417

The 417 was born in the mid-1950s as the direct heir to the Calibre 40 and Calibre 41 pilot's chronographs already used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. In 1957 Hanhart introduced the new Calibre 42, supplied to the Bundeswehr — the armed forces of West Germany, re-established in those very years — and to other Western European air forces, in the two variants 417 E and 417 ES: a chronograph designed to be read and operated easily even at high altitude and while wearing flight gloves, recognizable by its coin-edge bezel and the red pusher inherited from the wartime models.

The dial layout, bicompax with small-seconds and 30-minute counters, together with the ruggedness of the case, make the 417 one of the symbols of continuity between the German pilot's chronographs of the war and those issued to West Germany during the Cold War, as part of its cooperation with Western air forces. Over time, like many mechanical military instruments, the model went out of production and for decades remained known mainly among collectors of vintage military watches.

In 2020 Hanhart decided to revive the 417 ES, describing it as the return of a true "stopwatch legend" of the brand. Since then the line has expanded into several executions — including the 417 ES Flyback, with a COSC-certified movement, and the 417 ES Heritage Flyback, available in 39 and 42 mm diameters — which share the historical design (coin-edge bezel with red insert, bicompax dial, domed sapphire crystal) reinterpreted with current components and finishes.