Habring2 Erwin Scientific Dial Jumping Seconds

Initially I only knew a little about Habring, courtesy of fellow Purist RN who owned a Habring. Another friend and colleague who owned an older V7750-based Habring chronograph let me try his, but I found the 42 x 14mm case too big for my skinny wrist. I also eyed the TZ20 Habring but realized it wou

Initially I only knew a little about Habring, courtesy of fellow Purist RN who owned a Habring. Another friend and colleague who owned an older V7750-based Habring chronograph let me try his, but I found the 42 x 14mm case too big for my skinny wrist.  I also eyed the TZ20 Habring but realized it would also be too big for me.

Then Magnus’ post came along, and I became attracted to the 2017 Erwin ‘Scientific Dial’ with jumping seconds. 38.5 x 9mm?  Perfect for my wrist! Hand-wound? No date? Right up my alley.

I was briefly also keen on the TZ21 Sector Dial Habring (which also featured a jumping seconds complication), but it was totally sold out. Plus I realized I had far too many watches with white dials and blued hands.  The slightly snazzier Erwin Scientific dial looked a little less traditional than the TZ21, and I really liked the little red numerals on the minute track.

Then Hodinkee featured it, and the attraction grew stronger. I mentally justified the purchase because I did not have a jumping seconds complication yet. (oh the delusions we spin for ourselves!)

But was the sector dial too similar to my sector dial 5296G? A quick poll of my fellow Purists assured me the 2 watches looked quite different.  And with that positive affirmation from friends (that’s what fellow Purists are for - to reinforce our delusions!), I contacted the US AD (as this was a US-only edition) ), made some arrangements, and a month later the watch arrived with a custom short strap.

I confess I really like this one. The size is perfect - 38.5mm is a size I like very much. It’s listed as 9mm but it actually come in just under 10mm thick when you factor in the slightly domed crystal, and proportion-wise it comes in as a watch that sits comfortably in the middle of the dressy-sporty spectrum.  It’s quite enjoyable to watch the jumping seconds, well, jump! The crown is very easy to wind, and the watch wears very comfortably.  And it goes without saying that I love the blued hands.

I think the watch works better on a vintage-style strap with side-stitches, so I’ve swapped it. I suspect this one will be quite versatile with different straps to dress it up or down, but for now, it has a more casual vibe.

If I had any criticisms, it would be that I’d prefer a very slightly thinner bezel. It would be nice too, if the buckle could be slgned too, and be a little more curved for comfort.  But these are minor quibbles - for an in-house movement with an interesting complication, this offers lots of value (and fun!), and makes for great conversations with fellow Purists.