In the sea of vintage-inspired, sport-watch focused microbrands – with which there is nothing wrong, of course – are a select few brands who seem to have stumbled upon an aesthetic that is uniquely theirs. One such example is Havid Nagan whose 2021 debut model was aptly named HN00. We were impressed with it and covered it here, and today Havid Nagan is back with the follow-up to its opening shot: Introducing the HN01 Lucine, Havid Nagan’s interpretation of, and ode to, the moonphase.
So what changed and what hasn’t? The closest thing the two watches share are their cases: The HN01 titanium cushion-esque case keeps the same 40.2mm diameter as its predecessor but has slimmed down from 11.6mm thick to only 10.2mm. Its profile has also been massaged slightly to better accentuate its profile. This is even more impressive when you consider the effort required to fit an entirely new complication module inside. The HN01 Lucine’s powertrain is a Chronode base movement that has been heavily modified to include a moonphase module (which itself has been improved to err only one day from every 2.5 years to every 11.6 years). The module itself, which displays the moon at 12 o’clock, contains two photorealistic moons that float on a “mystery” style transparent sapphire wheel. Havid Nagan has also taken it upon themselves to decorate the movement with hand-applied anglage and additional perlage clouds on the mainplate (both sides) and skeletonized bridges. There is also a Havid Nagan-specific aesthetic choice to apply nickel-anthracite (NAC) throughout the movement. All of this is visible via a sapphire caseback.
Taking a look at the dial, we can see the carefully considered use of spacing and materials. The off-centered minute and hour hands sit atop a dial that is fixed to the plate via two screws (not totally unlike the Studio Underd0g 02series field watch). These screws, however, are finely polished for a more subtle effect. The dial itself seeks to build on the HN00’s guilloche pattern that captured the hearts of the watch world by emphasizing a new idea: dynamism depending on the situation. This time around we have a grainy sandblasted texture that appears matte in lower light but takes on a whole new personality in direct light. Both the off-centered design and uncommon approach to the moonphase make this an engaging watch to look at and interact with. There are two dial variants in this initial release: a minty green and more classic blue.
This second generation product shows that Havid Nagan isn’t here to mess around. They are clearly invested in pushing the boundaries of both their design and complexity. Founder and CEO Aren Bazerkanian’s vision for this watch took over two years to come to fruition, and indeed, the result is an interesting and attractive expression of one of watchmaking’s classical complications. The Lucine is a thoughtful and measured advancement of all the brand has learned from its first rodeo as it continues to pave its own unique path. The retail price is $15,000, and the brand is asking for a 50% deposit with delivery expected in the third quarter of 2024. For specs and more information, visit at havidnagan.com.
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