A Small Update Makes This Underrated Pilot’s Watch More Wearable Than Ever

Pilot’s watches have a distinctive look, with highly visible dials and hands. But all that extra legibility can come with a drawback, as far as everyday wearers are concerned: they routinely measure well above 40mm.

Of course, large cases and dials were once necessary for military pilots in the mid-twentieth century, who depended on their wristwatches before the advent of digital screens. Examples like the IWC Big Pilot and Breitling Navitimer keep this tradition alive with their 46mm cases.

As beautiful as they are to look at, hulking pilot’s watches aren’t practical for most men to wear on a daily basis — a fact that only makes the modestly sized 415 ES Pure all the more attractive.

First released in 2024 with a historically accurate, albeit niche, dial, this 1960s reissue now comes in an approachable black-and-white color scheme that makes it even better for daily wear.

Hanhart

A modernized classic

Hanhart’s 415 ES was first released in the 1960s as the brand’s reference to feature a bidirectional bezel; the also debuted Hanhart’s winged logo on the dial.

Hanhart

Back then, the standard for pilot’s watches was still oversized, WWII-era behemoths. The original 415 ES’s 39mm case was a slimmed-down take to meet the fashion of that era.

Aesthetically, the 2024 reissue of the 415 ES was a spot-on copy of the original, from the piston-style pushers and “winged h” signed crown to the dial-printed tachymeter and a 1/100th scale in place of a minute track. Interestingly, the 1/100th scale represents “industrial minutes,” which breaks a minute down by the decimal system.

Hanhart

Hanhart’s new 415 ES Pure dials back the vintage vibes by replacing the faithful gold hands and yellow arrow markers with white detailing. This updates the classic 415 ES with the monochromatic color scheme found throughout the German watchmaker’s modern collection.

Fit to fly

Adding another layer of intrigue, the 415 ES Pure is powered by a manual-winding 23-jewel Seillita caliber SW510M. Hand-wound chronographs are not common these days, but it is a fun, tactile and interactive feature.

Hanhart

Despite being hand-wound, this watch boasts a 100m dive rating. Helping to secure this rating is a screw-down case back that is signed with the same “winged h” logo that appears on the dial. Both 415 ES models mark the first time this logo has been used in 40 years.

The toned-down dial marks are coated in Super-LumiNova X2 lume for high visibility in low light. Covering the dial is a domed internally anti-reflective sapphire crystal.

Hanhart

With the 60-minute track ceramic in-lay bezel, vintage pushers and sub-40mm case, the 415 ES Pure looks more like a racing chronograph at first glance. The mostly black-and-white dial matches a 1960s Heuer Autavia more than an IWC Pilot’s Watch.

The comfortable 39mm case and versatile color scheme make the 415 ES Pure one of the most approachable pilot’s chronographs out there.

Availability and pricing

The Hanhart 415 ES Pure is now available from Watchbuys, Hanhart’s only online American distributor, for $2,680. This is the second color released, after the initial vintage-faithful reference from 2024.

It is sold with the choice of a black, light brown or dark brown leather pin buckle strap. All three come with a luxuriously soft Alcantara lining.

Hanhart

Hanhart 415 ES Pure 39mm

Specs

Case Size	39mm
Movement	Sellita caliber SW510 M manual winding
Wate Resistance	100m

• $2,680 at Watchbuys

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