The New Hanhart 417 ES Heritage Flyback, With Classic Red Pusher

It’s always refreshing to hear that brands actually listen to their fan base… Of course, it’s hard to please everyone, but at least some are trying hard to evolve according to the suggestions they receive. And sometimes, it results in a new watch that looks exactly like we’d have envisioned it. Such is the story of the Hanhart 417 ES Heritage Flyback. A watch made according to popular demand, after receiving multiple requests asking for the column-wheel flyback movement combined with a classic black dial, and the return of the emblematic red HyCeram pusher. And voila, here’s the result. 

Let’s rewind quickly. Hanhart, a venerable German brand with just a bit of history, to say the least, made some noise in 2020 by unveiling the 417 ES, a re-edition of the first pilot’s chronograph for the German armed forces (post-WWII). Classic attributes of Flieger chronographs and Hanhart stopwatches, with the signature continuously rotatable fluted bezel with a red marking, all with a cool retro design, a reliable hand-wound movement and a reasonable price. First launched in 42mm, it later came back in a more historically relevant 39mm case, followed by a white dial version and a pair of Panda and Reverse Panda models, in 39mm and 42mm, equipped with a Flyback column-wheel movement by AMT (Sellita).

Based on these two models, Hanhart now comes with some updates to give the flyback model the historical look it deserves: black dial, still the option of two diameters and the historic red pusher. Many of Hanhart’s historic and modern watches were equipped with the red-coloured pusher, a signal colour that was intended to prevent pilots from accidentally resetting the stop time, particularly important for flyback chronographs. The red pusher was therefore not just a design element, but a safety measure. It’s now made from HyCeram, a hybrid ceramic with robustness and refined look. But that specific feature has always been absent from the 417 family, which only got a red accent on its bezel… up until now!

That said, no other evolution can be seen on the side of the case. These new 417 ES Heritage Flyback are identical to the previous panda and reverse panda flyback editions. This means the choice between a 39mm or a 42mm case, a continuously rotating bidirectional fluted bezel with red marker, a highly dome sapphire crystal, a screw-down crown, and a solid water-resistance of 100m.

The other notable evolution concerns the dial, which now comes in classic, retro-original full matte black. It’s paired with SLN-filled Arabic numerals, white hands, the brand’s historic logo and has the good idea to keep the faux-patina on a low level. Classic pilot’s chronograph look, now monochrome. It has to be noted that the 39mm has a solid steel case and an antimagnetic case, while the 42mm comes equipped with a sapphire back allowing to see the movement.

Speaking of it, the Hanhart 417 ES Heritage Flyback runs on the Sellita AMT5100 M, a largely modified Valjoux 7750 architecture with a column wheel and a flyback function. It also benefits from a longer power reserve of 58 hours and features a stop seconds. All models are available either on a classic leather strap with leather underlay or a 3-link brushed steel bracelet for a more modern and versatile look.

Available as of now from the brand and part of the permanent collection, the Hanhart 417 ES Heritage Flyback (whatever the size) is priced at EUR 2,590 on leather strap and EUR 2,790 on steel bracelet. For more details, please visit www.hanhart.com.