2025 marks the 5th anniversary of the Horological Tools Department, better known as HTD. To celebrate the occasion, they’ve launched a redesigned version of their first ever chronograph as well as a new interpretation of last year’s Hesagraph tricompax Miami Vice. They’re the HTD Hesagraph Cannoli and HTD Hesagraph Variente B and we’ve been hands-on with both.
My eyes are drawn immediately to the Cannoli, not least because it’s called the Cannoli (a link to HTD’s Italian roots). It has a super traditional bicompax chronograph display in one of the most famous colour schemes in all of watchmaking, the panda. That means it has a white dial with black subdials like the eyes of a panda. It looks really smart with its clean lines and slightly recessed subdials. Thanks to the relatively small hour markers and lack of a tachymeter on the dial or bezel, it actually feels very minimalist.
The Hesagraph Variente B is a bit more dynamic as it has a tricompax display adding a third chronograph subdial at 6 o’clock. The colourway here is what’s known as a reverse panda because it’s black with white subdials (the dial is technically a very, very, very dark brown but you’ll only notice that in specific lighting conditions). The 30-minute subdial also features red markers between the numerals, adding a third colour to the display. The Variente B also has larger hour markers than the Cannoli and an additional minute scale around the periphery.
On the wrist, both watches wear exactly the same because, and this may shock you, they have the same case. It measures 39mm in diameter with a 12.4mm thickness and a polished finish across the lugs, caseband and bezel. I do kind of wish that there were some contrasting finishes to break up the outline a bit more, but the full shine does make it stand out in a crowd – also thematically working for the previous brightly coloured Miami Vice edition.
Beneath the surface, protected by the solid caseback, is the Sellita SW510M elabore grade. It’s manual winding with 63-hour power reserve, offering some really solid specs. The Cannoli features hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph seconds and a 30-minute timer while the Variente B of course adds an extra 12-hour timer.
While I like the fun design of 2024’s Miami Vice, I do acknowledge that these versions will be much more popular among a wider range of collectors. The panda colourways also suit the minimalist layout really well. Priced at £1,324.55 they make for versatile daily wear chronos suitable for any occasion – whether you’re timing the end of a race or the end of your father-in-law’s speech at the family gathering.
Price and Specs:
More details at HTD Watches.
