Indie Watchmaker Havid Nagan Unveils The HN01 Lucine Moon Phase

Havid Nagan is a fresh brand name in watchmaking, derived from the Armenian word “havidenagan,” signifying eternal. The man behind this venture is Aren Bazerkanian, a California-based real estate agent whose passion for horology, combined with a fortuitous encounter with Pierre Halimi, the General Manager for F.P. Journe in the Americas, landed him a manager job at the F.P. Journe boutique in Los Angeles. But that was before creating his own brand, Havid Nagan. 

Bazerkanian was inspired by the works of horological giants. Despite lacking a watchmaking background, fueled by passion, he set out to create his reinterpretation of classics for the contemporary collector. In 2022, Aren Bazerkanian went independent with Havid Nagan and thrust the spotlight onto the Golden State, captivating watch enthusiasts globally with the inaugural HN00 series – three modern titanium-cased timepieces featuring vibrant guilloché-like dials. Powered by the Schwartz-Etienne micro-rotor ASE 200 calibre, these time-only watches showcased bright aesthetics and stood out with their architecture-inspired case design. This year, Aren Bazerkanian unveils the Havid Nagan HN01 Lucine, a worthy successor to the HN00. While preserving the essence of the original case design, this new iteration boasts a Jean-François Mojon-engineered movement with an original “mystery moon phase” indication.

The brushed and polished cushion-like (an architectural tonneau structure according to the brand) grade 5 titanium case of the new Havid Nagan HN01 Lucine has a three-piece construction with 17 components. The HN01 Lucine maintains the HN00-series circle in the square design, featuring angular stepped bezels and a shaped caseband. The watch measures 40.2 mm x 10.2 mm, so the dimensions are slightly smaller than the HN00. The integrated lugs create an illusion of grandeur, yet the curved profile on the back is here to enhance comfort for the wearer.

The face of the HN01 Lucine offers a captivating visual experience. The partially visible mainplate showcases a nickel-anthracite treatment and perlage decoration. The off-centred sandblasted grainée textured Cadranor-crafted dial is atop it, available in olive green or blue. The dial incorporates diamond-cut, polished, and applied indices filled with Super-LumiNova and hour and minute hands. Two polished screws along the middle horizontal line serve both aesthetic and functional purposes by affixing the dial to the plate. 

The dial’s distinctive features include a wave-like contour segment between the 11 and 1 o’clock marks. A semicircle with two bumps (often called a bosom for apparent reasons) representing the Earth’s silhouette is a standard feature on the conventional moon-phase subdial. In the HN01 Lucine, this contour serves the same purpose, accurately depicting the Earth’s shadow on the moon at a given time. The moon disc, crafted from sapphire, features a printed photorealistic composite image of the satellite, combining photos of colourful mineral deposits on the moon’s surface visible under different lighting conditions. The “mystery” part comes from the absence of a metal arm running vertically from moon-to-moon in a typical moon phase display, which creates an effect of the moon floating over the sub-dial, Aren Bazerkanian explains. “It’s worth noting that the moon phase display on the prototypes may change as the brand is actively experimenting with other executions,” says Bazerkanian.

Turning the watch exposes the HN01’s C102 movement through the sapphire caseback, adorned with refined decoration. Featuring the NAC treatment throughout, skeletonized bridges with hand-applied anglage, and perlage applied on the mainplate, the movement reflects a high degree of attention. Developed in partnership with Jean-François Mojon of Chronode, the movement comprises 230 components, including 35 jewels. 

The highly modified automatic Chronode C102 calibre beats at a frequency of 28,800vph and provides a substantial 60-hour power reserve, wound by the skeletonized and bevelled central rotor. True to the HN00 tradition, the HN01 indicates only hours and minutes, omitting seconds, while the moon phase complication boasts accuracy to a 1-day error in 11.6 years, a departure from the customary 2.5 years. This precision is achieved by adding an intermediary wheel between the central and moon phase discs. 

With belief in the modern-day version of the etablissage, or outsourcing production process, Aren Bazerkanian openly shares his suppliers, emphasizing the importance of collaboration with the best artisans. The Swiss-made HN01 Lucine results from partnerships with Cadranor for the dial, Chronode for the movement, and leather straps are sourced from Jean Rousseau, based in Paris. 

Priced at USD 15,000, the HN01 Lucine beckons enthusiasts to secure their souscription order with a 50% deposit, promising delivery of this timepiece with a “mystery moon phase” display by the end of Q3 2024. For more information, please visit havidnagan.com.