Reaching The Top With The Heavyweight HP Hercules In Polished Tantalum

Last year, Thomas went hands-on with the HP Hercules Hand-Wound Double-Barreled. Today, I’m going to do exactly the same. However, this time the watch doesn’t feature a stainless-steel case but rather a fully polished tantalum one. As you might know, tantalum is an extremely dense metal, which makes the watch much heavier and also harder to decorate. That’s why tantalum watches are often much more expensive than their stainless steel counterparts. The same is true for the HP Hercules; however, it’s still quite reasonably priced in its category.

When you search for tantalum on our site, you encounter watches by H. Moser & Cie, Ming, Fleming, and Urwerk. The thing is, though, all of those watches cost somewhere between CHF 32,000 and CHF 77,000. With a notable exception: the Zelos Nova, a limited-edition watch in tantalum, priced at only USD 1,999. That watch is very sold out by now, though. So it looks like the HP Hercules Polished Tantalum, at €14,995, is indeed not a bad option if tantalum is your thing. Let’s take a look at what you get for that money.

Henzi & Pfaff Hercules

As Thomas explained in his review: “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. Seventy years later, Buhl’s story remains central to the modern Hercules brand. Now Swiss-made, Hercules watches combine vintage-inspired watch design with Alpine storytelling.”

If you’d like to learn more about the Nanga Parbat story, I recommend reading Thomas’s article or checking out the brand’s website. For now, we’ll focus on the watch at hand.

The HP Hercules in polished tantalum

Let’s start with the case, as that’s what this version of the HP Hercules is all about. It has a diameter of 40mm, is 9.4mm thick, and the lugs span 46mm. The case sides and bezel are rounded, and the lugs are fairly short for its 40mm size. The lugs are 20mm apart, which makes it easy to fit the watch with one of your favorite straps.

As noted, tantalum is a very dense metal, which makes it harder to machine and thus polish. But it also looks slightly different from stainless steel. It has a dark gray hue, but it’s not the same as (lightweight) titanium. While titanium looks a little brownish, tantalum goes more toward blue. This color difference makes tantalum look a little more luxurious, while titanium looks more utilitarian. This is especially true for the polished version of the HP Hercules. If you’re more into the utilitarian look, you can also opt for the sand-blasted version.

An exploration dial

The dial on the HP Hercules has a classic exploration layout. There are applied Arabic numerals at three, six, nine, and twelve, and applied markers in between. Both the polished hour and minute hands feature lume, and there are small lume plots next to the hour markers. This makes it easier to read the time in a darker situation, for example, while you’re hiking up a mountain in the early morning to catch the next sunrise.

You can choose from different dial colors: Snow White, Ice Blue, Ice Pink, and Ice Green. Those are all textured, and finally, there’s also a plain black dial available. I went hands-on with the Snow White dial. It almost feels like you can make fresh tracks into the dial. That’s how soft and realistic it feels. I also like how well the texture fits the exploration theme.

Image by waqt.com

A lumed movement

Inside the HP Hercules is a movement from Manufacture Horlogère Vallée de Joux from Le Sentier, Switzerland. The hand-wound movement features two barrels, which give the watch a convenient power reserve of 120 hours. It runs at a frequency of 28,800 vph, contains 26 jewels, and features bridges with a sunburst finish. But it’s the topographic engravings of Nanga Parbat on its bridges that really catch your attention. Especially at night, because they’re illuminated with glowing BRW9 Super-LumiNova.

The double-barreled movement is also chronometer-certified by Timelab in Geneva. This ISO 3159 certification means the movement runs within -4 to +6 seconds per day in terms of accuracy. And the great thing is that the accuracy is certified after the movements are cased up. This ISO certification process doesn’t include a water resistance test; however, the HP Hercules should be water resistant to 100 meters.

Heft on the wrist

When you pick up the HP Hercules in tantalum, you immediately notice its heft. It’s substantially heavier than steel, and you also notice it on the wrist if you’re used to wearing stainless steel watches all the time, like me. You also notice the slight difference in color between the more silvery steel and the darker gray of the tantalum case. I really like it in combination with the bright white dial. The contrast between the two is something you don’t get with stainless steel. I also really like the movement’s lumed bridges, but you’ll never actually see them, other than on your nightstand.

In conclusion, I share Thomas’s feelings about the HP Hercules. It’s a well-made watch with great finishing, a nice movement, and a great textured dial. However, there’s not really a wow-factor. The tantalum case is a nice touch, though. And, as you saw at the beginning of the article, the HP Hercules is actually quite reasonably priced. So, if you’re into tantalum, but you don’t want to spend more than €15,000, the HP Hercules might be a good option.

Pick it up by helicopter

HP Hercules makes its watches when they are ordered. If you do, make sure to pick up your watch at the brand’s boutique in Saint-Prex. That way, they’ll pick you up by helicopter and drop you off at a traditional mountain restaurant in the Swiss Alps. The watch will be presented to you when it’s time for dessert.

Let me know what you think of the HP Hercules in polished tantalum in the comments below.