through fire and form
“My most elegant interpretation yet of the hallmark Havid Nagan cushion silhouette—sharper, slimmer, elevated. Offered in 45 examples in total.
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On the HN02 -
“To create is to give form to something that didn’t exist—but in doing so, one becomes inexorably bound to it. Such was the case when I debuted the HN00 - a study in not only expressing myself for the first time, but what Havid Nagan’s presence would mean on a collector’s wrist. Since then, I’ve given much thought to how I’ve changed as a person; rather, what my dispositions would dictate a refined evolution of a characteristic watch from Havid Nagan would resemble.
The result, after intense moments of solitude and internal dialogue, is what I am glad to reveal to the world now. An off-centered flinque enamel dial, an entirely reworked case aesthetic and fit on the wrist, and a movement that has been finished to superlative standards.
I don’t count the HN02 as a sequel to the -00 or -01; rather, it is an evolution of the cushion case by way of refined elegance, lugs made more artisanal, and finishing that is superlative, especially framed within the context of anything I’ve created thus far. While it is a time-only piece, it’s brilliance is exemplified by the level of finishing, craftsmanship, and the watch’s unique nature.”
Aren Bazerkanian, Founder and Creative Director
AN ENTIRELY REDESIGNED CASE
The cushion case synonymous with the Havid Nagan brand was revisited and entirely rearchitected for the HN02. It’s overall presence and size on the wrist was of paramount importance so as to make the watch a more elegant expression of the HNxx series. The hooded lugs were replaced by a traditional lug system but lengthened and drawn out to accentuate the case design. The overall geometry and architecture of the cushion case has been retained as an ideal expression despite the significant reduction in size and the maximization of prowess.
Lugs, made artisanally elegant
The hooded lugs are an ongoing design parameter for the HNxx cushion architecture but in the case of the HN02, a certain elegance was pursued by way of the traditional lug system. The practical notion was to allow collectors to swap straps out more easily, considering the -02 is not created to be a sports watch. Rather, it’s raison d’etre is to show a certain flexibility in the series architecture and overall aesthetic.
Flinqué enamel dial
With roots tracing to 18th-century Geneva, in particular, the artisans of the time began combining the existing enameling work being done and the art of guillochage, resulting in works like the Faberge eggs, decorative snuff boxes, and, by the early 19th-century, watch dials.
A dial maker first applies guilloché by hand to each HN02 dial, which is then galvanzied via electrical baths to render them into the Azure and Ember colorways. A slight border must be protected and retained on the periphery of the dial base to hold the translucent paint that is then applied in careful thin layers. Once the paint has set, the dial is baked at over 800 degrees in grand feu.
This process is grueling - the dial is subjected to multiple bakes, and one crack or fracture will render it useless. Additionally, the dial plate must be galvanized to the perfect base hue upon which the enamel paint will act as an accentuation of the fine gradient; an extremely sensitive process.
As is the case of the mechanical marvel of tiny wheels, teeth, and springs all working perfectly together in harmony, so too, must the conditions under which these dials are produced, synchronize.
DIAMOND-LIKE CARBON
The HN02 is offered in 45-examples in total, in two dial variations, in two case finishes. A standard Grade-5 titanium or a DLC treated finish. While the standard finish offers an admitted timeless elegance, the DLC finish offers a more contemporary elegance with stark contrasts between galvanizations schemes.
The DLC treatment is a technically complex and fascinating process by nature. First, the watch case is brought to it’s standardized finish, polished or brushed. It is then ultrasonically cleaned as a perfectly clean and smooth surface is required for adhesion. The case is placed in a vacuum sealed environment to void any unwanted reactions with oxygen and bombarded with ions to activate a microscopically “rough surface” to be prepared to receive the DLC layer. Through the process of physical vapor deposition, hydrocarbon gas is introduced and under these plasma conditions, the gases break down and deposit as amorphous carbon with a diamond-like hardness. The resulting carbon film grows atom by atom, typically reaching a thickness of 2-4 microns. The watch case is then cooled, removed, and inspected for perfect uniformity.
HN02 Specifications
Complications
Central hours and minutes, small hacking seconds at 6H
Case
38 millimeter diameter, 9 millimeter height, 5 ATM (or 50 meters) water resistant, Grade-5 titanium, mixed brushed and polished in standard or DLC finish
dial
Flinqué enamel executed in grand feu, polished brass components, smoked sapphire minutes track, hammered plates with contrasting polish, mainplate galvanized in 2N yellow gold with applied perlage
Movement
AMT6600, ~62-hour autonomy, skeletonized and hammered bridges in rhodium treatment with contrasting anglage, 2N galvanized hue on mainplate with glimmering hammered finish
Technical
COSC certified chronometer (-4, +6 s/d deviation), Calibrated for 4Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour), comprised of 230 parts, 21 jewels, adjusted to five (5) positions; 30mm diameter, 4.3mm movement height