Hanhart S-Series Limited Edition Pilot’s Watches

Hanhart is no stranger to pilot’s watches with models like the TachyTele Pilot’s Chronograph and Primus Monochrome Pilot. Although the German brand started with mechanical stopwatches and remains a leader in that market, it’s arguably best known today for aviation-inspired instruments. The new S-Series pays tribute to the Austrian Air Force Saab 105, a Swedish twin-jet trainer and lightweight attack aircraft. The jets were introduced to the Austrian Air Force in 1970 and the Hanhart S-Series celebrates the 50^th anniversary with design elements inspired by the cockpit’s instrument clock. Five decades later, twelve planes of the original forty are still in Austrian service, a testament to its legendary design. 

The Hanhart S-Series consists of three watches, two based on the Austrian Saab 105 and the third on the SK 60, the Swedish Air Force variant. All cases are 316L stainless steel with a PVD coating, 40mm in diameter and 12mm in height. Each has a brushed finish with a narrow bezel surrounding the domed sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. The signed, knurled crown is a bit oversized for easy operation and fits the pilot’s aesthetic well. Flip the case over and the screw-down, solid case back features an engraving of the Saab 105. All models are water-resistant to 100 meters. 

The dials give each watch a unique personality with two GMT models and a 12-hour three-hander. Starting with the latter, the Hanhart S-Series S 105 OE has a matte black dial with large white Arabic numerals marking the hours. A white minute track surrounds this with five-minute marks, while an angled, internal flange at the outermost perimeter has Arabic numerals every five minutes with a triangular marker at 12 o’clock. The dial numerals and indices are coated with Super-LumiNova. The sword-style hour and minute hands are filled with Super-LumiNova on their upper two-thirds, while the seconds hand has a white-coated top half and a round counterweight. A date window at 3 o’clock displays three digits at once with a triangular index marking the central numeral. Map coordinates to Hanhart’s headquarters are printed just below the hands.

The Hanhart S-Series S 105 OE GMT model adds a GMT hand to the standard S 105 OE with a white triangular tip coated with Super-LumiNova. The 12-hour internal flange is also upgraded to 24-hour in 2-hour increments. The third model is the SK 60 GMT, based on the Swedish Air Force Saab 105 known as the SK 60. This dial is inspired by the SK 60’s clock with Arabic numerals only at 12, 6 and 9 o’clock. The same hands and date layout from the S 105 OE GMT are present, but the seconds and GMT hands have a yellow coating replacing the white. The triangular index marking the date is also yellow. The internal flange features 24-hour numerals like the S 105 OE GMT, but 24 is now printed instead of a triangular mark. Look closely and you’ll also see that all minute marks are square, while they’re round on the S 105 OE GMT except at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. 

Powering the Hanhart S-Series S 105 OE is a Sellita SW 200-1 automatic (or equivalent ETA 2824), while the GMT models use a Sellita SW 330-1 automatic (or equivalent ETA 2893). The Sellita SW 200-1 has 26 jewels, beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) with a 38-hour power reserve (ETA 2824 has 25 jewels, but otherwise identical). The Sellita SW 330-1 on the GMT models has 25 jewels, beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) with a 42-hour power reserve (ETA 2893 has 21 jewels and a 38-hour power reserve). The main difference here is the addition of the GMT hand, while everything else is the same in terms of accuracy and usage among movements. A 20mm black calfskin strap with a PVD coated steel pin buckle is standard on all models. 

All three watches in the Hanhart S-Series are limited to 105 each (after the Saab 105) with the S 105 OE selling for EUR 990 (incl. taxes) and GMT models selling for EUR 1,290 (incl. taxes). For more information, visit the Hanhart website.