BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
German watch manufacturer Hanhart is well known for its chronographs and stopwatches. The brand’s Primus collection comprises modern oversized and rugged chronographs suitable for land, sky, and water. For 2021 the brand has given the popular Primus Desert Pilot a stealthy makeover.
Like other members of the Primus family, one of the most attention-grabbing aspects of the Primus Desert Dark is its bold and aggressive case. Measuring 44mm wide, 16mm thick, and featuring a slim bezel and angular lugs, the case retains the masculine stance of the original Desert Pilot. However, what makes the Desert Dark special is the black DLC coating on the case that not only provides a better contrast to the dial but also gives the watch a stealthier look. The case continues to exhibit some signature design touches such as the red marking on the friction bezel and red anodized aluminum chronograph pusher at 4. The case is water-resistant to a healthy 100 meters. One of my favorite detail on the case of the Primus Desert are the flexible lugs, that can be adjusted to increase or decrease the lug to lug distance depending upon the wrist size.
The dial maintains the sand-colored face of the regular Primus Desert. The warm Khaki dial is a perfect match for the desert theme and is refreshingly different in a world that is full of black and blue watches. The dial is highly legible and features a twin register setup surrounded by printed black hour markings that include a large numeral at 12, which is balanced by a date window at 6.
Surrounding the base dial is a sloped minute chapter ring that comprises black minute markings along with a triangle with two dots at 12 as a nod to the aviation genre. As for the hands, you get broad skeletonized swords for hours and minutes, small skeletonized batons for the two counters, and finally, an arrow-tipped chronograph seconds hand. All hands and markers have been deeply coated with luminous paint to ensure good low-light visibility.
Ticking inside the watch is the Sellita SW510 automatic chronograph movement. Beating at 4 Hz, the SW510 is a reliable movement that offers a power reserve of up to 48 hours when fully wound. There is not much on offer on the decoration front except for a custom black oscillating weight with Hanhart branding. The movement can be viewed through the exhibition case back.
The new Hanhart Primus Desert Pilot Dark comes attached to a sand-colored textile strap and will also come packaged with a Vulkanus Hornet utility knife. The production run is limited to just 100 pieces, and the retail price has been set at EUR 3,090.
Visit Hanhart here.
