Hermann Buhl (1924–1957) was an Austrian mountaineer, born in Innsbruck, and one of the most celebrated high-altitude climbers of the twentieth century. On 3 July 1953 he reached the summit of Nanga Parbat (8,126 m) in the Himalayas, alone and without supplemental oxygen, completing the first successful solo ascent of the mountain. Buhl wore a Hercules timepiece during the climb.

That link made him the most famous wearer in the history of the brand founded by Robert Henzi and Robert Pfaff. When Adriaan Trampe relaunched Hercules in 2022, he built it around this heritage. The brand’s current watches are engraved with topographic maps of the Nanga Parbat mountains, filled with Super-LumiNova, as a tribute to the expedition.

Buhl died in 1957 in a fall on Chogolisa in the Karakoram, weeks after the first ascent of Broad Peak. For watch enthusiasts he remains a reminder of the tool-watch tradition, in which a watch earns its reputation on expeditions.