One of my favorite aspects of having a watch blog is discovering a new watch brand. Creating the “Watch Brands by Country” posts has been a great opportunity for me to spend hours searching the web for small, interesting watch brands. But every now and then I get an email form someone who introduces me to a new brand. That was the case with Peren, an indie brand making unique swiss watches steeped in Transylvanian history.
When Andy Bica-Popi the CEO of Peren contacted me, I was thrilled to find out that there is a growing watch industry in Romania. I would have never thought to research Romania and Transylvania specifically to look for watch brands. Look for a post soon on watch brands in and around Romania.
Introducing the Hintz
It has been great corresponding with Andy and discussing his upcoming launch of his newest watch the Hintz. With the Hintz still in development I was unable to get a hands-on with the watch. But just looking at the specs, style and story, the Hintz is totally worth a closer look.
The Hintz Specifications
Case: 42.50mm x 11.20mm thick
Dial: Off White Metal Dial with Embossed Indexes
Functions: Small Second Hand, Rotating Aluminum Disk
Glass: Domed Sapphire Crystal with Anti-Reflective Coating
Case: Hand Polished 316L Stainless Steel
Water Resistance: 100m/10 ATM
Strap: 22mm Brown Leather with Steel Buckle or Steel Mesh
Movement: Swiss ETA Unitas 6498-1, Handwinding
My first impression of the Hintz was that of a retro Marine/Deck watch. The more I dig into the Hintz I realized it is more of a modern interpretation of a post WWII era pilot/field watch. Check out this great article from Gear Patrol on a few military watches from that era. The Hintz strikes a great balance of Retro and Modern; the case is on the larger size at almost 43mm but is on the thinner side at 11.20mm, sitting slim and near the wrist. The dial is simple and clean but has some depth from the rotating dial. The cream dial color feels retro, but the reddish/tan numerals feel more modern, fresh and contemporary. The simple stick hands look to be filled with an orange lume, we will have to get our hands on one to see if that is the case.
The Hintz is named after the first Transylvanian watchmaker Eugen Hintz (1869-1962). Mr. Hintz had a watch shop in Fagaras Transylvania and worked with the likes of Tellus, Wyler and Junghans. The Peren Hintz is fashioned after a pocket watch (see below) that he received from the Swiss manufacture Wyler. One of my favorite little details on Peren watches is their brand icon. The stylized little set of fangs is especially cool on the crown of the watch, see above.
The rotating secondhand disk at 6 o’clock is based on the “Andesite Sun” an ancient sun dial. The Andesite Sun is at Sarmizegetusa Regia the capital of the Dacian civilization. The sundial was built in the first century BCE. You can see more here.
The Peren Hintz compares favorably with other similar offerings in the market. After a little looking around I found four watches that are similar. At the bottom of the list is the Shinola Runwell 47mm, a big quartz watch with a retro-modern look retailing for $550. Next up is the Hamilton Khaki Field Officer Automatic, with a 44mm case and an ETA 2824-2 it is a nice solid watch for $945. A little further upstream we get the Manual Weiss 38mm Standard Issue Field Watch sporting a customized ETA 7001 for $1,150 on their website. Finally, we have the Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Military 44mm sporting the inhouse manual Caliber UN-118 for $7,900 on their website. From left to right below (not to scale).
When you consider the other watches on the market the Peren Hintz is an absolute bargain at the Kickstarter launch price of around $500. Even at a full retail price under $900 it is still a good deal. My current collection includes a Victorinox 241376 that is sporting the ETA Unitas 6498.1 and is easily my favorite manual wind watch. There is nothing quite like the old school feel of winding your watch every morning when you strap it on.
Conclusion
If you are in the market for a manual wind watch or for a retro-modern military/field watch, you could do much worse than the Peren Hintz. To be clear you get a Swiss quality manual wind watch with a unique style that is wearable everyday, has a good story behind it, all for a great price. The Peren Hintz checks all my boxes for what I am looking for in a new watch. Go to Peren’s website for pre-orders and to keep an eye out for when the Kickstarter launches this summer. I will absolutely keep my eye on Peren and hopefully I can turn this introductory post into a review of the Hintz!
Keep on a Watching!
Edward