Hanhart Introduces the Limited Edition Pioneer One in Bronze

Hanhart is back with their latest limited edition, and you’ll have to quick if you plan to snatch one of these, as they’ll only be making 150 in total. The last Hanhart LE we told you about, a collaboration with the Rake, proved to be incredibly popular, and this edition shares a similar look and feel, minus that edition’s chronograph complication. This watch, modeled on the classic 417, the first pilot chronograph used by the German Armed Forces in the 1950s, is a stripped down bronze pilot’s watch that immediately transports to another time and place. Let’s take a look at the new Pioneer One Bronze. 

Hanhart, for many, is associated primarily with chronographs, so it’s striking to see a limited edition model without such an essential feature for the brand, but the resulting minimalist dial has a definite appeal. Not only has Hanhart stripped the Pioneer One Bronze of a chronograph, but they’ve removed the date as well, which is still present on the standard version of the Pioneer One. To make this watch special, Hanhart has used their historical logo, in an elegant script typeface, and placed it near the 12:00 position. The rest of the dial is standard pilot’s watch fare, with large Arabic numerals running along an interior track, and a smaller minutes track defined by hash marks and Arabics every five minutes. The olive green dial is a drab and subdued tone, which seems fitting for a watch inspired by one worn by military service members. 

The aspect of this watch that’s likely to get the most attention from fans and enthusiasts is the bronze case. Hanhart has used CuSn8 bronze for a particularly warm tone, and each owner can expect unique patina to take shape as they wear it and oxidation inevitably takes hold. With a 42mm diameter and a 12mm case height, this watch is sure to have the presence of a modern sports watch. Hanharts trademark fluted bezel with a red marker at 12:00 for the easiest possible orientation is retained in this limited edition, and adds just the right amount of old-school charm you want for a watch like this without going overboard. 

Under the hood (or, behind the sandblasted stainless steel caseback) beats a Sellita SW 200 automatic movement. Hanhart tells us that the rotor is customized with the Hanhart logo, but we’ll have to take their word for it, as the caseback is fully closed. We’re fine with that decision on a vintage inspired tool watch like this, however, and it provides Hanhart with the opportunity to inscribe the individual limited edition number on the caseback, as well as an additional representation of the historical Hanhart logo. 

The Pioneer One Bronze can be ordered right now on Hanhart’s website at a cost of 1,190.00 EUR, inclusive of VAT update: has quickly sold out. Deliver is slated to begin February 15. Hanhart