Hands-On With The Everest-Worn HP Hercules Hand-Wound Double Barrelled
HP Hercules watches, originally crafted in post-war Germany, made a comeback in 2022 under the leadership of Swiss watchmaker (of Dutch origins) Adriaan Trampe, formerly of EZA watches. The brand’s rebirth leans on nostalgia, but aims to recharge it with modern mountaineering efforts. I got a chance to go hands-on with the Hercules Hand-Wound Double Barrelled.
These watches are made to order and cost €5,995. Let’s have a closer look!
The Return of HP Hercules Watches
The original Hercules timepieces were created by Henzi & Pfaff in Pforzheim. With a reputation for rugged yet elegant designs, they reached their literal peak in 1953 when mountaineer Hermann Buhl summited Nanga Parbat (one of the few 8000m+ peaks on earth) with a Hercules on his wrist. The brand faded during the quartz crisis, like so many others.
Ryan Water wearing the Hercules on Everest
Seventy years later, Buhl’s story is still central to the modern Hercules branding. Now Swiss-made, Hercules watches combine vintage-inspired watch design with Alpine storytelling. The specific watch I have on my wrist as I write has plenty of mountaineering pedigree, as adventurer Ryan Water wore it while scaling Mount Everest. So, if you spot scratches in the photos, know that they result from this watch living its intended life.
HP Hercules Watches
Since this revived brand leans on a historic backstory, let’s delve deeper into it. It all starts with the scaling of Nanga Prabat. In 1953, Hermann Buhl left his base camp at 2:00 a.m. to attempt a solo summit of Nanga Parbat. He reached the peak nearly 17 hours later. He spent a harrowing night standing on a narrow ledge before descending the next day. On his wrist throughout this ordeal: a Hercules watch by Henzi & Pfaff.
This moment laid the foundation for what Hercules’ new re-founder now calls Luxury Alpinism—a philosophy where technical watchmaking meets the spirit of the mountains. It is a recipe we’ve seen before, but one that the revived Hercules chases with conviction.
The brand does it with two initial models. I say two models, but the main difference is actually the calibers. One—the one I have here—features a hand-wound proprietary caliber. The other features an equally proprietary micro-rotor movement. You can choose between steel and tantalum versions, and several dial options exist, among which are hand-painted versions.
Ice-cold dial options
These Hercules watches are directly inspired by high-altitude environments. The Snow Dial collection includes four variants: Snow White, Ice Blue, Ice Pink, and Ice Green. But these colors aren’t just picked from a Pantone book; they’re grounded in scientific phenomena seen in frozen landscapes across the world.
The Ice Blue model references compressed glacial ice that scatters blue light. The Ice Pink dial nods to red algae that turn snow blush in spring. Ice Green channels the vibrant bloom of green algae on Arctic ice sheets. And the Snow White version evokes the serene stillness of the Himalayas themselves.
Again, the storytelling is omnipresent. I know this can rub enthusiasts the wrong way, but at least it is all thematically congruent. In terms of texture, the dials remind me of some Grand Seiko models, with their snowy surface.
Hercules’ proprietary calibers
Under the dial, Hercules watches offer a choice between the aforementioned two proprietary Swiss calibers. The micro-rotor movement measures 3.7mm thick and delivers 70 hours of power reserve. Hercules adds topographic engravings of Nanga Parbat on its bridges, illuminated with glowing BRW9 Super-LumiNova.
A hand-wound caliber is available for those who prefer the hands-on experience of winding a watch by hand. It features twin barrels with an impressive 120-hour power reserve, ticking at 28,800VPH. Like its automatic sibling, it comes with lumed topographic lines. Although these present a fun visual Easter egg, I wonder when you might see it, as you don’t tend to see your watch’s backside in the dark.
Whether you choose the micro-rotor or the hand-wound version, it’ll be chronometer certified. Hercules opts for ISO 3159 certification by Timelab in Geneva. The upside is that the calibers are tested after casing, rather than before. The movements are developed and produced by Manufacture horlogère Vallée de Joux.
The HP Hercules Hand-Wound Double Barrelled’s other specs
The Hercules Hand-Wound Double Barrelled’s case measures 40mm across and 9.4mm thick (including the crystal). It’s built from 316L stainless steel or, optionally, tantalum—a rare, dense metal that gives the watch a deep grey tone and a pleasing heft. The brand rates its water resistance at 100 meters, and both sides feature anti-reflective sapphire.
The lugs span 46mm, with 20mm spacing for the quick-release suede strap. Other straps are available, and mine came on a Tropic-style rubber strap. All Hercules watches are delivered in a large wooden box, along with a copy of the Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage book by Hermann Buhl.
Wearing the Hercules Hand-Wound Double Barrelled
At 40mm, the Hercules Hand-Wound Double Barrelled wears quite large for its form. Shaped after a 1950s watch, it comes with the style cues we would associate more with dress watches today. Being used to seeing this shape in 34-37mm, it looks a bit jarring to me at first sight. Admittedly, that’s just the former vintage dealer in me talking; it is by no means large by modern adventure watch standards.
On the wrist, the watch has a very nice stance. At less than 10mm thick, it wraps around the arm neatly, never getting in the way of whatever you are doing. Although judging by the scratches, Mr. Water sure banged it into stuff. Luckily, it wears its scars well. If you ask me, an adventure watch only gets better with a ding or two.
I found the winding and setting experience to be pleasant, as you would expect in this segment. The finishing is good but simple. The case is fully polished, although I can’t necessarily judge its quality anymore after having been heavily worn on Everest. The hands and indices all look neat and clean, as does the snow-patterned dial. The movement features some fancy details but is otherwise simple in finish. Naturally, as soon as you start developing proprietary calibers, things get costly quickly. Still, I feel the €6k price tag is quite steep for the otherwise relatively simple watch. I would have loved for the dial to be a bit more advanced, with the pattern hand-cut, for instance, as on certain other independent offerings in the segment.
What I think of the Hercules Hand-Wound Double Barrelled
The HP Hercules Hand-Wound Double Barrelled falls into a category of watches with a long history and plenty of offerings. There is no shortage of revived historic brands or mountaineering-themed watches. So, when you decide to enter that game, you have to come well armed. I respect Hercules for aiming high and making its debut with proprietary and distinguishing calibers—two, no less. The same goes for its 30 points of sale, including a brand boutique in Saint-Prex. There are no half measures, and I tip my hat to Adriaan Trampe for it.
The design, on the other hand, has not entirely won me over. I miss some of the charm of a truly vintage-inspired watch and some of the function-first pragmatism of a modern tool watch. The Hand-Wound Double Barrelled sits somewhere in between. It feels somewhat unclear what it aims to be to me, but I fully recognize it may look like the perfect blend to others. I miss a little bit of a wow-factor that I am looking for at this price.
As for the mountaineering theme, I completely get the romantic lure. I also fully understand why you might want to revive a brand like HP Hercules and retell its story, as it provides an excellent hook for new creative ideas and some justification for being. I just hope that Trampe and his team find ways to truly differentiate HP Hercules in the flood of revived brands we’ve seen over the past couple of years. Aiming a little bit higher than most and bringing out unique calibers might be the ticket, who knows? I root for them!
What do you think of the new HP Hercules Hand-Wound Double Barrelled? Let us know in the comments section below!
