By Brent Robillard
The King of Cool
I was probably going to like this one. The 417 is my favourite Hanhart collection, and we have spent enough time with its various incarnations at The Calibrated Wrist for that affection to be well established. Heck, I own the Heritage Flyback. Now Hanhart has added Steve McQueen’s signature to the dial. There is also a bottle of red nail polish in the box. We should probably talk about that.
Released today, the 417 ES Steve McQueen Limited Edition No. 1 is Hanhart’s first official Steve McQueen edition, developed with his grandchildren, Chase and Madison McQueen. Only 300 will be made. The family connection gives this release a personal dimension, but the photographs are what draw me into the story. McQueen had already done a pretty convincing job of showing how to wear a 417.
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Erfurt International Six Days Trial
In September 1964, he arrived in Erfurt, East Germany, to compete in the International Six Days Trial. He was part of the first official American team, riding a Triumph through an event that demanded endurance from both rider and machine. His race number was 278. On his wrist was a Hanhart 417 ES, secured to a leather cuff strap.
By then, The Great Escape had made McQueen an even bigger star. Taking a motorcycle into the Thuringian Forest for an international endurance competition was a fairly emphatic way to spend time away from Hollywood. Racing was a pat of the man. At other motorcycle events, he entered under the name Harvey Mushman, enjoying the anonymity a helmet and an unfamiliar name could provide. According to those who knew him, his riding tended to give him away anyway.
The photographs from Erfurt are especially appealing to a watch enthusiast because the Hanhart looks so entirely at home. A legible chronograph, a substantial leather strap, and a man with something considerably more demanding to think about than keeping his watch pristine. That is a pretty good advertisement for a tool watch, even six decades later.
Life Magazine
There is a wider photographic record, too. In 1963, LIFE photographer John Dominis spent three weeks following McQueen in California, documenting his racing, his home life, and time with his then-wife, Neile Adams. Those images offer a wonderfully informal view of a man approaching the height of his fame. Hanhart points to period photographs from his private life, as well as his racing, to document the recurring presence of the 417 ES. The watch had a place in his everyday wardrobe.
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Hanhart 417 ES Steve McQueen Limited Edition No 1
Its own background helps explain the fit. Developed in the mid-1950s for the German Bundeswehr, the 417 was a pilot’s chronograph built around clear reading and straightforward operation. ES stands for Edelstahl, or stainless steel. The black dial and fluted rotating bezel gave it an appearance that remains easy to recognize today. Our previous time with the 417 ES Heritage Flyback has given us plenty of reason to appreciate the modern collection on its own merits.
For this edition, Hanhart has retained the historical 39mm diameter. The stainless steel case measures 46mm from lug to lug and 13.3mm thick, including the highly domed sapphire crystal. Those are appealing numbers to me, although a cuff strap will naturally add some presence. Brushed and polished surfaces, a freely rotating bidirectional bezel, and its red marker preserve the familiar 417 look.
The signature
McQueen’s signature joins the historical Hanhart logo on the matte black dial. Chase and Madison proposed including it. The hands and numerals receive Light Old Radium Super-LumiNova, bringing a warm tone to the display. The name describes the colour; the luminous material is modern. I like that the dial still leaves plenty of room for the basic business of reading the time and chronograph.
Calibre and… bund
Inside is the hand-wound Sellita AMT5100 M, visible through a sapphire caseback. It runs at 4Hz and offers at least 58 hours of power reserve, with small seconds and a 30-minute chronograph counter. The flyback function lets the wearer reset and restart a running chronograph with one press. Hanhart regulates the movements in Gütenbach to an average daily rate of 0 to +8 seconds across six positions. Water resistance is 10 ATM. There is plenty here to support regular use.
The dark brown bund strap deserves attention because Hanhart studied historical photographs to establish the colour McQueen wore. The new strap uses Shell Cordovan from Italian tannery Comipel, a dense leather prized for its durability and smooth surface. The 20mm lug width leaves room for other options, including Hanhart’s compatible bracelet with tool-free micro-adjustment. For this particular edition, though, I would have a hard time giving up the cuff. It is such a large part of the visual connection.
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Pricing and… nail polish
And then there is that nail polish. Hanhart’s familiar story tells of a pilot’s wife painting a pusher red so that he would think of her and return safely. It belongs to the brand’s folklore, and I am happy to enjoy it on those terms. Red also provides a practical visual distinction for the reset pusher. On this watch, the pusher is made with red HyCeram; the little bottle in the box is there for the story.
The packaging also includes a booklet, an individually numbered plaque, and a card modelled on McQueen’s 1964 international FIM racing licence. Chase and Madison sign the card, while the watchmaker responsible for assembling the chronograph signs the reverse. That last detail is particularly nice. It acknowledges the person in Gütenbach whose work the owner will actually wind each morning.
The Hanhart 417 ES Steve McQueen Limited Edition No. 1 is priced at €2,890, including German VAT of 19%, and limited to 300 pieces worldwide.
For someone already fond of the 417, the appeal is easy to understand. I keep coming back to those old photographs: McQueen on a motorcycle, his Hanhart strapped on, getting on with a day he clearly wanted to be having.
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About the author
Brent Robillard is a writer, educator, craftsman, and watch enthusiast. He is the author of four novels. You can follow him on Instagram.
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