Hercules Tantalum – Hong Kong Edition
Hercules Tantalum – Hong Kong Edition
On 3 July 1953, Austrian alpinist Hermann Buhl became the first person to stand on the summit of Nanga Parbat (8,126 m) — alone, without supplemental oxygen, and with a Hercules watch on his wrist. The brand founded by Henzi & Pfaff, which equipped that legendary expedition, has been revived in Saint-Prex, Switzerland with a single purpose: luxury Alpinism, built on the original 1953 design.
The Hong Kong Edition is a series of just 50 pieces, created in collaboration with Independent Watcher as an homage to Lion Rock, the granite peak that watches over Kowloon and stands for the resilience of Hong Kong itself. The dial is formed from chipped carbon fibre painted a vivid sky blue, swept by a yellow seconds hand for the sun; the engraved height lines on the movement trace Lion Rock’s elevation contours, filled with BGW9 Super-LumiNova.
Inside is the Hercules hand-wound calibre, developed with a manufacture in the Vallée de Joux: two barrels deliver a five-day (120-hour) power reserve at 28,800 vph, with 26 jewels and chronometer certification by Timelab (ISO 3159). Through the sapphire case back, the height lines of Lion Rock are engraved across the bridges and filled with BGW9 Super-LumiNova that glows glacier-blue in the dark.
Here the 40 mm case is machined from tantalum — a rare, dense, hypoallergenic metal with a deep blue-grey lustre that is notoriously difficult to work, finished matt and sandblasted with the flat surfaces polished. At 118 grams it has a presence on the wrist that no steel watch can match. Sapphire glass front and back, 100 m / 10 ATM water resistant, with a tantalum crown and buckle to complete the case.
The Hong Kong Edition wears a dark-grey calf-suede strap with a tantalum buckle and arrives in the large wooden Hercules presentation box with its individual chronometer certificate and a two-year international warranty.
Specifications
- Collection
- Tantalum
- Case Diameter
- 40 mm
- Case Thickness
- 9.4 mm
- Lug Width
- 20 mm
- Case Material
- Tantalum
- Crystal
- Sapphire Crystal
- Case Back
- See-through
- Water Resistance
- 100 m (10 ATM)
- Dial Color
- Blue Carbon
- Movement
- Manual
- Caliber
- Hercules hand-wound calibre
- Power Reserve
- 120 hours (5 days)
- Functions
- Central Seconds
- Strap / Bracelet
- Suede Leather
- Strap Color
- Dark grey
- Clasp
- Pin Buckle
- Warranty
- 2 years
- Reference
- HW.40.MTA.70.CL.BA
- Limited Edition
- 50 pieces, with Independent Watcher
- Case Finishing
- Matt, sandblasted; flat surfaces polished
- Lug to Lug
- 46 mm
- Crown
- Tantalum with embossed logo
- Luminescence
- Swiss BGW9 Super-LumiNova
- Movement Design
- With Manufacture Horlogère Vallée de Joux
- Jewels
- 26
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Precision
- −4 / +6 seconds per day
- Engraving
- Lion Rock height lines, BGW9 Super-LumiNova filled
- Certification
- Chronometer certified by Timelab (ISO 3159), 100% Swiss Made
- Presentation Box
- Large luxury wooden box
- Weight
- 118 g