Worn & Wound
Discovering Hentschel Watches, One of German Watchmaking’s Best Kept Secrets
Hentschel has been on my radar for a while, and I followed the watch company casually for many years – until a mutual friend living in Berlin made the introduction. My curiosity level spiked, and I was ready for a deep dive into the background, manufacturing, watches, and everything that is Hentschel. A Brief Overview of Hentschel Andreas Hentschel is the watchmaker and founder of Hentschel, based in Hamburg, Germany. Established in 1993, Hentschel has garnered a decent reputation for its craftsmanship and producing high quality mechanical wristwatches. A majority of the watches feature manual winding movements and sub-seconds on the dial. The design is reminiscent of classic pocket watches, but with complex case construction and colorful dials, they appear refined modern. Under the expert guidance of Andreas Hentschel, the family-owned workshop consists of a team of four skilled watchmakers that produce approximately 150 watches annually. According to Andreas, this limited production approach maintains the highest standards of craftsmanship and ensures that every Hentschel watch remains unique. In-House Movements Before I provide you my impression of two watches that I test drove for a month, I would like to address Hentschel’s in-house movements. Hentschel refers to the HUW 1130 S caliber as a “in-house manufactory movement.” Without going into the definition of in-house, Andreas is upfront about it being based on the Swiss A-Schild manually winding 1130 moveme...
