Hanhart Preventor HD12 Silk Purple Limited Edition

While many of us love reading about the latest Haute Horlogerie pieces, it’s comforting to know that notable brands are producing affordable mechanical watches packed with added value. Hanhart has emerged as a leader in this market segment. Whether it’s the historic company’s focus on movement accuracy or the durability of case materials, it’s great to see something other than a typical approach to watchmaking. The latest Preventor HD12 Silk Purple exhibits these traits, and it does so in style.

I’ve had the pleasure of covering several recent Hanhart releases, and I’m almost always pleasantly surprised with the sheer amount of value packed into each watch. I’m not necessarily knocking other brands, but it’s straightforward to create a stainless steel case, a dial design, and add an automatic movement. Therefore, it’s the little additions that make the difference. As we’ll see with the Preventor HD12 Silk Purple, there’s a lot to like here, and even if this is a limited edition, it’s nice to know that color variations on the theme are always available.

The Hanhart Preventor HD12 Silk Purple

Briefly, the latest Hanhart is a collaboration with the German watch magazine Armbanduhren. For those not fluent in the Teutonic language, that simply means “wristwatches.” To support the collaboration, the publication worked with Hanhart, a fitting partnership since both are in Germany. Essentially, the watch is a color variant, but in a color that’s enjoying mainstream success.

The Preventor HD12 Silk Purple is a 39mm by 46mm watch made from the brand’s trademarked HD12 steel. Essentially, this is a hardened stainless steel that undergoes heat treatment to reach a hardness of 1,200 HV (Vickers). In practical speak, that’s five times harder than typical 316L grades used on watches. Another reference point that might make sense is that it’s 60% as hard as the watch’s convex sapphire crystal. Seemingly, however, Hanhart wasn’t content with the hardness and added a clear PVD coating to the case for good measure.

A hard-wearing bracelet

Unlike other Hanhart watches, the Preventor HD12 Silk Purple comes exclusively on an Oyster-like stainless steel bracelet with a wetsuit extension and push-button folding clasp. To ensure commensurate surface durability with the case, this bracelet also receives a clear PVD coating.

An unmistakable purple dial

For the collaboration, the Preventor HD12 Silk Purple sports a matte purple dial with printed Arabic numerals. These are coated with Super-LumiNova C1, which is replicated on the cathedral hour, minute, and distinct second hands. Yes, I’d say there’s more than a passing resemblance to the long-running Oris Pointer Date, but the Hanhart lacks a date complication and has a notably different numerical font. Other visual goodies are the use of white for the brand’s classic logo, model name, and outer minute track. All told, if grape is your flavor, this is a seriously legible and purposeful-looking watch.

The polished and brushed case oozes classic proportions

With its dimensions, the Preventor HD12 Silk Purple should fit within the sweet spot of most wearers. A mix of polished and brushed surfaces combines with a large, signed winding crown and an angled bezel. Whether you call it a field watch or a Flieger, it just looks inviting and comfortable. It also boasts keen specifications, such as a screw-down crown, screw-in case back, and a depth rating of 15 ATM per DIN 8310.

The Preventor HD12 Silk Purple is pünktlich

Interestingly, Hanhart reserves the right to employ the Sellita SW200 or Soprod P024 automatic movements. These popular calibers have everyday qualifications, including a frequency of 28,800vph and a power reserve of 38 hours. However, no matter the caliber, each undergoes the so-called Hanhart regulation, which ensures a deviation of 0 to +8 seconds per day across all positions.

Offering great value

Our readers often skip to the end of an article to find the price of a watch before reading. If so, hopefully the reaction was positive as the Preventor HD12 Silk Purple has a list price of €1,295 including 19% VAT. That seems more than appropriate for an attractively simple yet robust daily watch. As mentioned, this is a limited edition, and Hanhart has made 200 numbered pieces. Germany has luck on its side as the market will receive 150 of them. Therefore, if this particular purple strikes your fancy, head to the official Hanhart site and place an order.

This is a partnership post. Read about our transparency here.

Watch specifications