Hanhart Red X Blue and Grey Review

Hanhart was originally founded in Diessenhofen, Switzerland in 1882, soon the company and its founder Johann A. Hanhart relocated to Schwenningen, Germany in 1902. The area was a well known hub of watchmaking in the early 20th century. Over the next century Hanhart would go on to be regarded as one of the most respectable German watch manufactures.

The first true milestone of Hanhart was when in 1924 the brand introduced the world's first truly affordable mechanical stopwatch. This stopwatch is what ended up thrusting Hanhart into the world of sports timing and cementing the brands legacy in precision timing.



Like with many innovations in the history of watches, the military brought around the next major achievement for Hanhart in the creation of the pilot's chronograph Caliber 40. The major advancement of the Caliber 40 was that the chronograph could be fully operated with the use of just one button. This chronograph button was also painted red, so that the pilots wouldn't zero out the chronograph by mistake. This red button has become the calling card for Hanhart after its introduction. Not only did this become essential for pilots during World War II, but the watch would also become a hugely collectable watch in the decades since its release.

The early 1960s saw Hanhart launch the Amigo stopwatch, which once again established the brand as the dominant force in the stopwatch and precision timing market. The 1970s brought upon the quartz crisis which threatened most European brands, but Hanhart embraced the technology and developed an in-house plastics injection molding plant and developed a quartz movement which they would go on to sell millions of.



Today Hanhart is a very established and respected brand in the mechanical watch world. The brand has done well to offer a range of collections that both honor their past and also innovate and push ahead. Much of Hanhart's collection is inspired by their history in both precision timing as well as in aviation. The watches we're going to be looking at today take both aspects of Hanharts rich history and combine them into one collectible package.

For the first watches Hanhart sent us to review, Felix and the team over at Hanhart selected their brand new limited edition Red X Blue and Red X Grey watches. These flyback chronograph watches call back to the original pilot's chronograph watches of the late 1930s with their red flyback pushers. These limited edition watches also come packaged with a desktop flyback stopwatch with a matching dial tying into Hanharts past in precision timing.



When the watches arrived the first thing I noticed about them were their stunning dials. The Red X Blue features a deep royal blue dial with white Arabic numerals with red markers along with red chronograph and sub-seconds hands. The Red X Grey watch features an anthracite colored dial with the same red highlights. Both dials are finished with a sunray finish and are just stunning in person.

The next thing I noticed about the watches was their straps. The Red X Blue watch comes on a blue cowhide leather strap with a suede finish. The Red x Grey version comes on a grey cowhide leather strap also with a suede finish. Both straps have red stitching highlights at the lugs, buckle and end of the strap. The color matching of the straps with the dials and red stitching matching the flyback pusher and hands is a very nice touch.



The final thing I noticed during my initial time with the watches was just how nice the movement looked, in particular the blued column wheel. For these watches, Hanhart went with the Sellita AMT 5100 MB handwound movement featuring a flyback chronograph. Even though this is a Sellita movement, the finishing and depth of the movement is just stunning in my opinion. I've seen many high end in-house movements that do not look this good.

So now that we've got the initial impressions out of the way, let's take a look at the more technical details of the Red X Blue and Grey watches. Each watch is crafted out of stainless steel and measure 39 mm in case diameter, with alug to lug measurement of 45 mm and a thickness of 14.5 mm. On our scale the Red X Blue watch weighed 87 grams, while the Red X Grey watch weighed in at 88 grams. I have no idea why there was a difference, but it's a pretty tiny variation.



The bulk of the case is satin finished with some edges being polished. This gives the watch the appearance of a tool watch, but also exudes a bit of luxury with the small amounts of polished surfaces. The lugs have a decent slope to them and follow your wrist nicely. The watch fits nicely on my 7.25 inch wrist, but if you've read any of my reviews I tend to prefer watches well over 50 mm in their lug to lug measurement. I wouldn't say the watch looked small on my wrist, but it's just smaller than my preference which tends to be Big Pilot and Royal Oak Offshore size.

The general trend of watch sizing for men is now seeing 39 mm being the sweet spot for men's watch sizing. When I was first collecting in the early 2000s, this size was more between 40 and 42 mm, then skewing higher in the late 2000s. That being said, I think the watch would look great from 7.5 inch wrists down to ladies sizing. The Red X Blue and Grey watches could definitely be worn as a unisex watch. After all my wife, who is 5'2, wears a 40 mm Yacht-Master as one of her daily watches.



The watches feature a fluted bi-direction rotating bezel with a red marker at "12" o'clock. The bezel is rather unique, since it doesn't click when being rotated. The bezel action is similar to rotating a volume knob on an audio receiver. It's a constant motion with a fair bit of resistance. The bezel action is actually really pleasant and I could see myself constantly rotating it when bored.

Looking at the side of the case, you see the two chronograph pushers and the crown. The crown does not screw down and is satin finished with the classic H Hanhart logo on it. It naturally allows manual winding in position 0. Pulling the crown out to position 1 does nothing, since there is no date on the watch. It would have been nice to remove the phantom date from the movement if possible, but it really doesn't affect anything. Pulling the crown out to position 2 allows you to set the time. The crown has nice grooving in it, providing ample grip to use the crown. Even with the non-screwed down crown and display caseback, the Red X Blue and Grey watches still offer 100 meters of water resistance.

The top chronograph pusher located at 2 o'clock starts and stops the chronograph movement. It has a standard satin finished round design to it. The real showstopper here is the bottom pusher found at 4 o'clock. This is the classic Hanhart red pusher that resets the chronograph and also controls the flyback function. Legend has it that a pilot's girlfriend painted the pusher with her nail polish to remind the pilot of her and to return home safely. True or not, the red pusher is a staple of Hanhart chronographs and a nice addition to the Red X Blue and Grey watches.



Before we flip the watch over and talk about the movement, let's take a closer look at the dial. Beside the Red X Blue watch having a blue dial and the Red X Grey having an anthracite dial, there is no difference between the two watches dial wise. So everything we mention about the dial applies to both models. Both watches also feature a sapphire crystal.

Hanhart uses Arabic numerals for 12, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 o'clock. Each numeral is white in color and is coated with Super Luminova that glows pale blue in low light. For the hour markers not mentioned, there are stick indices partially covered with Super Luminova and the other large part being done in red. Having dealt with a lot of dive watches lately, the hour and minutes hands seem a bit slim, but honestly they look great with the overall aesthetic of the dial. These hands are also covered with Super Luminova.



The 3 and 9 o'clock hour markers are not present on the Red X Blue and Grey dials and are instead replaced with subdials. The 3 o'clock subdial is for 30 minute totalizer for the chronograph, while the watches small running seconds is found at 9 o'clock. The chronograph's seconds hand is the large central seconds hand. As mentioned before both seconds hands along with the chronograph minute hand are done in red. Around the outer dial of the watch there is also a white minutes track. Finishing off the dial is a Hanhard 1882 logo at 12 o'clock and "Flyback 23 Steine" text at 6 o'clock noting the flyback function and the 23 jewels of the movement.

Flipping the watch over shows off the Sellita AMT 5100 MB Swiss made movement behind a sapphire crystal caseback. Although not an in-house Hanhart movement, the 5100 MB is made by Sellita exclusively for Hanhart to meet their needs and specifications. The movement is handwound and runs at 28,800 vph (4Hz) with a power reserve of 58 hours. On our timegrapher the Red X Grey watch ran +/- 0 seconds per day, while the Red x Blue watch ran +2 seconds per day. Both awesome results and you could probably expected somewhere around there if you were to purchase one of these watches.



Not having a winding rotor on the back of a movement certainly frees up a lot more of the movement to be viewed. The AMT 5100 MB has a great deal of depth to the movement and is finished rather nicely. A lot of the screws along with the column wheel are blued and there are some nice areas of vertical striping. It's a real treat to start and stop the chronograph and watch the column wheel move.

Speaking about starting and stopping the chronograph, it's extremely nice to see a flyback chronograph in these watches. The flyback chronograph is one of the most useful complications a watch can have, but is rarely seen. Basically like the 1938 one button chronograph's Hanhart produced, once the chronograph has been started with the upper pusher, all controls can then be done with the bottom pusher except stopping the chronograph. When running, one press of the bottom pusher is all that's needed to reset and instantly start the chronograph over with zero delay.



We measured the lug width the Red X Blue and Grey watches at 20 mm which tapers down to 18.5 mm at the stainless steel pin buckle with Hanhart text. The Red X Blue watch comes on a blue strap, while the Red X Grey watch comes on a grey strap. Both cowhide leather straps are nice and thick and are finished with a stunning suede texture. The back side of the straps are done in black suede and feature a quick release spring bar. On each side of the straps where they meet the lugs there is bright red stitching that matches the dial markings. The ends of each side of the strap also feature matching red stitching. The straps are a little stiff at first, but after the initial few wears they start to become a lot suppler. The watches can also be had on a stainless steel bracelet if preferred.

I had the Hanhart Red X Blue and Red X Grey for a few weeks and tried to wear them as often and as balanced as possible. I do tend to wear a lot more black, especially t-shirts than I do colors that go well with blue, so I did end up wearing the Red X Grey watch more often. I do feel that the Red X Blue is the more noticed version of the two though, being asked more questions about it than the Red X Grey. Most people wanted to know about the red pusher more than anything since it is the most defining and obvious thing about the watches. Overall all the comments I received about the watches were overly positive. Most people did not know about the history of Hanhart, so it was fun explaining a little bit about the brand as well as the watches to people.



The Hanhart Red X Blue and Grey watches could be excellent daily wearers in my opinion. They pretty much accompanied me on a ton of daily errands as well as a few nights out to dinner and drinks. Both watches fit in well with my attire of t-shirts, shorts and sneakers, but the Red X Grey was my go to more often than not, since it goes better with black like stated above. The smaller size and lower weight of the watches made them a joy on the wrist as well. We did have a rather mild weather pattern in Austin for midsummer, so I can't really comment how the straps did in our typical 100 degree weather, but were just fine in the mid 80s.

The Red x Blue and Grey watches come in a very large box with compartments for the watch as well as the stopwatch and stopwatch stand. There is also a drawer at the bottom of the box which contains the documentation for the watch. It is really nice to see a full sized box included with your watch purchase. So many brands have been going to tiny watch packaging, which I feel just sours the experience a bit. I understand that the brands are trying to be more environmentally conscience, but most people keep their boxes for the entirety they own a watch, so it's not really adding to waste.



The included stopwatch is color matched to the either the Red X Blue or the Red X Grey. The stopwatch comes with a leather backed stand that says "Hanhart 1882" and "at the Races". The stopwatch then comes on a removable polished holder that fits on to the stand. Overall the stopwatch, holder and stand have a very nice weight to them.

The stopwatch measures 55 mm in case diameter and 18 mm in case thickness. It's funny to think that I have a few watches that are only a few mm off of this stopwatch's case diameter. The stopwatch weighs in at 101 grams, while the full ensemble with holder and stand weighs 434 grams. I also feel the ticking of the stopwatch is amplified when running on the stand and holder.



The stopwatch either has a blue dial or an anthracite dial to match the watch it comes with. The dial features Arabic numerals for 10 through 60 and has a seconds track on the outside of the dial. Additional 5 second markers are done in partial white and red colors to match the dial of the watches. At "12" o'clock you have the minutes totalizer subdial with each minute getting a marker and every 5 minutes to 30 minutes being Arabic numerals. At "6" o'clock you have the Hanhart 1882 logo along with "Flyback 1/5 SEC" text.

Winding the stopwatch is done via the top crown which also stops and starts the watch with a very nice loud click. On the left hand side you have the flyback pusher. Just like on the watches, pushing this pusher automatic resets and starts over the stopwatch. I kind of wish they would have made the flyback pusher in red to match the watches though.



The caseback of the stopwatch is solid stainless steel and houses Hanhart's in-house 122 caliber. The 122 will run for 10 hours when fully wound and naturally only features hand winding. It would have been awesome if the stopwatch had a display caseback though to admire the in-house movement. I get it though, the stopwatch is really meant to be a tool and things like a display caseback aren't very tool like. Overall the stopwatch is an awesome addition to the packaging of the Red X Blue and Grey watches and would make a super fun addition to any desk.

The Hanhart Red X Blue and Grey watches each retail for $3,180 or €2,790.00. For this price you are getting a watch with an amazing heritage, included flyback stopwatch and a bespoke Sellita flyback chronograph movement. With these watches also only being limited to 140 pieces each, there is definitely value for money there.



The honest truth is that there just aren't many affordable watches with a flyback chronograph function. So to show some alternatives to the Red X Blue and Grey watches, we'll need to up the budget a bit. The closest price wise we're going to get is from fellow German brand Sinn. Sinn offers a flyback chronograph developed by Manufacture La Joux-Perret in the 910 Column Wheel Flyback Chronograph. The Sinn 910 retails for $4,460 and is crafted out of stainless steel and has a case diameter of 41.5 mm. The Sinn 910 does also add an hour counter to the chronograph function, but its dial is also a bit busier.

Next up you have the Pilot Big Date Flyback from Zenith at $11,800. The Pilot Big Date Flyback is also made from stainless steel and measures 42.5 mm. The movement is an in-house Zenith El Primero 3652 automatic caliber featuring both big date and flyback chronograph functions. With being nearly 4 times the price of the Hanhart, the Zenith doesn't offer anywhere near the value of the Red X Blue and Grey watches, not to mention it doesn't come packaged with a stopwatch.



Finally we have a watch we just reviewed in the Breguet Type XX flyback chronograph 2067. The Type XX comes from the third oldest watch manufacture and features an in-house automatic Breguet 728 movement. The movement does feature a revolutionary flyback chronograph with a constant force mechanism and superb finishing. All of this comes at a cost though with the Type XX retailing for $19,100, or around six times more than the Hanhart.

So after looking at the competition, you can really see how great of a deal the Hanhart Red X Blue and Grey watches are. With all that being said, would I recommend the Hanhart Red X Blue and Grey for somebody looking for a chronograph watch in the under 40 mm range. I would say I would recommend these models with 100% confidence. The Red X Blue has the flair and color to be more of an occasion watch, while the Red X Grey is way more subtle and could be a great daily. With the bespoke Sellita movement providing great accuracy and a budget flyback chronograph complication, the Hanhart Red X Blue and Grey are tough watches to beat for around $3,000. The inclusion of the awesome stopwatch and stand is just icing on the cake.



Ok so would I buy the Hanhart Red X Blue and Grey personally? No I wouldn't and for one reason alone, the case size. A watch that is 39 mm and has a 45 mm lug to lug is just too small for me. The IWC Top Gun Flyback Chronograph that is my main daily wearer has a case size of 46 mm and a lug to lug well north of 50 mm, so it's tough for me to get used to such a smaller watch. I'm sure there are people that are over 6 foot, 200 lbs and have a 7.25 inch wrist that would love the sizing of the Red X Blue and Grey watches on them, but having my tastes for watch sizes formed in the early to mid 2000s, that isn't me.

Now like I said above, the Hanhart Red X Blue and Grey watches are awesome timepieces and if they are in your preferred size range, which let's be honest is most people nowadays, you will more than likely love everything about these watches. In the end, I can't really say many more positive things about them. We'd really like to thank Hanhart for sending us these watches to review and can't wait to see what they send us next!



For more information about the Red X Blue and Grey watches please visit : Hanhart

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: H702L.270-0310 (Red X Blue) H702L.240-0412 (Red X Grey)

Retail Price: $3,180 (€2,790.00)

Case Size: 39 mm

Lug to Lug: 45 mm

Thickness: 14.5 mm

Weight: 87 Grams (Red X Blue) 88 Grams (Red X Grey)

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Bezel: Stainless Steel

Strap: Blue Suede Strap (Red X Blue) Grey Suede Strap (Red X Grey)

Movement: Sellita AMT 5100 MB Handwound (Bespoke for Hanhart)

Functions: Flyback Chronograph, Hours, Minutes, Seconds

Power Reserve: 58 Hours

Water Resistance: 100 Meters