Hands-On: The Havid Nagan Classic One — A Neo-Vintage Inspired Calatrava With A Case To Remember
Featured here on Hodinkee as One To Watch in the summer of 2022, Havid Nagan is a Los Angeles-based independent watch brand led by Aren Bazerkanian, an ambitious and entrepreneurial former real-estate agent and ex-F.P. Journe boutique manager with a deep appreciation for what I consider all the right vintage references. The Classic One is Havid Nagan’s second case shape and first round watch, a follow-up to the cushion-cased HN00.
Inspired by the classic dial layout of Patek Philippe’s reference 96, the Classic One would similarly be lazily categorized as a “dress watch” — but it’s more than that. Like the first Calatrava and Bazerkanian’s other neo-vintage inspirations, more on those later, this is a do-anything, wear-anywhere three-hander. The Classic One features a thoroughly modern dial design and an expertly shaped case with elongated lugs and idyllic dimensions.
“I wanted to do a classically proportioned, round watch, and it had to be 38 millimeters,” says Bazerkanian. Havid Nagan’s founder is like that. He is unapologetically confident in his ability to design a watch worth producing and, eventually, worth purchasing. Specifically confident in his vision, which is impressive for a guy in his 30s with no direct ties to Switzerland or familial background in watchmaking. That’s a bit of the magic with this brand. If there are old-world, passed-down, unwritten rules of watch design, Bazerkanian doesn’t know if he’s breaking them — and Havid Nagan is better off for it. “I wanted to create something for myself,” he says, “and luckily, a good amount of people, at least up until now, have supported it and understood it.” With the Classic One, it’s more than luck.
The project started to materialize in Bazerkanian’s mind while on a trip to Dubai, visiting his retail partner, The Perpétuel Gallery. In the office of Hamdan Al Hudaidi, founder of Perpétuel, on a table of watches ranging from Philippe Dufour to Baltic, Bazerkanian could not get over the clean design and perfect proportions of a pink gold Patek 96. “I had never seen vintage Calatravas before,” he says. “I was just blown away by the minute track and how they laid everything out on the dials.” Bazerkanian started the design that would become the Classic One immediately after he returned from the trip.
I’ve taken a new approach recently when first handling a new watch. I stole this from a sports psychologist in the golf world (telling a bit too much about my YouTube history), where players with poor self-talk are instructed to “leave room for wow” after hitting a shot. Hit the ball, see what happens, draw no intentional conclusions, and wait for a natural reaction. In golf, many times, this is “wow, what an awful shot” or “wow, that was sick!”. In experiencing new watches, it can go something like “wow, maybe it’s just not for me” or “wow, I could see myself wearing this a ton!”.
Having read about Havid Nagan, seen photos of the HN00, and drawing a quick opinion that the initial release wasn’t for me back in 2022, I wanted to leave a ton of room for wow with the Classic One. It’s unfair to let another product from the same brand cloud judgment of an entirely different watch. So hang with me here if you remember that first Havid Nagan, fondly or not.
The Classic One is offered in three iterations, each with a different dial combination. At its core, this is a 38 by 9mm time-only watch with a stainless steel case, an intricately layered dial, and a COSC-certified AMT6600 as its heart. Careful thought has been put into each element here, and the culmination successfully dodges critiques of being over-designed by this watch editor, at least. One of the prototypes was offered at Phillips earlier this month, for the benefit of the Philippe and Elisabeth Dufour Foundation, exceeding estimates by selling for CHF 25,400.
Powering the watch is a bespoke movement produced by AMT, a business division of Sellita that specialises in custom calibers for independent brands like Havid Nagan. The project began with the intention to utilize a La Joux-Perret cal. 7380, but Bazerkanian wanted more visual depth than that ultra-thin movement could offer. This may be the first time that a thicker movement feels more cohesive; it fills the case perfectly. The bridges are skeletonized and ruthenium-treated with 5N rose gold-plated accents. The finishing choices, namely the rose gold mainplate, are partly inspired by Derek Pratt’s Oval pocket watch for Urban Jürgensen. The extra effort of submitting to COSC for certification is a nice surprise.
The dial is like an onion; it has layers. The perlé minute track of the Patek 96 inspiration has been modernized, now printed on a transparent sapphire ring that sits between two brass disks. The lower disk features clous de Paris tronqué guilloche, and is either ivory or ruthenium in color. The guilloche pattern is essentially clous de Paris with the top of each pyramid cut off, visually similar to AP’s tapisserie. An upper disk creates the main dial portion and holds the Calatrava-style “baton” hour markers. The finish here is very subtle, if any, presenting near flat gloss on the wrist. The ivory color used in the two variants I handled was inspired by the not-quite-white, not-quite-champagne tones of Chaumet-era Breguet of the 1980s and 1990s — Bazerkanian is the proud owner of a ref. 3337BA.
I consider myself a bit of a case queen as I tend to be very picky with modern cases. So I mean it when I say this is an extremely well-proportioned case design. 38mm in diameter is a known sweet spot, yes, but the keys here are the elongated lugs (47mm lug tip to lug tip) and the dramatic details. A great mix of polished and brushed finishes is used throughout, Bazerkanian calls out that the cascading bezel references neo-vintage Parmigiani Fleurier and Urban Jürgensen, and the twisting, scalloped architecture of the lugs, while attention-grabbing, works well with the other components.
The overall package is a serious contender for most compelling time-only watch under $10,000. If you’re a lover of considered yet intricate design, this is the one for you. After leaving that room for wow, I came away asking myself if a Havid Nagan could be the ultimate, very 2025 version of something like a Longines Tre Tacche or an IWC Hermet — that mid-century watch world idea of a classy yet capable watch up for anything from fine tailoring to a bathing suit.
The Basics
Brand: Havid Nagan
Model: Classic One
Diameter: 38mm
Thickness: 9mm
Case Material: 316L stainless steel
Dial Color: Ivory, Ebony, or Ghost
Indexes: Applied
Lume: None
Water Resistance: 50 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Custom leather options produced by Jean-Rousseau
The Movement
Caliber: AMT6600
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
Power Reserve: 62 hours
Winding: Manually-wound
Frequency: 4Hz / 28,800 vph
Jewels: 21
Chronometer Certified: Yes, COSC certified
Pricing & Availability
Price: $9,000
Availability: Now
For more information, visit Havid Nagan online.
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