Hanhart’s 417 ES has always had a useful kind of charisma, helped by its military roots, clean bi-compax dial and later association with Steve McQueen off-screen.
For its latest limited edition, the German maker has teamed with Miami-based lifestyle brand 0260 and retailer BAIT to imagine a version that feels as if it could have come from a 1950s paddock.
The result is not a historical reissue in the strictest sense, but a plausible alternate-history racing chronograph built on one of Hanhart’s most recognisable modern references.
At a glance
- Hanhart has introduced the 417 ES x 0260 x BAIT, a limited-edition chronograph offered in two vintage motorsport-inspired dial colours.
- The watch keeps the compact 39mm stainless steel 417 ES format, with a bi-compax dial, red-marker fluted bezel and manually wound Sellita SW510 M movement.
- Each colourway is limited to 88 pieces, priced at EUR 2,890 or USD 3,300.
A pilot chronograph recast for the road
The 417 ES traces back to 1954, when Hanhart introduced it as a pilot’s chronograph for the German armed forces.
Its brief was practical rather than decorative, with robustness, legibility and reliability at the centre of the design.
The stainless steel 417 ES later became one of the brand’s defining models, and the modern re-edition has since become a key part of Hanhart’s contemporary collection.
This collaborative version keeps the proportions of the smallest current 417 ES, but changes the mood with colour and typography rather than altering the basic formula.
Two dial treatments with 1950s racing energy
The project brings together Lex Borrero, founder of 0260 and the Time to Drive Car & Watch Festival, and Eric Peng Cheng, founder of BAIT.
Both are collectors with interests across watches, cars and design, which explains why the watch leans into motorsport without abandoning Hanhart’s aviation DNA.
There are two executions.
One has a black dial with cream-coloured sub-dials and red accents, while the other uses a cream dial with brown counters.
Both retain the familiar bi-compax arrangement, with small seconds and a 30-minute chronograph counter.
The oriented Arabic numerals and outer minutes-and-seconds track nod to earlier Hanhart design language, while curved tips on the minutes and seconds hands are intended to reduce parallax errors.
The hour and minute hands are treated with Super-LumiNova, and the dials carry Hanhart, 0260 and BAIT branding.
The familiar 417 ES case and hand-wound movement
The stainless steel case measures 39mm across, 13.3mm thick and 46mm lug to lug.
Satin-finished surfaces are paired with polished details, keeping the watch in the same compact, tool-led territory as the regular 417 ES.
The fluted bezel carries Hanhart’s signature red marker and rotates continuously in both directions without click stops.
A domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides sits over the dial, while the screw-down caseback carries the limited-edition number.
Water resistance is rated to 100 metres.
Inside is the manually wound Sellita SW510 M, the same calibre used in the regular 417 ES model.
It runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers a 48-hour power reserve.
Each watch is fitted to a vintage-style saddle leather strap, available in black, light brown or dark brown, with bar-tack stitching and a pin buckle bearing Hanhart’s historic logo.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Hanhart |
|---|---|
| Model | 417 ES x 0260 x BAIT |
| Case size | 39mm diameter, 13.3mm thick, 46mm lug to lug |
| Case material | Stainless steel |
| Bezel | Fluted bidirectional bezel with red marker, continuously rotating without click stops |
| Crystal | Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides |
| Dial | Black with cream sub-dials and red accents, or cream with brown counters |
| Layout | Bi-compax with small seconds and 30-minute chronograph counter |
| Movement | Manually wound Sellita SW510 M |
| Frequency | 28,800 vibrations per hour |
| Power reserve | 48 hours |
| Water resistance | 100 metres |
| Strap | Vintage-style saddle leather in black, light brown or dark brown |
| Limited edition | 88 pieces per dial colourway |
| Price | EUR 2,890 or USD 3,300 |
What works here is the restraint.
Hanhart hasn’t tried to turn the 417 ES into a costume piece, but the colour choices and dial details give the watch a believable period-racing character that collectors of compact hand-wound chronographs will understand immediately.
