Hands-On: The Raring-To-Race HTD Hesagraph RitmoCorsa
Some watches make you want to get out and race. That’s exactly what I felt when I saw the HTD Hesagraph RitmoCorsa with its bright red dial. This limited edition of 99 pieces celebrates HTD’s five-year partnership with the Italian Scuderia HTD RitmoCorsa racing team. Its enameled red dial echoes the freshly waxed body of one of their racing cars, and boy, does this thing seem ready to fly off the wrist.
Jorg already reviewed some of HTD’s earlier watches, but this is the first time I’m going hands-on with one of these racing monsters. Let’s see how that goes.
The HTD Hesagraph RitmoCorsa
The limited-edition HTD Hesagraph RitmoCorsa shares most of its specs with the HTD Hesagraph Cannoli and Variante B, which Jorg went hands-on with last year. That means it’s 39 mm wide, 12.4 mm thick (including the box-shaped sapphire crystal), and 48 mm long. Its shape looks heavily influenced by TAG Heuer’s Carrera collection, but that’s certainly not something to complain about.
While the case has an all-polished finish, the three-row Oyster-style bracelet is fully brushed. The latter includes a push-button folding clasp with “old-school” micro-adjustment holes, meaning you’ll need a tool to use them. Furthermore, the end links don’t have quick-release spring bars, so if you want to swap the bracelet for a red strap, bring your spring-bar tool.
Using the push-pull crown between the pushers, you can wind and set the hand-wound Sellita SW510 M chronograph movement inside. It runs at 28,800 vph, features 23 jewels, and has an ample 63-hour power reserve. The all-steel screw-in case back helps keep the Hesagraph RitmoCorsa water-resistant to 50 meters.
A racing-red enameled dial
Now, we come to the Hesagraph RitmoCorsa’s pièce de résistance — its fiery red enameled dial. It’s so bright that you can’t miss it, and when you see it, you’ll immediately want to step on the gas. The red main dial contains three slightly recessed white sub-dials — a 30-minute counter (3 o’clock), a 12-hour totalizer (6 o’clock), and running seconds (9 o’clock). A luminous pip sits next to each sub-dial, while more lume dots and elongated, faceted, and applied indexes mark the rest of the hours. The hands are also luminous, including the small arrow on the central chronograph hand.
The HTD Hesagraph RitmoCorsa on the wrist
As you can see from Ralph’s pictures, the 39mm HTD Hesagraph RitmoCorsa fits my 17cm wrist well. Its hand-wound movement makes it thinner than most automatic chronographs, which contributes to comfort. The bracelet also feels sturdy, just like the clasp, but quick-release spring bars and toolless micro-adjustment would have been nice.
The case’s fully polished finish enhances the watch’s vintage-inspired look and draws the eye to the mesmerizing coral-red dial. I can’t imagine what it’s like to race in the Scuderia HTD RitmoCorsa racing team’s BMW 2002, but I can already envision the bright red dial dancing around on my wrist as I hit bumps and corners along the way. This watch made me want to unleash the speed demon inside me.
Already sold out
Unfortunately, since this limited edition came out last June, it has already sold out. All 99 pieces of the HTD Hesagraph RitmoCorsa sold for €2,082.79 / US$2,351 each. You can check out the brand’s other collections to see if you might fancy something else. There are, for example, the non-limited Hesagraphs that Jorg reviewed, as well as the colorful Aquatic collection.
Let us know what you think of this limited edition HTD Hesagraph RitmoCorsa in the comments below.
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