Editor’s note: We usually don’t review new brands unless we have either seen them in-person or gone hands-on with before. But the founder of the brand reached out to us personally, and the watches looked so good in the press pictures that we decided to make an exception. Meet the new Havid Nagan HN00. For our detailed hands-on reviews, please head to our dedicated reviews section here. This is NOT a sponsored post.
The New Havid Nagan HN00 In A Nutshell
Micro-brand are a great way to diversify one’s watch collection, and add pieces that dare to operate outside the norms. Sometimes, they are also a great way to find bargains. On the flip side, given the costs and other constraints, you don’t always find all micro or indie-brands watches to be firing on all cylinders.
A lot of times when looking at micro-brands, one generally finds that there is one element, often more, that seems to have been treated like a step-child; if the case is nicely designed, then the dial can be generic. If the dial is very nice, the movements used, while trustworthy and reliable, can be found in every other micro-brand watch (Sellita SW200-1 or NH35A being the most preferred). Usually steel is preferred as the case material. Sometimes Grade 2 titanium is used (and Grade 5 is a bit more uncommon). And while bracelets in general get a lot of attention, little thought seems to be given to the straps.
Founder Aren Bazerkanian’s Havid Nagan HN00 somehow manages to break past some micro-brand stereotypes, and delivers a punch.
It is one beauty that with its sports watch style case (and 100m water-resistance), mesmerising colourful Grain d’Orge circular guilloché dials (that seem to be inspired by one of the best watchmakers to have ever lived aka Breguet if I was to venture a guess), and colourful suede leather straps warrants heads turning solely on those merits.
But courtesy the use of a modified and custom decorated Schwarz Etienne ASE200 movement, the new Havid Nagan HN00 is also a rare beauty with brains.
New Havid Nagan HN00 – The 5 Ws
The new Havid Nagan HN00 features a 100m water-resistant 40.7mm diameter and 11.6mm thick Grade-5 Titanium case design that sees use of 17 individual components for tri-partite construction with a lug-to-lug spacing of ~50mm and interhorn spacing of 20mm.
I know what you are thinking; for a case diameter that should fit a vast variety of wrists, the ~50mm lug-to-lug spacing is on the higher end.
But the design overall should work well for even those with slim wrists, considering the case architecture is more fluid than rigid, with an almost cushion-shaped titanium base holding up a stepped and curved bezel.
Mr Bazerkanian further informs us that the case-back is curved as well, that “really makes the watch sit perfectly on wrists as small as 5.5 inch diameter”. This fit would also be thanks to the integrated hooded lugs that appear to have different measurements front and back.
Given the case, lug and strap design is meant to be integrated, the fit should work well courtesy that as well. To accomodate for that seamless look, the straps are proprietary and especially made for Havid Nagan by Jean-Rousseau of Paris (the same guys who makes straps for Ming) and are affixed to the case via 2 screws on the case back of the lugs and come on a butterfly style deployant buckle.
Retailing for 8’000 USD or 11’000 AUD, the new Havid Nagan HN00 is being launched in the 2nd Quarter of 2022 and will be available in three colour options of Arka Blue (limited to 100 pieces), Jade, and Plum.
Basic Specifications Of The New Havid Nagan HN00
Inside the new Havid Nagan HN00 beats the Schwarz-Etienne ASE200 that has been modified by the brand to feature custom engravings and a dark-grey aesthetic.
Schwarz-Etienne’s ASE stands for Automatic Schwarz Etienne and they are a family of self-winding mechanical movements distinguished by a patented modular main plate that is designed to accommodate a module with a decorated bidirectional high-mass tungsten micro-rotor, as seen in the new Havid nagan HN00.
These movements also feature an off-centred oscillating weight that is thicker than the ones commonly found on a traditional movement. The ASE calibers feature a construction formed of six bridges and are designed to provide for an overall better winding efficiency and regularity of operation.
The Havid Nagan HN00’s 30.4mm diameter movement comprises 198 components and 33 jewels, beats the at the frequency of 3Hz, features a Phillips terminal overcoil for concentric beating of hairsprings, and provides an impressive 86-hours power reserve.
The movement is decently decorated too, with the presence of vertical Côtes de Genève, NAC treatment of bridges, perlage on mainplate though no anglage anywhere, polished screw-heads, and a 4N gold fixed-inertia balance wheel.
The Price Tag
Agreed that the new Havid Nagan HN00 is as yet a relatively unknown brand, features dials that some may see as simply stamped, and comes with a pretty penny price tag of 8’000 USD (~11’000 AUD).
But I would still say that what you get for the price fits a pretty tall order, and seems to be a great offering.
There are a few things to give consideration to here.
One, Ming too was an unknown brand just a short 5-years ago. New designs and good products can go a long way.
Two, the dials. True, they are stamped with the Grain d’Orge circular or barleycorn guilloché — which looks brilliant in the pictures by the way — but Mr Bazerkanian informs us that the dials go “through 6-7 processes manipulated by human hand using machines for the finishing”, and they are applied with lacquer to accentuate the radiating effect.
Connoisseurs should also appreciate the clean dial with applied diamond-cut polished steel indices inlaid with SuperLuminova and minimal text with only an appliqué Havid Nagan logo in polished steel at 12’o clock (that’s seems to be inspired by the Armenian Sun-Cross Eternity sign).
Three, the Schwarz Etienne movement. And mind you, the ASE is not even the entry-level movement used here by Havid Nagan (MSE 100.00 is the entry-level movement).
Usually watches that come bearing a Schwarz Etienne movement have a certain quality benchmark assurance and high price tags. Take for instance:
- The Ming 18.01 H41 featured a 40mm diameter and 12.9mm thick grade 5 titanium case on a Jean Rousseau rubber strap used the top-grade calibre ETA 2824-2 that was modified — (not produced) — by Schwarz-Etienne. This movement with a 40-hour power reserve made use of the services of La Division du Temps, a subsidiary of Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne for production, assembly and testing. It retailed for 2’950 CHF (~4’400 AUD).
- The Fiji Floral from Schwarz-Etienne makes use of the same Schwarz-Etienne ASE200 movement and retails for CHF 7’700 (~11’500 AUD).
- The Ming 20.11 Mosaic featuring a 41.5mm diameter and 14mm thick grade 5 titanium body with straps by Jean Rosseau Paris used the same Schwarz-Etienne ASE200 movement as that of the new Havid Nagan HN00. It retailed for 14’500 CHF (~ 21’600 AUD).
- The Ming 19.05 featured a 39mm diameter and 10.9mm thick grade 5 titanium case with 50m water-resistance and the same Schwarz-Etienne ASE200 movement. It retailed for 9’950 CHF (14’900 AUD).
- There is GoS, based in Linköping, Sweden. The retail price of their Norrsken collection that features the same Schwarz Etienne (with GoS-specific modifications and finishing) is 19’500 to 25’000 USD + applicable taxes (27’000 to 35’000 AUD). These are of course a completely different kind of offering, with 41.5mm x 12.1mm watches featuring multiple dials options including a Silver dial hand turned by Jochen Benzinger (and machined and finished by Patrik Sjögren) or a Hand-forged Swedish tool steel by Johan Gustafsson.
- Then there is the Schwarz-Etienne Roma Synergy By Kari Voutilainen that retails for CHF 29’500 (~44’000 AUD). Again a completely different beast, with a lot of hand-crafted work and skill going into it. But it does feature the same base movement though.
I am not comparing Havid Nagan to Ming or Schwarz-Etienne’s own watches or Kari Voutilainen.
I have looked at Ming in person and the brand has tested and conquered the market, and have their own design language that I adore and make use of dial elements such as solid sapphire dials with inlaid ceramic Super-LumiNova X1 and what not. GoS does a lot of special hand-crafted work, Schwarz-Etienne has a long history and makes impressive movements (and watches), and Kari Voutilainen is a legend in his own right.
But the point I am making is that watch collectors and enthusiasts shouldn’t simply write off Havid Nagan for being new and not on the inexpensive side of indie or micro-brands.
The new Havid Nagan HN00 seems to be offering a lot for your buck. The partnerships they have and the look of the watches, and the apparent attention to details, all seem very impressive.
Quotable
“(The watch is) inspired by the traditional decorative practices of early dial making. While the practice’s origins are rooted in the 1500 -1600’s, they were adopted by watchmakers in the 18th century… I am fascinated by late-17th/early 18th century watchmaking design. It is pure and the expression of the key individuals who have shaped our industry in its fundamental roots”.
Aren Bazerkanian
Best Foot Forward
“The paradox of simplicity is that making things simpler is hard work,” said Bill Jensen.
One of the most striking aspects of the new Havid Nagan HN00 is that despite it being a straightforward two-hander with not even a date compilation to clutter the dial up, it’s got this enigmatic charm where one can see the amount of hard work — the Havid Nagan HN00 has been in the making for over 2 years — that must have gone in designing this complete package to ensure it looks simple, sporty and elegant.
It’s for those who would like something rather novel, a timepiece that’s got a mix of old and new design cues, and want something off-the-beaten track that’s also rather limited. At your next watch meet, the new Havid Nagan HN00 would stand out, and in a good way.
To find out more about the new Havid Nagan HN00 and the brand, please head to their website here. All images unless otherwise stated are courtesy © Aren Bazerkanian / Havid Nagan. Copyright © Schwarz Etienne 2022 – All right reserved
