To mark its 130th anniversary in 2012, Hanhart is launching two limited
versions of the Pioneer Stealth 1882 (each limited to 130 pieces), which
takes its name from the stealth technology used in aviation and
reproduces all the characteristic elements of the legendary Hanhart
pilot’s chronographs from the 1930s in an eye-catching contemporary
design.
Enclosed within its gleaming, velvety black case is an exclusively
modified chronograph movement, which features increased spacing between
the two displays at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock, an integrated hour counter
in the small seconds and a flyback function. The dial also offers
practical tachymeter and telemeter scales, with designs reminiscent of
the traditional Hanhart “Tachy Tele” model from 1939.Hanhart is
celebrating the 130th anniversary of the brand by introducing a new
model, the Stealth 1882, to its Pioneer collection in a strictly limited
edition. This model quite rightly prides itself on its association with
the legendary Hanhart chronographs on which it is based and is
distinguished by all the typical characteristics of these timepieces:
the upper chronograph button, positioned asymmetrically towards the lug,
is especially striking and is a unique feature of Hanhart. In order to
achieve this arrangement, Hanhart integrates a specially designed lever
into the case. This redirects the force from pressing the button located
at 2 o’clock by the required number of millimeters.
No less eye-catching is the striking red reset button. Legend has it
that a young pilot, as he was putting on his Hanhart watch one morning,
discovered that his wife had painted one of the buttons with red nail
varnish so that he would always think of her and return home safe and
sound. This distinctive red button became the trademark feature of the
watch brand from 1939 onwards. It deterred pilots from inadvertently
resetting the stopped time while navigating during a flight and going
off course as a result.
A particularly outstanding aspect of the Pioneer Stealth 1882 Limited
Edition, however, is the extraordinary way in which the highly
characteristic design of the display has been realized in terms of
technology and aesthetics, with two auxiliary dials at 3 o’clock and 9
o’clock. An exclusive and complex modification of the automatic calibre
enables both of these displays to be placed right on the edge of the
large dial which is housed in a case measuring 45 millimeters in
diameter. This brings the aesthetic appearance of the watch perfectly
into line with the design of its predecessors: due to the relatively
large size – 15.5 lignes – of Hanhart’s manufacture calibre 41, the two
displays were spaced widely apart on these early pilot’s chronographs
too. In addition, the small round display at 9 o’clock on this model is
not simply reserved for the small seconds, as would normally be the
case; it also accommodates a 12-hour counter which would usually be
omitted from a bicompax display of this kind. As a result, the Pioneer
Stealth 1882 Limited Edition remains true to the bicompax display
format, yet it features all the functions of a tricompax chronograph.
The Pioneer Stealth 1882 Limited Edition also does justice to the early
chronographs from a functional perspective: like these models, it is
fitted with a flyback mechanism. While on a conventional stopwatch, one
button controls the start and stop functions, another is used for
setting the relevant hands to zero and an intermediate stop is required
for a restart, this flyback mechanism, designed in the 1930s to
facilitate navigation, enabled pilots to simultaneously stop, reset and
restart their chronograph by simply pressing a single button. The
chronograph hand thus returns to its starting position and immediately
resumes its time measurements; there is no need to restart the watch
after it has been reset.
Like the “Tachy Tele” pilot’s chronograph from 1939, the Pioneer Stealth
1882 Limited Edition also includes telemeter and tachymeter scales. The
tachymeter scale is designed to measure speeds and coils around the
centre of the dial in a spiral shape, mirroring the design of the
original model. This allows up to three revolutions of the stopwatch
hand to be taken into account which considerably extends the measuring
range and also enables even relatively low speeds of 60 to 20 km/h to be
recorded. The practical telemeter scale printed on the peripheral edge
of the dial is used to measure distances, taking into account the speed
of sound.
