hanhart - any good + alternatives
hanhart - any good + alternatives
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Discussion

shirt

Original Poster:

25,550 posts

232 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
morning chaps.

seems to be a few 'what watch' threads around at the moment so i'll try and paint a picture of what i like and my thinking thus far.

i want to buy my first decent watch. this will not be worn daily as i tend to get my hands dirty. i'm looking for something that is both well designed and well made from a respected maker. my comfort level is about £1k but not set in stone. i would like if possible to purchase something that will hold it's value.

last year i was looking to buy a carerra re-edition like this:



however i tried one on recently and found it to be smaller than imagined. still a very nice watch but values are above £1500 and for not a huge amount more i could buy an original carrera or an 18k re-edition which look amazing. i also like the monaco re-edition but strangely not any of the others.



then i thought perhaps a sinn 356. haven't seen one up close [is there a sinn dealer in dubai?] but the more i look the more i dither. before TZ excluded us plebs from viewing the sale forum i used to see these at £6-650 which would be ta no brainer, but at twice that [chrono 24 et al] i am not sure.



so, i'm now looking at a hanhart replika that chronomaster have for £1295. very understated, classic looking, me likey but have no idea of the pedigree. anyone?



http://www.chronomaster.co.uk/New%20Watches%201.ht...

also what other watches should i be looking at? my preference is for a chronograph and i am a picky bugger when it comes to aesthetics. i am not bothered about buying 2nd hand as long as the watch casing is truly mint and the seller has pedigree. my grail i guess would be a glashutte as per below, but i think i'll save that for later given the price tag biggrin




Oh, and my last caveat is that I'm based in Dubai so will likely be buying sight unseen.

shirt

Original Poster:

25,550 posts

232 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
ps - it doesn't have to have a black face!

Shake&Bake

371 posts

216 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
It might be a stretch too far, but you're very close to a speedy. I like my moon watch, but this one is quiet cool i think with the red. Haven't seen one of these before. Very comfortable watch as a daily beater and looks well with a shirt as well.

http://www.watchfinder.co.uk/Omega/Speedmaster%20R...

shirt

Original Poster:

25,550 posts

232 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
i do like the speedmaster. bracelet would have to go though.

Shake&Bake

371 posts

216 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
shirt said:
i do like the speedmaster. bracelet would have to go though.
I know what you mean, but you could get a nice toshi, or if it was me I have been looking at black rubber straps with a deployment clasp. However you are increasing your budget further again at this. I also have a limited edition Monaco brushed steel faced, as you have mentioned above. I would advise trying one on for an extended period of time. I do not find it comfortable to wear. The crown is on the left of the case on mine, which rubs against your forearm if you wear it on the left wrist.


AndrewWF

280 posts

173 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
The Sinn is a beauty, although it is quite small. Longines announced this 1942 Heritage Chronograph this year:



Baume & Mercier do a black dial version of their Capeland Flyback, although it may be out of your budget at around £5k:


Podie

46,649 posts

306 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
TAG Heritage Carrera?


shirt

Original Poster:

25,550 posts

232 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
i don't like either of those, told you i am picky! they just don't look homogenous to be, the baume & mercier a bit busy and don't like the font!

how big is the sinn? the hanhart is 40mm but looks good on wrist shots, i think the carrera i tried was 36mm.

any opinion on the hanhart from a workmanship and value POV?

RobCh

151 posts

210 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
Hanhart watches are solid and well-made and they do have a proper heritage in WW2 pilots' watches. If you like that retro look, they are among the best. I don't think they will hold their value particularly well, or that you will easily find a chronograph around this price point that will. The Sinn 356 you're considering is the same size as the Heuer, so that may be too small for you also - the Sinn 358 is bigger but a bit more pricey. As alternatives you might take a look at the Sinn 103 if the tachymeter scale is not too fussy, the Archimede pilot chrono (good value), or, if it doesn't actually need to be a chrono, the Muehle Glashutte Terranaut II.

RobCh

151 posts

210 months

Monday 30th July 2012
quotequote all
[url]
Archimede

|http://thumbsnap.com/r6KuJYw3[/url]
Muehle Glashutte

shirt

Original Poster:

25,550 posts

232 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
quotequote all
i like that sinn!

have been trawling the web, chrono24 and chronometer and i keep coming back to the monza reissue and the hanhart. i did look for a vintage one but they are $$$.

i'm looking to buy in the next 3-4 weeks so my OH can bring it out to me when she visits. Eyes peeled for a bargain from now on!

With chronometer et al, how do they react to an offer under the asking price and how is it best approached?

Pesty

42,655 posts

287 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
quotequote all
If its the coin edge bezzel thing you like check out Tutima watches.




Pesty

42,655 posts

287 months

shirt

Original Poster:

25,550 posts

232 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
quotequote all
just had a look at their site, the only one i like is the luftwaffe reissue, identical to the hanhart which i guess is because they were built for ze germans to a singular design.

hard to say what i like really, mostly comes down to face design and a clean look. i don't like divers and my flatmate think i'm nuts for not liking his rolex's [ i tried his green ceramic sub and white face daytona on last night].

as well as the ones in my first post i like the iwc portuguese, but then all but the hanhart are £1800 upwards which is more than i wanted to spend at present, the hanhart will make a nice daily i think and subtly stylish with it.

Edited by shirt on Saturday 4th August 22:12

Vvroom

1,170 posts

221 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
quotequote all
Pesty said:
If its the coin edge bezzel thing you like check out Tutima

I really like the look of that.

Pesty

42,655 posts

287 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
quotequote all
Tutima are very nice and very under rated IMO.

I've held a few and they just feel and look very well made. Most of them have very nice view backs and nicely decorated movements as well.

trying not to buy one of these at the moment ( i want to save up for a tudor)



Edited by Pesty on Saturday 4th August 22:29

Rapid rental

477 posts

253 months

Sunday 5th August 2012
quotequote all
Hanhart have a real heritage, watch of choice for a generation of Luftwaffe pilots in the war. They do some very nice limited editions and essentially they look little different to the ones produced from 1939-45. They are still based in the same town in Bavaria that they have always been and are a bit of a niche producer.

hope that helps.

Hoofy

80,170 posts

313 months

Sunday 5th August 2012
quotequote all
AndrewWF said:
Good grief. That is nice. I don't know why, though.

AlexC1981

5,857 posts

248 months

Sunday 5th August 2012
quotequote all
Rapid rental said:
Hanhart have a real heritage, watch of choice for a generation of Luftwaffe pilots in the war. They do some very nice limited editions and essentially they look little different to the ones produced from 1939-45. They are still based in the same town in Bavaria that they have always been and are a bit of a niche producer.

hope that helps.
Another German company; Tutima also made these type of watches during WW2 for the Luftwaffe. As Tutima was based in Glashutte, East Germany, the Soviets took the tooling from them after WW2 and made their own for their pilots. I have a modern reissue of the Soviet version.



More info on the history here if anyone's interested.

I think I paid £135 for it which is a bargain for a handwound chronograph even if it was made in Russia! I don't have any complaints about the quality, though I'm sure it would fall down next to a Hanhart. There are a few variations you can get with different logos, colours, case finishes and sizes.

Be careful if you are buying a Hanhart from ebay as it could be a Russian one with a reprinted dial.

Hoofy

80,170 posts

313 months

Sunday 5th August 2012
quotequote all
Oh yeah, the Buran versions are nice. Feel suitably weighty. Mine's not great for accuracy, though, being about 30s out a day.