The Dan Henry 1972 Review
Dan Henry is a brand I truly admire. For brands in the affordable arena, Dan Henry is one that seems to be an enthusiast's favorite. It's not hard to see why. With a collection of great looking, limited edition pieces, the brand is able to take pieces that evoke the history of an era and put them in contemporary styles for the modern person.
The 1972 is no different. Like the others, it is built from the fabric of a much older piece, in this case, the legendary Porsche Design Orfina from 1972 otherwise known as the "Top Gun" watch.
At 41mm x 12.7mm x 45.7mm, the watch actually wears wonderfully on my 6in wrist. Considering I typically start to notice size issues around 40mm, this one wears smaller. The quartz movement makes this thin as well in contrast to the 15mm of the original Orfina.
The dial is very much like the Orfina and set up in the same way. The tachometer scale is set up the same, the hands and indices are set up the same as well, and the date is set up in the same place as well.
The case is PVD and the bracelet is comfortable and has a deployment clasp. The case back bears the Ducati motorcycle, a nod to the one driven by Maverick in the movie in case there was any doubt left that this watch is an homage to the movie as much as the watch.
And this brings me to the looming elephant. While other watches in the Dan Henry collection are homages to a bygone era, this one is an homage to a specific watch. If that bothers you then you're probably not going to enjoy this watch. And in fairness, the original watch is so legendary and iconic that how can you not want the original Orfina? Well, considering the original ones are monsters and cost several thousands of dollars, you have to ask yourself is an original Orfina worth it for a collector. While I would love to have an Orfina, I don't think I would actually wear it even if I owned one and that's the problem for me. The Dan Henry takes the look of the Orfina and makes it actually wearable for today's enthusiast. And that's why I will always recommend it.
The Dan Henry 1972 Review
Yes
No
- It's a Top Gun watch
- Price
- Multifunction chronograph with an alarm
- It's not an Orfina
- It's limited edition and is currently sold out
- There have been noted QC issues with rhe movement
Collector of anything from Casio to Omega.
DH is amazing value and the 1972 is super popular like Top Gun Maverick.
Love my 1964 Panda. Only downside is the 19mm lug.
DH is amazing value and the 1972 is super popular like Top Gun Maverick.
Love my 1964 Panda. Only downside is the 19mm lug.
Ugh the cursed 19mm . I had no idea that model had an awkward lug width.
Have the stainless version on my list. Love the all around look of this watch.
Have the stainless version on my list. Love the all around look of this watch.
Great choice! I would absolutely recommend it to anyone considering it!
Ugh the cursed 19mm . I had no idea that model had an awkward lug width.
The 1972 actually has 20mm lugs...
Cool watch. Would absolutely love to add a real Porsche design chronograph 1 into my collection.
I remember when the original was launched and how ground breaking it looked back then. The DH 1972 is quite nice if you want to re-create the experience at a fraction of the cost.
I'm not familiar with the particular DH but I'm a big fan of the brand as I had one for a while in my early days collecting. I bought it because it resembled a B&M Capeland I'd fallen in love with but didn't think I'd ever be able to afford. It was a very nice watch for the price as DH's tend to be. Not long after I bought this one, I discovered that B&M is one of those brands that can be purchased new from gray market dealers for a fraction of RRP and bought the B&M, which I still have and love. Of course, I sold the DH and did very well on it.
How has the black coating held up? Does it scratch easy, or?