German watch manufacturer
Hanhart has unveiled a striking new addition to its popular Preventor HD12 line, the result of an exclusive collaboration with the esteemed specialist magazine Armbanduhren. This new timepiece, the Preventor HD12 «Silk Purple», introduces a bold and expressive color to a collection already renowned for its exceptional durability and classic design. Limited to a scant 200 pieces worldwide, this special edition merges Hanhart’s utilitarian heritage with a contemporary aesthetic, creating a watch that is both a rugged tool and a distinct statement of personal style.
To fully appreciate the Preventor HD12, one must understand the legacy of its creator. Founded in 1882, Hanhart carved its niche in the demanding world of precision timekeeping, becoming a pioneer in the development of stopwatches and wristwatch chronographs. From its home in Gütenbach, in Germany's Black Forest region, the brand established a reputation for producing instruments governed by maxims of precision, perfect readability, and the utmost robustness. This philosophy, born from crafting timepieces for pilots and military personnel who depended on them, continues to inform every watch that bears the Hanhart name, including this vibrant new release.
Courtesy of Hanhart
Since its initial launch in August 2024, the base Preventor HD12 model quickly ascended to become a bestseller within the Hanhart catalog. Its success was not accidental; it was a direct result of a thoughtfully engineered formula. The watch offered a compelling combination of Hanhart’s clean, function-forward design language, a reliable Swiss automatic movement, and, most notably, a case made from the brand's exceptionally scratch-resistant HD12 steel. This blend of features resonated strongly with enthusiasts looking for a durable, versatile, and well-proportioned watch suitable for any challenge daily life might present.
The introduction of the «Silk Purple» edition builds upon this successful foundation, elevating the collection through a strategic partnership. The collaboration with Armbanduhren magazine lends an extra layer of horological credibility to the project. As a leading voice in the watch community, the magazine’s involvement signifies an endorsement of the Preventor HD12's qualities and ensures this limited edition is a carefully considered creation, tailored to the tastes of discerning collectors and avid readers who appreciate both technical substance and unique design.
The most captivating feature of this special edition is undoubtedly its dial. The chosen color, a deep and saturated shade of purple, possesses a matte, silky finish that absorbs light in a way that is both subtle and dramatic. It moves away from the more conventional black and dark blue dials of the non-limited models, offering an adventurous and stylish alternative. This isn't a loud or garish purple; it's a rich, complex hue that provides a sophisticated backdrop for the watch's other elements, asserting a confident personality without compromising its tool-watch credentials.
Legibility, a cornerstone of Hanhart's design ethos, is paramount. The deep purple background creates a superb high-contrast canvas for the large, crisp Arabic numerals. Printed in stark white, these numerals are designed for instant readability at a quick glance. The minute track at the periphery of the dial is equally clear, with precise markings that serve the watch's functional purpose. The overall layout is clean and uncluttered, adhering to the principle that a watch’s primary function is to tell the time clearly and efficiently under all conditions.
Courtesy of Hanhart
To ensure this clarity extends into low-light situations, Hanhart has generously applied Super-Luminova® C1 to the dial's key components. The Arabic numerals and the hands are all coated with this high-performance luminescent material, which emits a strong and lasting green glow in the dark. This application guarantees that the watch remains a practical instrument whether it's worn on a nighttime adventure or simply checked in a dimly lit room, reinforcing its identity as a capable all-rounder.
The handset chosen for the Preventor HD12 is both distinctive and historically referential. The skeletonized hour and minute hands draw their design inspiration from military pocket watches of a bygone era, a subtle nod to Hanhart’s long history. This design not only adds visual interest but also enhances readability by minimizing the surface area that could obscure the numerals beneath them. Coated with the same C1 luminescent compound, they glow brightly, perfectly matching the intensity of the hour markers.
Further attention to detail is evident in the seconds hand. This filigree component is remarkably fine, yet it is coated entirely with luminescent material, including its counterweight, a feature not commonly seen. Its tip is lacquered in a vibrant red, adding a small but effective splash of color that aids in quickly locating it on the dial. In a masterful stroke of functional design, the very end of this hand is bent downwards towards the dial. This curvature is a deliberate effort to reduce parallax error, ensuring the user can read the precise second against the peripheral track with greater accuracy.
The case of the Preventor HD12 is a marvel of modern material science. It is crafted from Hanhart's newly developed HD12 steel, a material engineered for extreme scratch resistance. This is not a simple surface coating but a fundamental alteration of the steel itself. Through a complex, multi-stage hardening process, carbon is diffused deep into the stainless steel, creating a material with a tough, resilient core and an incredibly hard exterior surface. This provides a significant advantage over the 316L stainless steel commonly used in the watch industry.
Courtesy of Hanhart
The tangible benefit of this advanced metallurgy is quantified on the Vickers hardness scale. Standard 316L stainless steel typically has a hardness of around 220 HV. Hanhart's HD12 steel achieves an impressive surface hardness of 1200 HV, making it more than five times harder and vastly more resistant to the scuffs and scratches that accumulate during everyday wear. To further bolster this resilience, the case is finished with a transparent PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating, adding another layer of protection without altering the metal's appearance. This robust construction is complemented by a convex sapphire crystal, which itself has a hardness of around 2000 HV.
Despite its incredible toughness, the case is finished with a remarkable degree of refinement. The surfaces exhibit a dynamic interplay of textures, with finely brushed finishes on the lugs, case flanks, and bezel, contrasted by sharp, polished accents. This meticulous finishing adds a visual depth and sophistication that belies the watch's rugged capabilities. The historic Hanhart "h" is proudly displayed in polished relief on the crown and also appears on the case back, grounding the modern technology in over a century of brand heritage.
With a diameter of 39 millimeters, a height of just 10.5 millimeters, and a compact lug-to-lug distance of 46 millimeters, the watch boasts beautifully balanced proportions. These dimensions make the Preventor HD12 exceptionally wearable for a wide variety of wrist sizes. It is large enough to have a modern presence yet restrained enough to remain comfortable for all-day wear and slip easily under a shirt cuff, demonstrating a harmonious blend of robustness and wearability.
The watch's utilitarian nature is reinforced by its water resistance rating of 15 bar (equivalent to 150 meters). This level of protection is secured by a solid, screw-down case back and a screw-down crown. This ensures the timepiece is perfectly suited for swimming, snorkeling, and other water-related activities, making it a reliable companion for both urban and outdoor adventures. The engraved case back also features the watch's individual limited edition number, denoted as XXX/200.
Courtesy of Hanhart
Powering the Preventor HD12 «Silk Purple» is a reliable Swiss-made automatic movement, with Hanhart utilizing either the Sellita caliber SW200-1 or the Soprod SOP P024. Both are well-regarded workhorse movements known for their dependability and ease of service. They provide the core functions of hours, minutes, and a central seconds hand, operating at a modern frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) for a smooth sweep of the seconds hand.
These movements offer a power reserve of approximately 38 hours when fully wound. A key feature for precision is the stop-second, or "hacking," function, which halts the seconds hand when the crown is pulled out, allowing the user to synchronize the time perfectly. Furthermore, Hanhart regulates these movements to a commendable accuracy of 0 to +8 seconds per day, ensuring reliable performance that exceeds standard specifications.
A detail that will be particularly appreciated by watch purists is Hanhart's choice to configure the movement as a true "three-hand" caliber. The Preventor HD12 is deliberately designed without a date display to maintain the clean symmetry of the dial. Crucially, Hanhart ensures that the movement used has no date function, meaning there is no "phantom" date-setting position when pulling out the crown. This is a small but significant detail that reflects a commitment to thoughtful, user-focused design.
The watch is secured to the wrist by a robust and handsome three-link stainless steel bracelet. The 20-millimeter lug width provides a balanced integration with the case. To match the durability of the case, the bracelet is also treated with a transparent PVD hard material coating, making it highly resistant to scratches. The individual links are solid and screwed together, ensuring stability and a feeling of quality that cheap, pin-and-collar bracelets cannot match.
Perhaps one of the most practical features of the entire watch is its intelligently designed folding clasp. Stamped with the historic Hanhart logo, the clasp houses a tool-free fine adjustment mechanism—a feature frequently requested by customers. This system allows the wearer to quickly and easily adjust the bracelet's length by up to 10 millimeters. By simply pressing a small button on the clasp, the bracelet can be extended or shortened on the fly, ensuring a perfect fit as the wrist expands or contracts with changes in temperature and activity.
Courtesy of Hanhart
As a limited special edition, the Hanhart Preventor HD12 «Silk Purple» is an exclusive offering. Only 200 pieces will be produced for the entire global market. Adding to its rarity, 150 of those units are allocated specifically for sale in Germany, leaving just 50 pieces for collectors and enthusiasts in the rest of the world. This scarcity ensures that the «Silk Purple» will remain a unique and seldom-seen sight on the wrist.
The Hanhart Preventor HD12 «Silk Purple» is available for $1,515 USD, or €1,295.00 including 19% VAT. This pricing positions the watch as a strong value proposition, offering advanced material technology, a unique collaborative design, and the heritage of a respected German manufacturer in a highly limited package. For those seeking a durable, reliable, and distinctive everyday watch that stands apart from the crowd, this purple-dialed adventurer makes a compelling case.
Case: Hardened HD12 steel with transparent PVD coating; 39 mm diameter, 10.5 mm height, 46 mm lug-to-lug; Convex sapphire crystal with internal anti-reflective coating; Screw-down crown and case back; Water resistant to 15 bar/15 ATM.
Movement: Automatic Sellita SW200-1 or Soprod SOP P024; 28,800 A/h (4 Hz); Minimum 38-hour power reserve; Hacking seconds; True three-hand movement with no date position.
Dial: Matte purple color; White Arabic numerals and skeletonized hands coated in Super-Luminova® C1; Red-tipped seconds hand with bent tip to reduce parallax error.
Strap: Stainless steel bracelet with transparent PVD hard coating; 20 mm lug width; Folding clasp with tool-free micro-adjustment mechanism.
Price: $1,515 / €1,295.00
Reference Number: 792L.874-6429
Notes: Limited edition of 200 pieces in collaboration with Armbanduhren magazine. The case is made from HD12™ steel, which has a surface hardness of 1200 HV, over five times that of standard stainless steel.