Review of Hamilton Pan-Europ Automatic Chronograph

Model # H35 716 545

Brand/Model:  Hamilton Pan-Europ Automatic Chronograph
Movement:  Swiss automatic chronograph
Material:  stainless steel case, leather strap
Complications:  date display, chronograph timing in one-second increments up to 30 minutes
Price:  MSRP:  $1,971 USD

Plenty of photos follow the review.  Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Plenty has already been written and said about the re-issue of the Hamilton Pan-Europ automatic chronograph, and if you will indulge me, I will add my eight dollars and 43 cents worth.  This watch is a re-issue of Hamilton’s iconic Pan-Europ automatic chronograph from 1971, which has been heralded as the world’s first automatic mechanical chronograph.  I won’t go into the debate as to whether this is really true or not, but suffice to say that the original Pan-Europ is an important part of horological history and a pretty nifty looking watch to boot!

The re-issue captures many of the details of the 1971 original while updating the piece in keeping with the current trends in men’s watches, ie:  big.  Hamilton decided to celebrate its being a part of the Swatch Group since 1971 (40 years) by re-issuing the Pan-Europ in a limited edition of 1,971 pieces, all of which have been spoken for.

First off, I feel that Hamilton watches generally represent a great value, with outstanding build quality and nice details for prices that are lower than other brands.  The new Pan-Europ continues this tradition. 

The original Pan-Europ was a lefty crown with right-hand chronograph pushers because the movement was the famed Caliber 12 movement used by Heuer, Breitling and Hamilton.  The re-issue has a standard right side crown and pushers, but is faithful to the colors used in the original, primarily blue, white and red.  The mysterious number ‘703’ has been left off the dial of the new watch.  No one quite knows what this number referred to in the original, but it appeared on the dial and has been confounding watch enthusiasts ever since.

The new Pan-Europ starts with a large 45.2mm stainless steel case in a classic cushion/tonneau shape that is polished and brushed.  There’s no mistaking this watch for the original, the new one is big!  The polished case back is secured by four screws and sports a large ‘1971’ along with individual serial numbers for the limited edition.  The crown screws down and is signed.  Case diameter with crown is 49.6mm.  Thickness is 14.5mm, with 22mm lugs.  Overall fit and finish is quite good.  The crown is nice and large and screws down.  The pushers have mild fluting on them, although they do not screw down.

What appeals so much about the Pan-Europ is its vivid blue dial, which can look darker blue in certain light or the perfect shade of medium blue in other light.  The blue rotating bezel is also a stunner.  The dial is offset by the white-rimmed subdials for the chronograph, which are slightly raised above the dial and jut out to the edge of the tachymeter chapter ring.  The subdials themselves are silver with red pointers. 

The subdial on the left is the watch seconds hand, the subdial on the right is the chronograph’s 30-minute totalizer.  The chronograph seconds hand is all red and is kept simple.  The main watch hands are silver stick-style with inset lume. 

The hands appear to be rather thin in relation to the overall size of the watch, so this can be somewhat jarring at times.  It’s not a major design fault, but their thinness doesn’t jive with the rest of the watch.  Silver applied markers with inset lume are set halfway into the chapter ring for a unique look.  Lume quality is fine, there’s just not a lot of lumed surfaces on the new Pan-Europ. 

Another cool touch is the retro ‘70s style font used for the printing on the dial.  The words ‘Hamilton’, ‘automatic’, ‘Pan-Europ’ and ‘Caliber H31’ appear on the dial and are properly sized so as not to be obtrusive or distracting.

A quickset date window is at the 6 position with a black on white date wheel.  A note about the quickset date.  Instead of operating through the crown like most do, this quickset is changed via a small flush pusher at the 10 position on the upper left side of the case.  My theory is that the modified Valjoux 7753 precluded a standard crown operated quickset, but I don’t know for sure.  You can use any small pointed object to set the date with the pusher, I prefer something made of plastic to avoid the possibility of scratching the case.

A very slightly domed sapphire crystal covers the dial.  A blue unidirectional 120-click bezel surrounds the dial and has clear, easy to read numbers on it.  The grooves cut into the side of the bezel are fairly widely spaced and not real deep and coupled with the polished sides, make the bezel a bit hard to turn at times.  But the bezel looks magnificent.  The watch is factory rated at 100 meters of water resistance.

Inside the new Pan-Europ is the Hamilton Caliber H31, which is a modified Valjoux 7753.  Hamilton installs a larger barrel for a claimed 60-hour power reserve.  During testing in my atelier, I achieved a good 58-hour power reserve, but not the claimed 60 hours.  Timekeeping has been excellent, running +1/24 hours.  Chronograph start, stop and reset are as expected, that is, crisp, positive and accurate.  The crown is nice and big and makes handwinding the Pan-Europ a pleasure.

The strap on the new Pan-Europ looks stunning and compliments the retro-aspect of this watch perfectly.  The strap is a thick, medium brown rally-style leather with a croc pattern embossed on it.  The strap is not as soft or supple as some Hamilton straps I have seen and although it is handmade, it feels pretty stiff and a bit low-grade.  It has a semi-gloss finish with white contrast stitching and measures 22mm at the lugs, tapering to about 20.3mm at the clasp. 

Speaking of the clasp, it is a first-class piece all the way; a pushbutton signed clasp with a beautiful polished and machined deployant that fits over the other end of the strap for a smoother feel and cleaner look while wearing, since the strap touches your skin and not the deployant.  Another benefit of this clasp design is the lack of any keepers; they are not needed because the end of the strap rides inside your wrist, not on the outside.

When the new Pan-Europ was released a few months ago, people eagerly waited to get their hands on it.  All 1971 pieces sold out quickly, but a month or two later, the inevitable flippers appeared and continue to do so sporadically, so finding one will take some effort, but shouldn’t prove too hard.  I think the size of the new piece puts off some enthusiasts; it is a large watch and can be ungainly from time to time.

Overall, Hamilton has created a fitting homage to its original Pan-Europ from 1971, suitably upgraded and updated for 21st century duty.  Large and in-charge with the Hamilton attributes that make this brand so appealing, the new Pan-Europ would be a worthy addition to any watch collection.
 
Pros:  stunning blue dial and bezel, overall fine build quality, two-register chrono good looks, a fitting tribute to the original, beautiful deployant clasp

Cons:  large size too big for some, thick, stiff leather strap, slight plastic look to parts of the dial, quickset date pushbutton a bit odd

Verdict:  buy it for looks, buy it for heritage, but make sure you wear it, because the new Hamilton Pan-Europ is too nice a watch to keep hidden away

Thanks for reading and enjoy the pictures.

Excelsior!

-Marc

Review of Orient Star GMT ‘Star Seeker’

Model # DJ00001B

Brand/Model:  Orient Star GMT ‘Star Seeker’
Movement:  Japanese automatic
Material:  stainless steel case and bracelet
Complications:  date display, independently adjustable third GMT hand, power reserve indicator
Price:  MSRP:  $1,100 USD; street price as low as $550 USD with discount coupon

Plenty of photos follow the review.  Click on the pictures to enlarge.

When this Orient Star GMT first hit the Japanese market a year or two ago, it was fairly well received except for a couple design flaws that seemed to temper its sales success.  The first generation of this watch featured a round cyclops over the date window and solid, thinner hands.  Apparently, enough people voiced their concerns over these design elements and Orient then released the second generation of this model for worldwide consumption. 

The newer model eliminated the cyclops and added slightly wider semi-skeleton hands to replace the originals.  Most people feel these two changes were a big improvement to the original.  I feel the loss of the cyclops was a good move, although I prefer the solid hands of the first generation.

Regardless of how you feel about the changes to the ‘Star Seeker’ (Orient USA’s name for this model), one thing Orient did not change was the fine in-house newly developed Caliber 40P51 automatic movement, with 22 jewels running at 21,600 bph and, drum roll please... handwinding and hacking capability!  Finally!  An Orient Star automatic that you can handwind instead of shake to get going.  And hacking is always a welcome improvement.

Considering all the features this watch brings to the table, if you can get it at the 30-to-50 percent discount being offered regularly from Orient USA, you will have a watch with a high-value quotient.  An automatic that hacks, manual winds with an independently adjustable GMT hand, power reserve meter and a sapphire crystal for around $600 USD?  Not bad!  But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.

The Star Seeker is available in white and black dials.  There are also some pictures floating around that appear to show a model of this watch with a black PVD bezel, but it’s unclear whether it’s just the lighting in the photo or actually a black bezel.  Regardless, the all stainless version looks just fine. 

The Star Seeker starts with an all stainless steel case measuring 41.4mm without the two crowns or the rather bulky crown guard.  If the crown guard is factored in, the case measures 44.1mm.  The case is polished and brushed and has an elegant carved style to the sides of the lugs, ala Omega.  The case back screws down and is a display type, showing the mildly decorated movement and a nifty-looking signed and stylized rotor.  Case thickness is 14.2mm, lug width is 21mm. 

On the right side of the case, between the two crowns is a sort of crown protector that is screwed into the side of the case with two screws and fills the gap between the two crowns.  This tends to make the watch look rather ungainly on one side.  The jury is still out on this design element.

The lower crown at the 4 position screws down and is used to rotate the inner 24-hour bezel.  The upper crown at the 2 position is used to wind and set the watch, set the quickset date and adjust the GMT hand in click-set one-hour increments.  The upper crown does not screw down.  Neither crown is signed, which disappointed me.  I love signed crowns and think this Orient Star could benefit from having two signed crowns.  A small quibble, but a quibble nonetheless.

The Star Seeker is factory rated at 100 meters of water resistance.  A quickset date window is located at the 3 position and is outlined with a silver beveled frame.  The date window is black on white.

The dial is quite detailed and fairly busy, some may find it a bit disjointed in relation to the location of the power reserve meter.  I think a power reserve meter is a very useful complication to have.  The meter on the Star Seeker is located in the upper left side of the dial, between the 10 and 12 positions.  The meter has a silver lumed pointer and reads up to 40 hours in 10-hour increments.  The scale is applied to the dial and has a nice three-dimensionality about it, with the meter subdial being inset into the dial.

Silver rectangular markers are located at each five minute mark, with the even numbers of the 24-hour GMT scale located at the end of each marker in the inner track of the dial.  The rest of the 24-hour scale (odd hours) is represented by hash marks.  Small lume dots are located on the other side of the markers between the inner rotating 24-hour bezel. 

The dial itself is a deep, glossy black with fairly minimal printing consisting of the Orient Star name and logo, along with the words ‘automatic’ and ‘gmt’, the latter being in red.

The hour and minute hands are semi-skeleton in design and were probably chosen to aid in seeing the power reserve meter as the hands make their way around the dial.  The hands are silver with inset lume.  The seconds hand is a plain, silver tapered stick.  I wish the seconds hand had more style, but I’m sure Orient didn’t want it to compete with the GMT hand.  The GMT hand is thicker, red and sports a lumed arrow-style tip.  Lume quality is in keeping with all of Orient’s latest efforts, read:  very good to excellent.

The dial is capped off by the inner rotating 24-hour bezel that serves as the chapter ring, which also gives this watch three-timezone tracking capability.  This bezel can be rotated in either direction and is not detented, so it can be positioned anywhere around the dial and locked into position with the lower crown.

A flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating tops the dial and protrudes slightly above the stainless steel bezel of the watch.  The crystal does not have any anti-reflective tint to it, partly because the coating can’t be very thick because it doesn’t snuff out all the reflections.  No distortion was noted with the crystal and fit and finish into the case was fine.  Overall fit and finish on the Star Seeker is pretty much first rate.

The Caliber 40P51 movement winds fine and by watching the power reserve meter, you’ll know when the watch has been fully wound.  Hack setting works fine.  I can’t tell you how much of a joy it is to have an Orient that can be manually wound. 

The Star Seeker ran for a strong 47 hours during my testing, besting its 40-hour power reserve meter.  The meter is accurate and can be counted on to let you know the status of the wind with just a quick glance.  My Star Seeker runs about +20 seconds/24 hours, acceptable performance, but I was hoping for a somewhat better showing from this new movement, since it’s bound to form the base of many new watches from Orient and Orient Star.  But the watch is still new and my example may settle down a bit after further wearing.

The bracelet on the Star Seeker is a solid link design with tastefully styled polished and brushed links.  The end links are solid.  The clasp is signed and has a pushbutton release.  The deployant is a proper machined type.  The bracelet measures 21mm at the lugs and tapers to 17.9mm at the clasp.  There are three micro-adjustment holes on the clasp to help achieve a good fit.  Bracelet adjustment was easy, with standard split pins securing the links.  The overall presentation of the bracelet and clasp are nice, but for some reason, it still feels a bit cheap to me.  Maybe I’m just getting too picky.

In summary, the Orient Star ‘Star Seeker’ GMT is a superb piece of Japanese horological accomplishment.  If you’re looking for a competent, stylish, reliable GMT watch with a host of quality features at what could be considered a bargain for the feature set, the Star Seeker shouldn’t disappoint.
 
Pros:  in-house automatic movement that hacks and manually winds, power reserve function, independently adjustable GMT hand, sapphire crystal, nice fit and finish

Cons:  some design elements still a bit ‘off’, modest water resistance rating, quality features on bracelet, but it still feels a bit cheap

Verdict:  strong feature set for the price in a unique and reliable GMT timekeeper.  Overall, the Star Seeker is a winner!

Thanks for reading and enjoy the pictures.

Excelsior!

-Marc

Review of Ebel 1911 Discovery Automatic Chronograph

Model # 1215794

Brand/Model:  Ebel 1911 Discovery Automatic Chronograph
Movement:  Swiss automatic COSC chronograph
Material:  stainless steel case and bracelet
Complications:  day/date display, chronograph timing up to 12 hours in 1 second increments
Price:  MSRP:  $4,500 USD; street price new $1,850 USD

Plenty of photos follow the review.  Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Ebel is a brand that seems to get passed up by many WISes because it is perceived as more of a fashion brand than anything else.  While this may be true in some regards, Ebel is capable of making some fine timepieces and the 1911 Discovery chronograph reviewed here is a great example of Ebel’s watchmaking expertise in a non-fashion style watch.

Ebel is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary as a true Swiss watchmaker, the name being an acronym of the founder’s names of Eugene Blum and his wife, Alice Levy - Eugene Blum Et Levy.  Ebel’s slogan is ‘the architects of time’ and refers to their dependence on style, overall design and engineering to achieve watches of extreme quality with fashionable looks while never losing sight of their Swiss origin.

The 1911 line has been around since 1986.  The current line-up of 1911 chronographs covers several different models, each with classic good looks and certain trademarks, like the real screws surrounding the bezel, that makes you realize the watch is an Ebel and no other brand.

The 1911 chronograph reviewed here starts with a sizeable 43mm case of beautifully brushed-finish stainless steel, a case that exhibits all of its edges and corners having smooth radiused edges, no sharp corners here!  The case is 14.2mm thick, with 22mm lugs.  The case back is secured by eight fine screws and is brushed as nicely as the rest of the case.  The case back protrudes out from the case somewhat, making the case sides lift off the wrist a bit.  The case back is emblazoned with the 1911 logo.  A note about the case, the left side of the case protrudes a bit because it bumps out at the 9 o’clock position (if measured from this bump out to the other side of the case, the case dimension is 44mm w/o crown, 49.2mm crown inclusive).  This doesn’t bother me, but it does make this watch wear even larger.

The crown is signed and screws down smoothly with four turns-to-lock.  The chronograph pushers, while they look like they should be screw down, do not screw down.  No biggie, but the faux aspect of this design seems to run counter to Ebel’s tradition of engineering and design excellence.  The 1911 chronograph is factory rated at 100 meters of water resistance.  There are a total of 17 real screws on the case, surrounding the bezel, securing the case back and attaching the bracelet to the case.  These screws give a real feeling of quality to the watch.

A flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides covers the dial and gives an incredibly clear view of the dial in all lighting conditions.  This watch is very easy to read.  An aluminum bezel with black tachymeter insert surrounds the crystal.

The dial is pure black with applied silver indices with small lume dots on the outside edge of the markers.  The hour and minute hands are silver with inset lume, the center chronograph second hand is silver with a red tip. 

The subdial set up is standard Valjoux 7750.  The subdial at 12 is the chronograph minute counter, the subdial at 6 is the 12-hour chronograph totalizer and the subdial at 9 is the main watch seconds hand.  The subdials are fairly straightforward, slightly dished inwards and have white markers.  The chronograph subdials have red hands, to go along with the red tip on the center chrono seconds hand, to more easily differentiate the chrono timing functions from the standard timekeeping of the watch.  More watchmakers seem to be doing this with their chronographs and I think it’s a good idea.  My recently acquired Seiko Flight Master automatic chronograph uses the same technique, except with yellow hands instead of red.

Lume quality is average, but rather minimal, as only the hour and minute hands and marker dots are luminous.

A quickset day and date display is located at 3, with the wheels a proper white on black that compliment the dial perfectly.  Minimal dial printing consists of the name ‘Ebel’, and ‘automatic chronometer.’  Overall, the dial layout, look and legibility are top notch on the 1911 chronograph. The markers tend to be a bit too shiny at times along with the Ebel name, but it’s a minor inconvenience to an overall superb dial.

And speaking of chronometer, yes, the movement in the 1911 chronograph is a top of the line Valjoux 7750 COSC rated movement (Ebel Caliber 750).  This is especially appealing given the price that these watches can be purchased for and adds a lot to the overall value equation of this model.  The COSC 7750 runs perfectly, winds and hacks with precision and turned in a fine 54 hour power reserve during my testing.  Accuracy meets COSC standards, consistently running at +2/24 hours under my tutelage.  The chronograph starts, stops and resets crisply and the pushers have a nice, firm action about them. 

The only odd thing I have noticed with this watch is the way the hands set through the crown.  There is no resistance at all, the slightest turn of the crown moves the hands.  I don’t know if this is a characteristic of the COSC 7750 because I don’t own any other COSC 7750s or just the way the watch is put together.  It is a bit annoying at first, I would prefer some resistance because it makes hack setting easier, but that’s really the only quibble I have with the movement. 

The bracelet is solid link stainless steel with a continuous link design without any exterior clasp or even a pushbutton release.  You have to yank on the clasp to open it up, very uncharacteristic of a company that prides itself on design and engineering and very inelegant in a fine Swiss timepiece.  Major demerits here from me, almost to the point that I did not even purchase this watch because of this fact.  It annoys me that much.  Even more puzzling is that the machined butterfly clasp is nicely polished and even has perlage on the inside of its small flat surfaces.  So if Ebel takes the time to add a tiny detail like this on the clasp, why can’t they add a pushbutton release?  Just doesn’t make sense to me.

The bracelet measures 22mm at the lugs and tapers to 19.7mm at the center of the clasp.  The finish is finely brushed with two polished middle links and matches perfectly the finish on the case.  The attachment of the bracelet to the case is a proprietary design and is secured with screws.  All well and good, the design works well, but precludes using any aftermarket straps.  You have to purchase a pricey Ebel leather strap if you want to go from stainless to leather.

Despite its fairly largish dimensions, the 1911 chronograph wears well and feels good on the wrist.  This is not a light watch, it has a good heft to it and a definite presence on the wrist.

Presentation is superb, a tan colored genuine leather covered box with a great feel and that real leather smell.  Kudos to Ebel for not skimping here.

The 1911 Discovery chronograph represents a true Swiss-designed and crafted watch from a watchmaker that takes pride in its job to deliver quality and style.  I would add value, as the price of admission for a COSC chronograph is quite affordable.
 

Pros:  COSC Swiss automatic chronograph, legible dial, superb case finish, overall great, sporty looks

Cons:  no pushbutton release on clasp, hands setting overly sensitive, proprietary bracelet/strap attachment to case precludes use of aftermarket straps

Verdict:  strong value in a COSC chronograph, solid feel, great quality, just add a pushbutton on the clasp and this watch would be almost perfect

Thanks for reading and enjoy the pictures.

Excelsior!

-Marc