There is something undeniable about a blacked-out pilot’s watch. I don’t know exactly what makes the recipe work so well, but you don’t have to look far to see that it does. From that perspective, it’s no wonder that it’s a formula Hanhart, a brand well known for their pilot’s watches, would fall back on.
The Swiss-German brand’s latest model takes this recipe and runs with it, building off the existing Preventor9 from a few years ago and tweaking it to produce what is undeniably a very compelling option. The Preventor9 S — the “S” stands for “schwarz,” the German word for black, not to be confused with “Schwartz,” the mystical force from the film Spaceballs — is about as simple a watch as you can find from Hanhart, and that’s a good thing.
Hanhart is a brand best known for producing watches with a very specific look. They’re one of those brands you can typically spot across a room, with their distinctive fluted bezels and red pushers. The Preventor9 stood out when it was released precisely because it didn’t stand out. Gone was the heavily fluted bezel, the chronograph with its red pusher, and any sense of the extraneous.
Of course, That’s not to say the Preventor9 is without any of Hanhart’s signature flair. The Preventor9 keeps Hanhart’s signature cathedral hands and features a small seconds display at the nine o’clock position. Historically, the small seconds display at nine o’clock was the result of one of two things: Either the watch was built around rotated pocket watch movements, or from converted chronograph movements. Scrap the chronograph, and the existing running seconds display stays where it was. Considering Hanhart’s history, I think you can guess which of the two this is a nod to.
Of course, the modern Preventor9 doesn’t use either of these solutions to achieve its nine o’clock small seconds. Rather, Hanhart has opted for a Dubois Dépraz modified SW 200 automatic movement it calls the caliber HAN4112. It’s a fair choice and one which certainly helps keep the price in the right range for this watch.
The Preventor9 S measures 40mm in diameter and 12.15mm thick, and I would anticipate it wearing fairly compactly, especially considering the blacked-out colorway (black watches always wear a little smaller than their steel counterparts). The watch is 100m water resistant and uses a convex sapphire crystal with AR on the inside. In a nice move, the minute hand is slightly bent at the end, in an effort to offset the distortion that can come from a curved crystal. It’s a nice touch and the kind of thing I like to see.
The Hanhart Preventor9 S is not a limited edition, but Hanhart is very clear that it is limited production. Only 100 pieces will be produced in 2024, and there is no guarantee that more will become available in the future, so if you like this watch, jump on it.
The Preventor9 S is available today for €1,290 with VAT. Hanhart
