Discovering Hentschel Watches, One of German Watchmaking’s Best Kept Secrets

Hentschel has been on my radar for a while, and I followed the watch company casually for many years – until a mutual friend living in Berlin made the introduction. My curiosity level spiked, and I was ready for a deep dive into the background, manufacturing, watches, and everything that is Hentschel. 

A Brief Overview of Hentschel

Andreas Hentschel is the watchmaker and founder of Hentschel, based in Hamburg, Germany. Established in 1993, Hentschel has garnered a decent reputation for its craftsmanship and producing high quality mechanical wristwatches. A majority of the watches feature manual winding movements and sub-seconds on the dial. The design is reminiscent of classic pocket watches, but with complex case construction and colorful dials, they appear refined modern.

Under the expert guidance of Andreas Hentschel, the family-owned workshop consists of a team of four skilled watchmakers that produce approximately 150 watches annually. According to Andreas, this limited production approach maintains the highest standards of craftsmanship and ensures that every Hentschel watch remains unique.

In-House Movements

Before I provide you my impression of two watches that I test drove for a month, I would like to address Hentschel’s in-house movements. Hentschel refers to the HUW 1130 S caliber as a “in-house manufactory movement.” Without going into the definition of in-house, Andreas is upfront about it being based on the Swiss A-Schild manually winding 1130 movement. In fact, this is reflected in the name of their movement, HUW 1130. 

Originally, Hentschel watches were fitted with refurbished AS 1130 calibers. Andreas has managed to create a more efficient movement and enhance the finishing and accuracy. The newly constructed curved bridges evoke the design of early 20th-century pocket watch calibers. The swan’s neck regulator enables precise adjustment of the movement. Each component has been optimized to minimize abrasive wear, thereby enhancing the durability of the wheels and the escapement. 

For superior finishing, the main plate is decorated with perlage, while the winding wheels feature a dual sunburst design. Additionally, the movement bridges are finished with a distinctive silver-white frosted texture, creating a unique interplay of light.

Hentschel makes a variation of this movement (also based on an A-Schild ebauche), the HUW 1525 caliber.  This is used in the company’s medium sized case measuring 34.5mm. This caliber is slimmer than the already thin 1130 movement. 

The second movement Hentschel refers to as made in-house is the Werk 1 caliber. This movement evokes the likeness of neo-vintage Union Glashütte and Glashütte Original. Perhaps the characteristic three-quarter plate of Glashütte watchmaking is the main reason these analogies pop into my head. According to Andreas, this movement was designed and developed by him. However, there are some parts in common with the vintage Revue Thommen GT 82 caliber from the 1950’s. Later, this caliber was also known as MSR X1 when Revue Thommen merged with Vulcain, Buser, Phenix, and Marvin to form MSR (Swiss Watch Manufactures United). 

The finishing is exceptional, with a three-quarter plate featuring Glashütte stripes, gold chatons, hand engraved balance cock, dual sunburst pattern on crown and ratchet wheel, and perlage on the main plate. Observing the large screw balance developed by Andreas is mesmerizing, which oscillates at slower 2.5Hz. This movement also features the “Glashütte stop work,” which prevents overbanking as a result of overzealous winding. 

Similar to you, I was curious why there was so much use of the word “Glashütte” when describing an in-house movement made in Hamburg. Andreas explains that he does have help from other German partners for manufacturing of movement parts and technology. One of his partners is Moritz Grossmann, based in Glashütte, and known for high standards of finishing and movement construction. Andreas states that for the Werk 1 caliber, Hentschel builds the bridges, levers, springs, etc. in his manufacture, or they are made by Grossmann in Glashütte.

The other partner is Damasko, based near Regensburg. I will be writing more about Damasko creating movements for other watch companies in a future article, thanks to their brilliant hire of Clara Kreitmaier, a young watchmaker from A. Lange & Söhne. 

Even though we are on the topic of movements, it will be worth mentioning that Hentschel cases are manufactured by either SUG in Glashütte, or by RM-Lifestyle in Pforzheim. SUG produces high-grade cases, and is owned by Lothar Schmidt, CEO of Sinn. RM-Lifestyle makes cases for Glashütte Original, Kudoke, and many other well-known watch companies. 

H1 Chronometer Mystique

I selected H1 Mystique and H2-01 Sport watches for hands-on experience since they are very different in their aesthetics.

Mystique is an appropriate name, since it looks like a mysterious tinted crystal over a silver metallic marine chronometer style dial. In reality, the domed sapphire crystal has double anti-reflective coating showcasing the anthracite dial with tiny metallic inclusions. The recessed small seconds sub dial at six o’clock and railroad minutes track is typical of a marine clock. I like the proportions of the slimmer Arabic numerals, giving it a minimalist dress watch look. The black rhodium plated steel hands stand out against the smoky dial. For a dress watch, Mystique offers a decent 50 meter water resistance rating.

Mystique comes in two different case sizes. I had selected the 39.9mm case over the 37mm medium size case. This was a clear mistake on my part. The case is very flat at 8.5mm and wears more like 41mm. On my 17cm wrist size, it wears much larger. Don’t get me wrong, I love wearing large Fliegers, but a slim and flat case has a different wearability than a 42mm x 13mm Flieger. 

Otherwise, the SUG manufactured case is high quality. It is a finely polished three-piece case with contoured flanks, curved lugs, and a slim bezel. With the curved lugs, the watch sits snug on the wrist. I think a 37mm case would be ideal for a medium wrist size.

The H1 Mystique is fitted with a HUW 1130 “Premium” chronometer grade movement. Hentschel added the premium designation based on the movement’s finishing, which includes black rhodium coating and screwed gold chatons. 

When it comes to chronometry, marine chronometers are the holy grail of precision timekeeping. In compliance with the standards set by the Hamburg-based Deutsche Seewarte (German Naval Observatory), each Hentschel chronometer watch undergoes fine adjustment in six positions and is subjected to a rigorous 1000-hour testing period. The fully assembled watches are regulated and tested over a span of six weeks in six different positions. The permissible deviation is between -4 and +6 seconds per day. Should a watch exceed this tolerance, Hentschel offers complimentary corrections to ensure precision.

A side note – Deutsche Seewarte (German Naval Observatory) closed in 1945 after being operational for 70 years. They were responsible for testing the German ship chronometer clocks made by many companies, including the famous ones based in Glashütte. In 2006, Wempe began official testing at their Glashütte Observatory. Their tests adhere to the standards established by DIN 8319, the German counterpart to the Swiss COSC certification.

My overall impression of H1 Mystique is very positive. I personally enjoy watches from independent German watchmakers like Dirk Dornblueth and Stefan Kudoke because the quality of craftsmanship I receive surpasses my expectations in terms of value. Hentschel falls into the same German independent category for me.

The Mystique comes in steel and white gold cases. The export price is 7,480 Euros for either 37mm or 39.9mm in steel. In white gold the price is 12,080 Euros. For an additional 600 Euros, Hentschel offers an additional strap, a photo album of the “making of your watch,” the first service, and 5 years of warranty.

H2 Sport

While the Mystique was a tux and bow-tie watch, the H2 Sport is more my cup of tea. It’s slim and sporty with a cool bezel. My first impression was that it has a Schauer watches vibe, but Joerg Schauer made them more subdued and technical, which is why I like them. In contrast, this watch has a more interesting case and dial. 

Similar to the Mystique, the H2 Sport in a white dial that I sampled is slim with an 8mm case height. The 39.9mm wore bigger on my wrist. While Andreas does not offer 37mm cases in this model, I am sure it will be possible to custom make one. Another possibility is the H2 Hafenmeister Sport that comes in 34.5mm case size as well.

The case is in brushed steel, which complements the bright white dial. The design of the bezel with four blued screws and engraved indents is modern and appealing. The same goes for the dial – it is slightly domed and has raised indexes. Heat blued hands make the dial pop and breaks the relative monotony of a white dial in a brushed case.

For a sports watch, it has what might be considered a less than desirable 50 meters of water resistance. Hentschel calls it a “casual sports watch” to get around that. The H2 Sport is a great jeans and t-shirt or chino and shirt watch. It comes with a water resistant leather strap with natural rubber lining. Hentschel offers quick-release spring bars in all of their straps. I have seen pictures of this watch on a mesh bracelet, which I think is a great option.

The watch is powered by HUW 1130 S manually wound movement. This is Hentschel’s standard movement with swan neck adjustment. The export price is 5,380 euros, which falls in the same price range as Dornblueth’s 99.1 watch.

I asked Andreas about his plans to market and sell his watches outside of Germany. He explains, “While Germany remains the primary market, an ever-increasing proportion of customers from the USA and Asia shows us that our work is noticed and appreciated internationally too. Our plans for the near future are to create two different collections: manufacture only models, which are available exclusively through the Hamburg manufactory, and models that we will offer through a small, hand-picked selection of retailers.”

I would encourage you to visit Andreas if you happen to be in Germany. Otherwise, you can contact him via the Hentschel website.