About us
The HANHART watch factory was founded in 1882 in Diessenhofen, Switzerland, and moved later to the German town Schwenningen, the center of German clock manufacturing. The reputation of HANHART rests on a 120-years old tradition in the manufacture of high-precision mechanical watches.
1924 HANHART started with the production of mechanical stopwatches, and in 1939, a pilot’s chronograph was produced. Chronographs, wrist- and pocketwatches and stopwatches were among the products of HANHART.
Until 1962 wristwatches have been produced – after that time, production was concentrated on mechanical and electronical hand-held stopwatches as weIl as on quarz watches and alarm clocks.
In 1997 , administration and production were com- bined in Gütenbach in the Black Forest, where the famous HANHART stopwatches have been pro- duced since 1924. Today, Gütenbach has become a high-tech center for research, development and production for a wide range of sophisticated mechanical and electronical time measurement devices.
Nowadays HANHART is the world leader in manu- facturing stopwatches. As a specialist in time and time recording we guarantee excellent product usage with new developments and modern indus- trial design.
Modern concepts with innovative technologies as well as progressive designs are the main features for HANHART for excellent quality of the products, which are used for the benefit of our customers.
SUCCESS SPRINGS FROM COUR- AGE TO MAKE THINGS CHANGE
Four years earlier, Edison had invented his phonograph and for six years now, Graham Bell had a patent pending for the Telephone. It would take another four years until Carl Benz would present his first automobile in Mannheim. It was the year 1882, and Johann A. Hanhart founded his small watch factory in Diessenhofen, Switzer- land, thus laying the foundation stone of Hanhart's rich tradition of watchmaking.
In 1902 , the company moved to the German town of Schwen- ningen, a stronghold of German watch manufacturing at the time. Here, Hanhart started production of his first precision watches.
In 1920 , Mr. Hanhart's youngest son, Wilhelm J. Hanhart joined the company. It was at his hands that it entered an era of innovation and pioneering work. In 1924, Hanhart was the first to market a reason- ably priced mechanical stop- watch.
Only two years later, pocket and wrist watches were added to the product palette. They were produced in accordance with the highest quality standards of the watchmaking craft. Entre- preneurial courage to break new ground was met with success and Hanhart made new investments to development and expansion.
1934 saw the opening of a new factory in Gütenbach in the Black Forest (which produces Hanhart watches to this day). New stop- watches and wristwatches were produced here whose functionality was increasingly enhanced by sophisticated details.
In 1938/39 , Hanhart finally de- signed the chronograph series whose perfect precision, simple operation, ultimate exactness, and reliability not only made it the company’s staple product but tur- ned it into a legend in its own time.
After a caesura between 1945 and 1948 , Hanhart resumed opera- tions. The company again produced wrist watches and its outstan- ding stopwatches propelled it to the position of market leader in the 1950s. A time of economic expansion and technical inno- vation ensued. Among others, numerous European Air Forces were equipped with Hanhart watches. At the beginning of the 1960s, Hanhart increasingly focused on stopwatches and aimed to strengthen its extraordinary position on this market segment. Hanhart’s production of electronic stopwatches was also expanded during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Presently, in a time in which
urban ambience is marked by electronic consumer goods, appreciation of classic craftsman- ship is revived once more. In 1998, Hanhart again took up production of its old, legendary chronographs according to old plans.
A LEGEND IS BORN
The one button chronograph caliber 40 was the first in a series of Hanhart chronographs that was launched in 1938. Its black dial with luminous numerals and the small distance between hands and dial guarantee quick and un- impaired reading of time in bright lighting as well as in the dark. The point elevations on the button make it possible to reliably make it out by touching, and sacrificing the adding function resulted in genuine time measurement. The stainless steel case will weather toughest conditions; the bezel revolves in both directions and facilitates easy and precise adjustment. All this makes the one button chronograph a unique watch that is now produced true to the original with both manual and automatic wind. It is marketed under the name Hanhart Primus.
CHRONOGRAPHS FOR PIONEERS
In 1939, Hanhart created a highly exceptional watch, the Tachy Tele. Its high level of precision hands pioneers the reliable equipment they depend upon, something that is basic to the free life they lead. Its buttons were placed at asymmetric positions and provide for supreme ease of operation. Its elegant appearance has an air of time- lessness, and precision is perfect under all conditions. After a long break, the Hanhart Tachy Tele
is now available again, true to the original with manual wind.
Imagination encircles the world.
ALBERT EINSTEIN
Physiker/physicist (1879–1955)
RESPONSIBILITY REQUIRES
EXACTNESS
Army officers and doctors were the people Hanhart had in mind when its next legendary chrono- graph was designed: the Admiral. The shining case, white dial with luminous numerals, a red marker on a fluted bezel that revolves in both directions, the robustness of this watch and its absolute precision – over time, all this made the Admiral a sought-after collector’s item. Be it with manual or automatic wind, the Hanhart Admiral hands its owners the power to control time.