Hanhart 417 ES: The Return of Steve McQueen’s Favorite

The Black Forest watch brand Hanhart, founded in 1884, is known worldwide for its nifty stop watches and mechanical wristwatch chronographs. One of the most legendary Hanhart watches ever now happened to celebrate its long-awaited return, with its roots going back more than 60 years.

A former pilot’s chronograph of the German Armed Forces

As early as the mid-1950s, Hanhart began producing the first pilot’s chronographs for the German Armed Forces. Of course, the criteria of robustness, reliability and readability were the top priorities. The resulting watch went by the name of “417” and served faithfully on the wrists of German armed forces for over a decade.

However, the watch also became particularly well known for another reason: No one less than Steve McQueen was considered an avowed Hanhart fan and liked to wear a 417 chronograph in his spare time.

A faithful reproduction

You can tell at first glance that Hanhart placed great importance on keeping the design of the new Hanhart 417 ES in line with the original. By the way, one piece of trivia in case you were wondering: The abbreviation “ES” merely indicates the use of stainless steel (Edelstahl). This was in fact a useful piece of information in the 1950s, as the 417 was alternatively also made of brass.

Especially the fluted bezel is a feature that many collectors appreciate so much about the brand. It rotates in both directions and bears a red position mark at 12 o’clock, allowing for instant orientation when worn in a cockpit.

Even small details such as the shockproof lettering, the historic Hanhart logo at 12 o’clock or the arrow-shaped hand in the 30-minute register have been re-introduced in the new 417 ES.

Inside, Hanhart uses a hand-wound caliber, just like the historical original. The Sellita SW 510 M can be read quickly and easily due to its bicompax dial layout: The central second hand is the chronograph stop-second, while the sub-dials indicate the running second of the watch as well as the 30-minute counter.

The new Hanhart 417 ES at a glance:

• Reference: 417 ES
• Case dimensions: 42mm
• Case height: 13.3mm
• Case material: Stainless steel
• Winding: Manual
• Caliber: Sellita SW 510 M
• Power reserve: 58h
• Strap: Calf-leather Bund strap
• Glass: Sapphire
• Water resistance: 100m
• RRP: 1,744.87€

For more information, please visit hanhart.com.