Hanhart Primus Racer - Overview

And so after 15 days, it is time to sum-up on the Hanhart Primus Racer.

The first thing that struck me when I received the watch was how much a departure it was from the previous Hanhart chronographs, while still maintaining so much of the original Hanhart DNA.

For many of us we first think of Hanhart as a stopwatch - which technically is what a chronograph is with the added benefit of being able to tell the time, and sometimes the date.

When Thomas Morf took the reins at Hanhart, he came into a situation where Hanhart had already begun the shift from its former German, traditional style chronographs to today's Hanhart which defines itself as a Swiss/German watch making firm combining the best of both ideals.

 The repeating Red Indicator theme is conveyed in every aspect of the watch in subtle ways.  I have to say that this really made me smile!  Little, subtle tributes to Hanhart's past.  You notice this from the moment that you put the watch on as it is on the strap quick release buckle.  More on this shortly

 When talking about chronographs we are essentially talking about watches that are used for specific tasks for timing.  They need to be precise, they need to have sufficient timing features, and they need to be clear and legible.  The Hanhart Primus Racer scores top marks in each of these categories.  Very often a silver dial watch can suffer by comparison to black or dark dials.  Not so with the Primus.  Clear, crisp and well defined.  The use of applied numbers and indices was well thought-out and provides for an easy to read dial.  I have always been a sucker for bi-compax (2 register) chronographs, and the Primus reinforced this feeling.  Essentially a 30 minute counter at 3:00 o'clock and small continuous seconds at 9:00 o'clock.  In every testing situation I could throw at it, it was flawless.  This ran the gamut from timing my pasta puttanesca sauce, to the time from my house to the Santa Barbara airport, to the running length of Wall Street Money Never Sleeps on DVD.  I used an electronic timer as a comparison and Hanhart was spot on.

Overall timekeeping was quite good as well with the Primus maintaining a consistent + 2 seconds for the entire period!

 In terms of comfort, the Hanhart has proven to be a stand-out.  Consider that this is not a small watch - 44 mm in diameter with a top to bottom height of 15 mm.  The case back is very well balanced and sits very well on the wrist.  The strap and the deployment buckle were also very comfortable and the use of hinged or articulating lugs has made a believer out of me!  I will admit being a bit skeptical at first as this idea has been tried before without much success with other watch companies - but this one is a winner.  The lugs truly make this a watch for folks with all sorts of wrist sizes.

And finally, the famous Hanhart red start/stop pusher button - it remains true to the Hanhart legacy, and this theme is repeated on the clasp (as earlier mentioned), the rotor, and the other traditional location - the 12:00 o'clock position of the bezel.

In reflecting on this, I am at once impressed by the "new" Hanhart as embodied in the new Primus series.  It is a brave company that opts to not merely dwell on past success but instead to embrace a new style and theme.  And where I think Hanhart has really succeeded is their ability to make these changes while remaining faithful to their past.

I am sad to see it heading back to its rightful owner, but I am glad to have had this experience.

For more information on the Hanhart Primus Racer visit Hanhart at:

www.hanhart.com

Here are the complete specs on this watch, courtesy of Hanhart:

Technical detailsMovement: HAN38 automatic chronograph movement based on the modified Valjoux 7750 (bicompax) calibre; 28,800 vibrations per hour, 4 Hz; 25 jewels; black PVD-coated rotor with a skeletonised, incised Hanhart logo; power reserve of min. 42 hours
Functions: Small seconds at 9 o'clock, 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock, date display at 6 o'clock
Case: Stainless steel; anodised aluminium red button; fluted bezel with inlaid red marking; convex, internally anti-reflective sapphire glass; screwed-down, internally anti-reflective sapphire glass case back; screw-in crown; flexible lugs (angle of 45°-50°); diameter 44 mm, height 15 mm; water-resistance to 10 atm/100 m
Dial: Silver-coloured; plished, applied Arabic numerals and index marks; with Super-LumiNova®-coated, luminous hands
Strap: Calfskin; folding clasp with inlaid red marking (anodised aluminium) made from stainless steel 

Reference number : HPR09.21