THE HISTORY OF HANHART

The sun is red in the evening sky over the small town of Diessenhofen am Rhein in north-eastern Switzerland when watchmaker Johann Adolf Hanhart sits down, takes pen and paper and draws up an advertisement. In it, he “humbly informs the respectable inhabitants of Diessenhofen and the surrounding area” that he has purchased a store and moved into its premises in order to open a watch store. The building is located at Hauptstraße 33 and the advertisement appears in the “Anzeiger am Rhein” on July 1, 1882. Johann A. Hanhart, who was born in Diessenhofen on May 11, 1856, also served as chairman in the small town for several years

When Hanhart’s youngest son Wilhelm Julius joins the company, an era of dynamic innovation and pioneering achievements begins.

Two years after the introduction of the first affordable stopwatch, the range is extended to include pocket watches and wristwatches, executed to the highest standards of watchmaking craftsmanship.

As part of the expansion, a second manufactory is founded in Gütenbach in the Black Forest in 1934, which still produces the Hanhart stopwatch collection today.

The year 1938 marks the beginning of a new era in the company’s history. The first model of the Hanhart chronograph goes into series production: the single-pusher “Caliber 40”, which was soon to become the company’s main product. In its new edition in 2003, the “Primus” model has become a coveted collector’s and collector’s item.

Production of the “Caliber 41” two-button model began in 1940. Pilot’s watches became the main product of the manufacturer at the time, which also produced pocket chronographs for the naval artillery.

Willy Hanhart, who had gone to Switzerland during denazification, returned to the newly founded state of Baden-Württemberg. During the war, watch production had to be suspended in favor of time fuses for torpedoes. Even after the end of the war, Hanhart was unable to restart production immediately due to a break lasting from 1945 to 1948. Pilot’s chronographs were built again from 1948. On behalf of the French, Hanhart produces the “Admiral” chronograph – especially for doctors and officers. The German Navy is supplied with precision timepieces. At the beginning of the 1950s, production was already running at full speed again. Hanhart concentrates increasingly on the manufacture of mechanical stopwatches and at the same time launches several innovative products such as timers and the “Sans Souci” wristwatch.

Hanhart initially produced watches for the French Air Force and from 1957, with slight modifications, also for the re-established German Air Force and German Navy. At the time, Hanhart was the only watch supplier to the German armed forces. Other Western European air forces were also supplied with the stopwatches with which Hanhart had managed to become the market leader in Europe in the 1950s. Until 1962, pilot’s watches and chronographs were built for staff officers and doctors in the German armed forces. The Hanhart Cal. 42, a switching wheel caliber with speed switching (today known as flyback) and manual winding, was introduced in 1957 and was a further development of the cal. 40 and 41 The models 417 E in a matt chrome-plated brass case and the 417 ES Flyback in a stainless steel case were originally produced between 1953 and 1962 for the German Air Force, for which reason the watch is also known among connoisseurs as the “Bundeswehr Chronograph”.

Hanhart steps up a gear …and opens another production facility in Neukirch in 1963. There is practically no school or sports club in Germany that does not use Hanhart stopwatches for timekeeping.

The Gütenbach company parried the offensive from the Far East and developed a new low-cost movement, the caliber 3305, in 1981. This goes into production in 1982. 40 million units are sold! In 1983, Willy Hanhart’s son-in-law Klaus Eble, who had joined the company in 1966, took over the management. Under his leadership, the LCD stopwatches “Profil”, “Magma” and “Stopstar” were developed.

With the rediscovery of the traditional art of watchmaking in the 1990s, Hanhart falls back on its own pioneering achievement: at the antique fair in Furtwangen in the Black Forest in August 1997, the legendary Hanhart pilot’s chronograph from 1939 is presented as a replica, which was developed under the aegis of production manager Manfred Schwer. All the case and dial details of the original were copied with the utmost care, from the old Hanhart lettering to the asymmetrical pusher offset. In addition, administration and production were merged at the Gütenbach site.

In 2005, the “M39” was followed by a highly successful replica. Other newly developed models will follow. It is the start of a new series of watches based on the originals from 1939.

Hanhart is launching the world first “Tachymaster” in 2008: a stopwatch that gives passionate classic car rally drivers a completely new, innovative tool for the track. It shows the route to be traveled, making section tests much easier to manage. With the launch of the “Tachymaster” for classic car rallies, the traditional watch manufacturer underlines its leading position as the most important stopwatch manufacturer in Europe.

At Baselworld 2011, Hanhart is presenting three new models in the “Pioneer” collection. The design and technology of the “MonoControl”, the “TwinControl” and the “TwinDicator” are based on the brand’s legendary chronographs, building on its long tradition and high level of expertise, but with a contemporary twist. The “Pioneer TwinDicator” is a particular highlight of the collection with the hour counter integrated into the small seconds and the displays positioned at the very edge of the dial.

Hanhart is launching three new chronographs in the “Pioneer” collection as a reminiscence of the traditionally close connection to motorsport in the 1960s and 1970s. The “Racemaster GT”, the “Racemaster GTM” and the “Racemaster GTF” with their sporty, technical design are the first watch models whose cases are made of HDSPro® case steel, which is 100 times more scratch-resistant.

PIONEER One – timeless design, which has been admired over the past decades, has returned with modern technology and as a three-hand watch. The movement of the hands and the basic design of the dial are based on the iconic Hanhart 417 ES Flyback. By reducing it to a three-hand watch and using the latest watchmaking standards, Hanhart brings the unique charm of the early 1950s back to life. The new limited edition Black Falcon PRIMUS Race Winner was created in cooperation with the Black Falcon Team, a young German motorsport company that is currently celebrating national and international success. Made in the highest quality and a unique color combination for racing drivers, adrenaline junkies, car lovers or the modern man whose passion is speed. The combination of sporty design and innovative technology of the Black Falcon Chronograph is unique.

With the new Hanhart 417 ES, we are celebrating the return of a stopwatch legend. Over 60 years ago, its historical model served as the first pilot’s chronograph for the German armed forces. Today, it combines the best design of the past with the most modern production techniques of our time. The result: a robust chronograph with an exciting story for everyday life and adventure.