Impressions and buying journey at Hanhart in the Black Forrest

Hey Crunchers,

Today I would like to continue my little series on my journey through the Black Forest and its watches. Today, I report from the Hanhart headquarters in Gütenbach near Furtwangen.

As you can see from the picture, the building is more than inconspicuous and I drove right past it despite the navigation system. The second time I tried it, it worked out and I was greeted in a friendly manner. After a guided tour through the building and talking shop in the showroom, I was able to familiarise myself with the entire product range of pilot watches, race watches and the Prmius collection. I was allowed to hold everything in my hand, look at it, touch it and experience it, which was great!

I've been fascinated by Hanhart for a long time and after a lot of internet research, shop window gazing and YouTube watching, I naturally went to Hanhart with the ulterior motive of buying a watch. My shortlist included the classic par excellence, the 417 ES and the history-accurate Tachytele.

After a long time of comparing watches and talking shop with the Hanhart sales person, I finally decided on the 417 ES in 42mm as the reverse Panda. The design is incredibly close to the historical original with all the tricks and comforts of a chronograph that punches far above its weight class (keywords 58h power reserve, flyback function and column wheel).

While my personal watch was fitted with my desired strap and was wrapped for me, I was given a tour of the in-house museum. It was really impressive to see how innovative Hanhart has been navigating the disruptive waters of the watch industry for over 140 years. Thanks to a high level of vertical integration and a lot of in-house production know-how and capacity, Hanhart has always been able to find its own niche in the market and compete succesfully with rivals worldwide. Today, 20 motivated watch enthusiasts work there and sell about 1500 wristwatches per year. This means that a Hanhart watch is something very special on the wrist compared to many watches from all over the world.

If you have any questions about the watch or Hanhart itself, I look forward to exchanging ideas with you in the comments.

See you soon, cheers!