If you’ve never heard of Havid Nagan, that’s when you did. FPjourne alumnus Aren Bazerkanian founded the brand in 2022 and he’s doing things properly. Despite only three years of the brand’s presence, Bazerkanian recently dropped his watch for the third time. This is Havid Nagan Classic One.
Havid Nagan doesn’t follow the average microbrand route. Instead, outsourced production has increased the ranks of high-end independent brands. Currently, most heritage brands focus on vertical integration and “all in-house”, but traditional working styles were based on brands where external craftsmen and suppliers form hubs as spokes. This approach, known as établissage, has experienced something like a revival, perhaps as the answer to mainstream brand integration. Either way, jump from the industry-wide focus to the specific clock in front of you.
The complex case of Havid Nagan Classic
Starting with the basics, you can see a 38mm stainless steel watch, only 9mm thick. The case looks simple enough, but we quickly discover that it is merely an illusion. More than 29 parts that make up the elongated case. You need to look closely to understand refinement. Take, for example, a scalloped rug. If these lugs were a single part of the medium case, then polished inner surfaces could not be realized. As a result, the lugs look wider than that. It’s a neat visual trick.
Interestingly, the bezel consists of a single ring, but with two textures. When I began to inspect the photos with knowledge of the 29-part case, I was totally hoping this was two stacked bezels. The outer rim has a circular brushing and the inner ring is polished.
The sapphire sandwich clearly looks at both the dial and the caliber beneath it. Four screws will bring the case back into place. The entire package has a water resistance rating of 5atm.
Inside Havid Nagan Classic One
Previous Havid Nagan models used Schwarz Etienne calibers. This time, Bazerkanian chose AMT, a high-end custom Skunkworks from Sellita. The AMT6600, which looks obviously modern, is partially skeletonized and is well-finished overall. 5N galvanized plates, several angularised, and ruthenium treatments are found. The harsh modern lines above the main plate with a gold finish of roses are married to the traditional and modern.
The manual winding caliber comes with COSC certification, running within +6/-4 seconds per day. It also provides a power reserve of approximately 62 hours from a single barrel when fully wound.
Classic yet modern dial
The theme of marrying the old and the new continues on the dial side. You can choose from ivory or ebony. The hands, indexes and subdial layouts follow the very traditional Calatrava recipe. However, the execution is fundamentally different.
The central part of the dial and the “island” subdial are galvanized brass. They sit on the dial below with a Hobnail Girochi pattern. However, if you look closely you can see the subdials sitting on a thin sapphire layer. This has instant and second tracks printed. This makes the print appear to float 0.2mm above the hobnail layer.
First impressions of Havid Nagan Classic One
Let’s make this the preface. Please state that I couldn’t handle Havid Nagan Classic One (yet). For me, execution is everything about this genre and segment and doesn’t convert well into photos. So my initial impression is based solely on design and concepts.
I love this incident. The dimensions sound perfect, and the scalloped lug looks unique without trying too hard. Most often, when a new brand wants to do something new, the outcome is unnatural and troublesome. Thankfully, there’s none here!
I’m not very sure about the dial. I like the layered effect and the combination of modern construction and vintage elements. However, proportions do not seem to be correct to me at all. The phone feels a little overwhelming compared to the index, and the hobnail section feels a little wider. Certainly, this can all fall into place when I look at the clock in real life.
What’s next?
As my regular readers know, I have great sympathy for these young David vs. Goliath watch brands. In a conservative world like ours, gaining footing is extremely challenging. Even if you sell only a small number, you have to convince the manufacturer to work with you. Similarly, you need to convince the collector to come to you, not an established name.
Especially if you want to get the small details right – and if it works at a higher price range that comes with that area, you’ll be challenged in your hands. It appears that Aren Bazerkanian is on the right path. His brand has already discovered its own style, and Havid Nagan Classic One offers something different once more.
Havid Nagan Classic One comes in ivory and ebony versions, priced at USD 9,000.
What do you think about the classics? Let us know in the comments section below!
