When it comes to special editions, our philosophy has always been to make the watches we want to wear. But, at the same time, it is important that we tap into the authentic spirit of a brand or a model. With the 417, the project was very special because when we first broached the idea to Felix Wallner, Hanhart’s co-managing director, it didn’t exist in the brand’s line-up. Felix had seen the buzz that had built up around the original watches, and he could see that there was a strong desire from the collector’s community. So, amazingly, he agreed, and we began our 417 adventure that ended up taking several years.

But this watch is a special execution version that features the most beautiful watch dial I’ve ever set eyes on, which is brown bronze in color with an amazing sunray finish that is radiant under direct sunlight. While I know a pilot’s watch is supposed to have a matte black dial to absorb sunlight and probably the least practical dial is one that reflects light into your eyes, let’s also agree that no one buying one of these is using it to dogfight other biplanes over the Atlantic.

This time around, the words “Shockproof” and “Antimagnetic” appear on the dial just like on the original watches, which means that there is a soft iron cage inside to protect the movement from magnetic fields. But we didn’t stop there. With this beautiful dial, we selected an alloy of bronze that would patina less aggressively, so we decided to use aluminum bronze CuAl10Ni5Fe4, instead of bronze CuSn8 which we had used in last year’s watch. Finally, we decided that while the 417 should still have a Bund strap, we should render it in chocolate brown to better match the dial. The result, the brand new Hanhart 417 Chronograph Edition No. 2 “Copperhead” for Revolution & The Rake, is something quite stunning. We will make this watch in a limited edition of 200 pieces with a price of USD 2,050.

The Vintage Hanhart 417 Pilot’s Chronograph

For those of you interested in a little history of the 417, let’s go back in time to 1882 when one Johann A. Hanhart set up his eponymous brand in Diessenhofen, Switzerland. He relocated to Schwenningen in south Germany near the idyllic Black Forest in 1902, and by 1924, the Hanhart brand had gained a reputation for making highly precise yet affordable stopwatches. At the time, the chronograph complication was only available with a staggering price tag. Hanhart, seeing the popularity of competitive sports, wanted to democratize these timing devices, and he achieved great success as a result. In 1935, the company, helmed by Johann’s son, Wilhelm Julius Hanhart, added to its achievements the creation of a split seconds stopwatch. In 1938, Hanhart launched its first modern chronograph powered by the legendary caliber 40. This was a monopusher movement which was utilized to create watches for the German Luftwaffe and Navy. By 1939, officers in both these branches would wear chronographs typified by a thin fluted rotating bezel, and a large matte black dial with luminous cathedral hands and large luminous markers. Interestingly, from the beginning, these watches were made in both stainless steel and chrome-coated brass.

1941 saw the introduction of the brand’s first two- button flyback chronograph movement, the caliber 41, a column wheel powered engineering masterpiece. Following the war, Hanhart produced Type 20 watches for the French military under the name Vixa. In 1956, Hanhart resumed production of its legendary pilot’s watches, now with the updated caliber 42. These watches are quickly distinguished from the World War II era timepieces by having modern pencil shaped hands. By 1958, Hanhart had ceased production of pilot’s watches, and during the two-year period in which it manufactured the 417 flieger or pilot’s chronograph, it is believed that only 1,000 watches were made — 500 with the designation “ES” for stainless steel and 500 more with no additional designation, which were brass watches that were chrome plated. There was a further minuscule number of these watches made with white dials for medical professionals. As an aside, our bronze watch was inspired by the brass cased watches where the plating had worn away to reveal the rich warm-colored base material.

The 417 was one of the most handsome and pragmatically designed military chronographs ever created. These watches eventually became sought after by anyone interested in performance sports, thanks to their reliable movements, high visibility due to the 39mm case size and clean dial design, and their shockproof and anti-magnetic status which is proudly proclaimed on the lower half of the dial.

Tech Specs

Hanhart 417 Chronograph Edition No. 2 “Copperhead” For Revolution & The Rake

Movement: Manual winding Sellita caliber SW510 M; 58-hour power reserve FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, small seconds and bi-compax chronograph with 30-minute counter and central stop seconds
Case: 39mm; satin-polished bronze; water resistant to 100m
Dial: Brown sunray; Super-LumiNova filled Arabic numerals and hands
Strap: Dark brown Bund-style calfskin with white stitching and leather underlay; bronze pin buckle featuring historical Hanhart logo
Price and availability: USD 2,050; limited edition of 200 pieces