Introducing: The Hanhart 415 ES Panda And Reverse Panda

While many brands attempt to move up the pricing ladder, it’s nice to know that some continue to focus on high-quality, affordable watches. Hanhart may not qualify as a high-street brand available in every city, but the historic company’s watches are worth serious consideration. Today, we’ll briefly look at the new 415 ES Panda and Reverse Panda models. I hate to spoil the ending, but after reviewing the details, these watches are hard to argue against.

Hanhart may be best known for its red-pusher pilot’s chronographs, but the brand produces a host of other watches. The 415 ES is just one of the model lines, and instead of planes, these watches are inspired by cars, specifically, the style of watches worn by racing drivers. That’s not a new concept, but any time a good-looking retro chronograph comes along, I’m here for the ride. Plus, as we’ll see with these pieces, the details, specs, and pricing all hit the mark.

The Hanhart 415 ES Panda and Reverse Panda

Let’s get right into the goodness because these stainless steel chronographs have a nicely sized 39mm by 46mm case. The 13.5mm profile includes a highly domed sapphire crystal with an antireflective coating. Pump-style pushers and a large signed crown lend these watches a very ’60s appearance. What’s more is the bidirectional, 60-click external bezel. Was Hanhart content with an aluminum inlay? Absolutely not, as the brand chose black ceramic for the 60-minute inserts.

A traditional ’60s-style case

The 415 ES shows off a case reminiscent of many ’60s chronographs. Sharp, polished chamfers contrast with brushed top and side surfaces. Small characteristics like this demonstrate attention to detail, an attribute often missing on affordable watches. While Hanhart did not include a photo of the case back, the watches use solid, screw-in enclosures with engraved, sequential serial numbers. In a marketplace rife with display backs showing off everyday movements, we welcome a clean case back. Plus, with a depth rating of 10 bar, a simpler solution is usually best.

Clean dials and the return of a former logo

While Hanhart recalls motor racing as the inspiration for the new 415 ES models, there is an inherent similarity to famous watches from Breitling and others with either a military or aerospace focus. Of course, some people also wore these pieces while racing cars or even on the ski slopes. Super-LumiNova C1 GL X2 is used on the printed Arabic numerals and syringe hands. Of special note is the luminous central chronograph hand. Its design reminds me of the famous Jardur Bezelmeter, one of my favorite vintage watches!

Aside from the luminous materials, the watches contain contrasting sub-dials displaying the running seconds and a 30-minute totalizer. The details continue with differently styled hands in those registers. Again, this is a faithful nod to certain vintage chronographs. Keen observers who may have questioned the make of these models are afforded an explanation. Normally, Hanhart dials display an ornate logo script from the brand’s earliest watches. In the ’60s, however, the logo was updated to a “flying wing” style. This logo is now back on the 415 ES, and it feels appropriate for the style of the watches.

A manual-winding movement equals bliss

One characteristic I admire about Hanhart is the company’s consistency in offering manual-winding movements. The 415 ES comes with the Sellita SW510 M, a movement with 58 hours of power reserve and a frequency of 28,800vph. These are nice movements, but the work goes further with guaranteed daily accuracy of 0/+8 seconds in all measured positions. Again, this is a nice detail that isn’t a given for a well-priced chronograph.

Multiple strap and bracelet options

With Hanhart, there’s a lot of flexibility in terms of straps and bracelets. Black, light brown, and dark brown leather are the standard 20mm options, and each comes with a signed stainless steel pin buckle.

A new Oyster-style bracelet is also available. For the first time, it includes the brand’s new toolless micro-adjustment system, which affords up to a 10mm extension. This sits within a push-button clasp that also features the wing logo. Finally, another nice touch are the screws connecting the links instead of the dreaded pin-and-collar system.

Hanhart 415 ES pricing and availability

The good news is that the new 415 ES is available on the Hanhart website. Perhaps the better news is that these watches are competitively priced at €2,490 on a leather strap and €2,690 on the bracelet (prices include 19% VAT). That feels like a lot of watch for the money, especially considering the specifications and details like the ceramic bezel and movement regulation. Hanhart’s watches are normally received well on Fratello, and I assume these will go down similarly with readers. Let us know your thoughts on these good-looking chronographs.

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