At WWR, we cover a wide variety of watches (and watch brands), though most of our focus is on the affordable end of the spectrum. Somewhat out of necessity, and somewhat due to the explosion of small independent brands, we?ve covered any number of small brands. Some of these have been blips on the radar, and then there are brands like Hager, which just truck along and all of a sudden, they?re hitting the 10-year mark. While it?s not necessarily to commemorate the mark, they have a new collection – the Hager Pheon – available.
At once, you should be picking up what the Hager Pheon is paying homage to. Actually, it?s two watches that come to mind for me. With the dial – sandwich construction and the numeral choice – that?s evoking Panerai. And that?s a plus in my book, as the first mechanical watch I bought (long gone now) was a Panerai homage. Secondly, that handset has a very Omega feel to it. It makes for a rather interesting combination in the design, and it looks like it works well together (we?ll see for sure, as we?ve got a loaner on the way in).
For this release, the Hager Pheon is actually available in two case sizes – 38mm and 42mm – and comes in two versions, a sub-seconds and a GMT. I think a lot of folks will be happy with the 42mm case, but frankly, that 38mm is the more interesting one to me. A lot of that will depend on how the proportions are, in terms of diameter versus thickness.
Tucked into the case is one of two different Swiss automatic movements (GMT or small seconds, you know how it goes), so that definitely ups the game from any “inexpensive” homage watches you come across out there, and hopefully means serviceability is going to be on the up and up.
The small seconds Hager Pheon will run you $865, and the GMT version bumps pricing up to $1,165 – not bad for a full steel (case and bracelet) diver equipped with a fume dial and a stylish look, if you ask me. hagerwatches.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Hager Pheon
- Price: $865 (small seconds) / $1,165 (GMT)
- Who we think it might be for: You want a Panerai homage that isn?t built of out tin cans and uses a Swiss-made movement
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I?ve seen? So far, yes, this looks quite promising, and I rather like the inclusion of a 38mm case size
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: The lack of a GMT scale (even on the dial) seems like an odd exclusion for the GMT variant
Tech Specs from Hager
- Case
- Offered in 42mm or 38mm.
- 42mm: Case Thickness: 13mm; Case Height: 49mm
- 38mm: Case Thickness: 12mm; Case Height: 45.5mm
- AISI 316L polished steel
- Scratch resistant domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating (AR)
- Offered in 42mm or 38mm.
- Dial: Gradient /Fum?/blue sunburst dial
- Movement
- GMT: Swiss Made Automatic GMT movement with 42 hour power reserve
- Small Seconds: Swiss Made Automatic movement with 40 hour power reserve
- Bracelet
- Band Width for the 42mm: 22mm tapers to 20mm
- Band Width for the 38mm: 20mm tapers to 18mm
- WR: 200m (660 feet)
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