Hanhart Gives the 417 ES Its Official Steve McQueen Moment

Hanhart’s connection to Steve McQueen has been part of watch collecting folklore for years, but the brand has now turned that story into an authorised production chronograph.

The Hanhart 417 ES Steve McQueen Limited Edition brings the actor and racer’s off-duty watch back into focus with a 39mm steel case, a flyback movement and a cuff-style strap that nods directly to how McQueen wore his own 417 ES.

It’s also already gone, with all 300 pieces listed as sold out by Hanhart.

At a glance

A McQueen Watch With the Right Backstory

The 417 ES matters because McQueen’s connection to Hanhart wasn’t a film costume detail.

The watch is associated with his personal life around racing and flying, which gives the link a more credible edge than the usual screen-worn celebrity tie-in.

The historic 417 was a flyback chronograph made for German military and civilian pilots in the 1950s and 60s, and its purpose-built character is central to the appeal of this edition.

Rather than stretching the story across an unrelated modern watch, Hanhart has returned to the reference that made the connection interesting in the first place.

The 39mm Case Keeps the Vintage Proportions Intact

The stainless steel case measures 39mm across, with satin and polished finishing that keeps it close to the spirit of the period model.

It is 13.3mm thick including the highly domed sapphire crystal, or 11.55mm without it, and the lug-to-lug length is 46mm.

A fluted, stepless bidirectional bezel with a red insert sits above the case, while the crystal has an internal anti-reflective coating.

The screwed sapphire caseback reveals the movement and carries the individual edition number.

Hanhart also keeps one of its most recognisable design signatures, the red pusher, here made from HyCeram.

Flyback Functionality and Quiet McQueen Details

Inside is the hand-wound Sellita AMT5100 M, a flyback chronograph calibre running at 28,800 vibrations per hour.

The movement has 23 jewels and a stated power reserve of 58 hours, with small seconds, a 30-minute counter and a central chronograph seconds hand.

The black dial uses the historic Hanhart logo and a restrained Steve McQueen signature, keeping the tribute visible without letting it dominate the watch.

The numerals and hands are treated with Super-LumiNova Light Old Radium GL, while the minute and seconds hands are bent at their tips to reduce parallax errors.

The dark brown cuff-style Shell Cordovan strap comes from Italian tannery Comipel and runs continuously under the case, echoing the way McQueen wore his own watch.

Collector Packaging With Family Involvement

The watch was developed with Steve McQueen’s grandchildren, Chase and Madison McQueen, whose signatures appear on the licence card.

That card is styled after McQueen’s 1964 FIM licence and is also signed by the watchmaker who assembled the chronograph.

The presentation includes a metal plaque engraved with the edition number and a hidden compartment containing a bottle of red nail polish, a nod to the lore around Hanhart’s red pusher.

For collectors, those details matter because they make the edition feel more considered than a simple dial signature.

Details & Specifications

The 417 ES Steve McQueen Limited Edition works because it doesn’t try to over-polish the legend.

It stays close to the practical chronograph that made the story compelling, then adds just enough authorised detail to make this 300-piece run one of Hanhart’s most significant modern releases.