INTRODUCING: the Hanhart PIONEER TwinControl #FliegerFriday Limited Edition

Zach Blass

Often our readers really respond to watches that are released by the less usual suspects. Something different and more approachable, that still serves up a serious level of quality and value to the prospective buyer. Hanhart may not be a household name, but it’s a storied German watch manufacture, established in 1882, with a rich heritage in pilot’s watches. I personally had my first collector experience with the brand when I snagged one of the Steve McQueen inspired The Rake & Revolution x Hanhart 417 Bronze Limited Edition watches – and I absolutely love that watch. But let’s circle back to today’s new novelty. Watches and social media have quite a symbiotic relationship these days, so it is a strong move from the Black Forest manufacture to introduce the Hanhart Pioneer TwinControl #FliegerFriday. The 100-piece limited edition was born in honour of the popularized hashtag that finds its way into many of our Instagram feeds, and the offering presents a robust rich blue chronograph that many can get behind.

Looking at the case alone, its design leverages a stealth bomber like aesthetic with an entirely brushed stainless-steel case coated with a scratch-resistant black DLC coating. It certainly has presence on the wrist, measuring in at 42mm in diameter and 15mm in thickness, but if its span across the wrist is anything like my own 42mm Hanhart you can expect the lug-to-lug to be a quite manageable 50mm. While many chronographs have a phobia of water, the Hanhart Pioneer TwinControl #FliegerFriday is 100 metres water-resistant according to DIN 8310.

Its royal blue dial is a welcome throwback to the colour of 2020. The matte finish of the dial ties into the utility-driven finish of the case, but introduces colorful contrast to what would have otherwise been a stealthy watch. The blue really pops against the framing of the black DLC-coated stainless-steel case, and the white hands and indices brighten up the look while also providing the utmost legibility. A quick-set date complication sits symmetrically at 6′ beneath the bi-compax registers at 9′ and 3′, creating a very balanced layout for the wearer. At 9′ you’ll find the running seconds register, and at 3′ you’ll find the 30-minute elapsed minutes register with a red-tipped hand to signal it ties into the functionality of the also red-tipped central chronograph seconds hand. The cathedral hours and minutes hands, along with the hour Arabics, are filled with SuperLuminova® ensuring visibility in darkness as well.

Furthering the playful pursuit of colour is the dial-matching pin/buckle blue ox leather strap with a suede upper finish, with a touch of red stitching near where the strap is affixed to the case to continue the accents found on the central chronograph seconds hand, elapsed minutes sub-hand, and even the red HyCeram reset pusher at 4′ which is both playful and purposeful.

Inside the watch is the automatic chronograph movement HAN3809, a caliber that uses either a Valjoux 7750 or SW500 base that is then modified by esteemed movement manufacturer La Joux-Perret. The robust movement offers a standard 42 hours of power reserve minimum after a full-wind.

Hanhart Pioneer TwinControl #FliegerFriday pricing & availability:

The Hanhart Pioneer TwinControl #FliegerFriday, limited to 100 pieces, is available now with delivery beginning in mid-September.

Price: €2,490 (incl. 19% VAT)