Hanhart PRIMUS Pilot Watch
Starting from 2.940 €The Hanhart PRIMUS Pilot 44 mm is a contemporary pilot's chronograph from a German house based in the Black Forest since 1934. A direct descendant of the chronographs the brand produced for pilots in the late 1930s, it carries over the two most recognisable signatures: the red anodised aluminium reset pusher and the fluted bezel with its red marker. Offered here in three versions, Desert Pilot, Carrier Pilot and Monochrome Pilot, it pairs a matte sandblasted steel case with a legible bicompax display and an automatic chronograph calibre visible through a sapphire caseback. Robust, imposing and deeply instrumental, it is aimed at enthusiasts of military aviation watches and mechanical chronographs with real character.
Hanhart PRIMUS Pilot, 44 mm aviation watch
Hanhart was founded in 1882 in Diessenhofen, Switzerland, by watchmaker Johann Adolf Hanhart. The house moved to Schwenningen in 1902, then in 1934 opened its Gütenbach site in the Black Forest, still in operation today. Known first for an affordable sports stopwatch launched in 1924, the brand turned to pilot's chronographs in the late 1930s with the single-pusher Caliber 40 in 1938, followed by the Caliber 41 and TachyTele in 1939, supplied mainly to the Luftwaffe. Some of these pieces already featured a red-lacquered pusher designed to prevent an accidental reset in flight. Hanhart documents this chapter of its history at its museum in Gütenbach and has published a statement addressing its historical responsibility.
After the war, the brand supplied the French air force, then the Bundeswehr from 1957 onward with the flyback-equipped 417 ES. The PRIMUS collection, unveiled at Baselworld in 2009, carries this heritage forward in a contemporary idiom. Developed with the Gütenbach workshops and specialist Swiss suppliers, it spans three lines: Pilot, Racer and Diver. The PRIMUS Pilot is its aeronautical core. Its wide crown can be operated with gloves on, its fluted bezel offers a firm grip, and its bicompax display echoes the historic layout of Hanhart dials. It is an unapologetic tool watch, built for use before ornament.
Technical specifications Hanhart PRIMUS Pilot, 44 mm
- Brand: Hanhart
- Model: PRIMUS Pilot, 44 mm
- Reference: Depending on version
- Indicative price: 2,940 €
- Movement: Automatic chronograph
- Calibre: HAN3809
- Power reserve: 42 hours
- Diameter: 44 mm
- Thickness: 15 mm
- Water resistance: 10 bar / 10 ATM
- Materials: Stainless steel
- Crystal: Domed sapphire
- Dial: Sand, blue or grey
- Strap: Sand, blue or black fabric
- Warranty: 2 years
The Hanhart PRIMUS Pilot aviation watch
The PRIMUS Pilot makes its instrumental purpose clear from the outset. Its 44 mm case in matte sandblasted stainless steel takes on a technical, non-reflective finish that limits glare in a cockpit as much as in bright sunlight. The flexible screwed lugs offset the generous dimensions and let the strap hug the wrist despite a 15 mm thickness. The fluted bezel with its red insert offers an immediate grip, even with gloves, as does the oversized crown, a direct legacy of pre-war pilot's watches. The dial follows Hanhart's established logic: small seconds at 9 o'clock, a 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock, and a date window.
This bicompax layout, used by the brand since its early days, clears the centre of the dial and makes the chronograph easy to read at a glance. The Arabic numerals and hands receive a Super-LumiNova® coating, with a black treatment on the Desert Pilot version that creates an unusual reversed contrast. A domed sapphire crystal fitted with an internal anti-reflective treatment protects the dial, while the screwed sapphire caseback reveals the movement and its skeletonised oscillating weight bearing the house logo. The reset pusher, in red anodised aluminium, remains the watch's most recognisable feature.
Three versions, one chronograph
The PRIMUS Pilot comes in three versions that share strictly the same technical architecture and the same price. The Desert Pilot, launched in 2012, cultivates an outdoor register with its sand dial, black Super-LumiNova® and roughly woven sand fabric strap. The Monochrome Pilot, introduced in 2018, works in tone on tone: warm grey dial, black numerals and markers, black fabric strap, with the red of the pusher and bezel marker as the only touches of colour. The Carrier Pilot, revealed in 2019 and dedicated to carrier-based pilots, adopts a royal blue dial and blue fabric lined with leather, the only one of the three to feature this inner lining.
All three rely on the HAN3809 calibre, an automatic chronograph modified to produce Hanhart's signature bicompax display. The three cases are identical, matte sandblasted, and all three come fitted with an easy to adjust sandblasted steel deployant buckle. The choice therefore comes down to colour scheme and strap comfort. Available in S, M or L lengths depending on the version, the strap can be adapted to different wrist sizes, a welcome feature on such a generously sized watch. Whichever version is chosen, the PRIMUS Pilot remains an imposing piece, unapologetically so.
Hanhart PRIMUS Pilot aviation watch, 44 mm: the legacy of the red pusher
The PRIMUS Pilot combines a 44 mm matte sandblasted steel case, 15 mm thick, a fluted bezel with a red insert, an anti-reflective domed sapphire crystal and a screwed sapphire caseback. It is powered by the HAN3809 calibre, an automatic chronograph beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour with 28 jewels and a 42-hour power reserve, modified to display small seconds at 9 o'clock, a 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock, and the date. Water resistance reaches 10 bar under the DIN 8310 standard. Three dials are offered, sand, royal blue or grey, each paired with a matching fabric strap and a sandblasted steel deployant buckle.
Movement
The PRIMUS Pilot is powered by the HAN3809 calibre, an automatic chronograph modified to produce the house's historic bicompax display: small seconds at 9 o'clock, a 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock, and the date. It beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour, or 4 Hz, counts 28 jewels and offers a 42-hour power reserve on a full wind. Its oscillating weight is skeletonised with the Hanhart logo and remains visible through the sapphire caseback, adding a contemplative dimension to a watch designed first and foremost as an instrument.
Diameter and materials
The case measures 44 mm in diameter and 15 mm thick, in matte sandblasted stainless steel. This non-reflective, technical finish matches the fluted bezel with its red insert and the flexible screwed lugs that improve the fit on the wrist. A domed sapphire crystal with internal anti-reflective treatment protects the dial, offered in sand on the Desert Pilot, royal blue on the Carrier Pilot and grey on the Monochrome Pilot. The red anodised aluminium reset pusher signs the whole design.
Water resistance
The PRIMUS Pilot offers water resistance of 10 bar / 10 ATM measured to the DIN 8310 standard, roughly one hundred metres. This is a sensible figure for an aviation chronograph: it comfortably covers rain, splashes, showers or the occasional swim, without making the watch suitable for diving. The screwed sapphire caseback contributes to this resistance while revealing the movement. As with any chronograph, the pushers should never be operated underwater, as doing so risks compromising the case's seal.
Accessories
Each version comes with a fabric strap matched to its dial: roughly woven sand on the Desert Pilot, black on the Monochrome Pilot, blue lined with leather on the Carrier Pilot, the only one of the three to offer this lining. The 24 mm lug width calls for a wide strap, in keeping with the case. The closure is a matte sandblasted steel deployant buckle, easy to adjust day to day. Hanhart offers several strap lengths, in S, M or L depending on the version, to fine-tune the fit on the wrist.
Warranty
Hanhart covers the PRIMUS Pilot with a 2-year warranty. This is a limited international warranty, applicable to manufacturing defects found on the watch. Straps, crystals and batteries are excluded, in line with the conditions published by the brand. After-sales service is handled from the Gütenbach workshops in the Black Forest, where the manufacture also maintains its museum. For a mechanical chronograph intended for regular use, periodic servicing by an authorised watchmaker remains recommended beyond this period.
Hanhart Primus Pilot The pros
and cons
- HAN3809 automatic chronograph, 42-hour reserve
- Highly legible bicompax display
- Red pusher, historic Hanhart signature
- Robust matte sandblasted steel case
- Flexible screwed lugs for comfort
- Very imposing 44 mm case
- Noticeable 15 mm thickness
- Unusual 24 mm lug width
- Calibre based on an ETA/Sellita ébauche
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