanks to the Hanhart movement damping system. The leather strap features quick-release spring bars and a luxe Alcantara lining, while the hand-wound movement has been upgraded to the Sellita SW510 M, which beats at 4 Hz and has a healthy 58-hour power reserve.

the caseback of a hanhart watch — This marks the first time Hanhart’s 1960s-era winged logo has appeared on a watch in over 40 years.

Pricing and Availability

With its faithful retro vibes, hidden-gem backstory and modern refinements, the 415 ES looks like yet another win to cap off Hanhart’s impressive 2024. And what makes it even more compelling, in typical Hanhart fashion, is the price.

The watch retails for 2,390 € on Hanhart’s website, but as is the case with the brand’s other watches, you can’t buy it from there if you’re in the U.S. American shoppers have to purchase through Hanhart’s U.S.-based online retailer WatchBuys, which currently has the 415 ES available for preorder for $2,680 — a decidedly competitive price for a feature-packed, German-made mechanical chronograph.

Hanhart 415 ES

A modern-day reissue of Hanhart’s 1960s chronograph of the same name, this tool watch boasts a Swiss-made hand-wound chronograph movement, inner tachymetric scale and a bidirectional elapsed-time bezel.