Havid Nagan challenges traditions with the new Classic One
Tom Austin
One of the most refreshing things about microbrands is that they’re willing to break the mold and not follow typical watchmaking conventions. They often create their own unique design languages and apply that to traditional concepts, producing some seriously interesting watches in the process. Usually, you start with the standard recipe of a simple round case and bezel, extended lugs, no crown guards, and generally no major complications. The rest is an open canvas, ready for designers to get creative and come up with something fresh. Havid Nagan is a young brand in the process of defining its style and design language, which has a clear focus on drawing inspiration from 18th and 19th-century design principles and adding a modern twist – which is what its latest watch, the Classic One, presents.
Founded in California by designer Aren Bazerkanian, Havid Nagan specialises in the notion of établissage, which essentially means using a network of manufacturers to produce every element of a watch and then bringing it all together at the last moment to finalize everything. While this sounds like a normal modern industrial procurement practice, in watchmaking, of course, there’s a tradition tied to it. Back in the 18th century, watchmaking was more of an almost cottage industry, and the division of labour across British, German, French and Swiss watchmakers meant that these workers were able to produce parts from their own homes during quieter times. These would then be collected by “établisseurs” and assembled into complete watches.
This was a process which eventually declined considerably since most larger watchmakers moved their production systems in-house. But today, the surge of microbrands entering the space at so many different levels has resulted in a rebirth of this model, allowing brands like Havid Nagan to thrive. The brand released its first watch in 2022, the limited edition cushion-shaped, guilloché-dialled HN00, shortly followed in 2023 by the HN01 Lucine Moon Phase, another contemporary cushion-shaped watch, which captured a selection of classic details and finishes. And now, following learning many lessons in the process, the brand is ready to introduce its latest watch, the Classic One.
The case
It was important to Havid Nagan’s founder Aren Bazerkanian to keep the proportions of the Classic One wearable, so the 316L stainless steel case sits at 38mm in diameter and 9mm thick. These proportions mean it doesn’t feel fragile but sits in a sweet spot similar to watches of the era it takes inspiration from. Tasteful lugs flank the case, with scalloped sides that are highly polished, contrasting the brushed finish found elsewhere on the case. Additionally, the watch manages a 50-meter water resistance rating.
The dial
The Classic One is a modern take on the classic watch, with a round-shaped design and utilizes the archetypal Calatrava-like layout: baton hour markers, central hours and minutes and a small seconds dial at 6 o’clock. While the look is traditional, there are some more contemporary features at play here, too. Firstly, the colours, with a finely textured central dial plate, finished in either an off-white or in black with a slight gradient effect.
The lighter dial features contrasting orange and red touches, while the black keeps things more monochromatic. Both dial configurations are overlaid onto a sapphire ring, extending the hour markers and showing the sub-dial indices, keeping them hovering over a Clous de Paris tronqué guilloché-finished base plate, again finished in either ivory or black. It’s a unique look that gives the watch a sporty-meets-classic aesthetic.
The strap
The Classic One allows for multiple strap options, made by Jean Rousseau Paris. One option is a light brown alligator strap, while the other is a green textile, something we’re beginning to see across a number of more traditionally styled contemporary watches, such as the new Code 11:59 from Audemars Piguet. It seems this tends to be the preference for a younger audience over the leather, so it makes sense for the Classic One to offer something different. The straps are all fixed by a 316L stainless steel buckle.
The movement
Powering the watch is the AMT6600, a chronometer-certified calibre from the specialist division of Sellita, AMT Manufacture. It’s great to see that this is no off-the-shelf ETA or Sellita movement, which, honestly, are fine, but it does seem like every microbrand is launching a watch with an SW200 these days – so it’s refreshing to see some attention put into this side of things.
The AMT6600 looks fantastic. It’s a large movement that fills up the case, as you can see through its exhibition caseback, and is decorated with polished screws, dark ruthenium-treated skeletonised bridges and a hammered 5N gold treated finish on the mainplate. This clean design imparts a very contemporary look to this hand-wound movement. The calibre is COSC-certified, beating at 4Hz, and features a modified barrel to provide a 63-hour power reserve. Overall, the movement is an impressive and smart design at this price point, and it’s a welcome sight to see something atypical being used.
The verdict
The Classic One is an interesting next step for Havid Nagan; very different from its previous watches, but still managing to translate its vision of capturing traditional design aspects and translating them into something modern. The US$9,000 price is very fair when you take into consideration how unique this piece is, the level of detail in the movement and the delivery of something different with the dial. If you’re in search of something you’re not going to see every day, the Havid Nagan Classic One is certainly worth taking a closer look.
Havid Nagan Classic One pricing and availability
The Havid Nagan Classic One is available now, directly from Havid Nagan. Price: US$9,000
| Brand | Havid Nagan |
| Model | Classic One |
| Case Dimensions | 38mm (D) x 9mm (T) |
| Case Material | 316L stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 meters |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Ivory textured centre, black guilloché base plate, sapphire ring Black textured centre, ivory guilloché base plate, sapphire ring |
| Strap | Leather or textile, stainless steel pin buckle |
| Movement | AMT6600, manual-winding, COSC |
| Power Reserve | 63 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | $9,000USD |
Made in partnership with Havid Nagan. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.