Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic

Brief History of Hamilton watches

The Hamilton Watch Company was founded in 1892. In 1914 the company become an official supplier to American Armed Forces, and during World War II Hamilton stopped production of watches for consumers and concentrated entirely on production of watches for the American army. By the end of the war, over 1 million timepieces were produced. Now, 75 years later, Hamilton Khaki Field Auto pays homage to these simple, but robust and reliable watches.

Look and Feel

Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic is all about functionality. It is powered by the somewhat rugged, but very reliable automatic ETA 2824-2 Swiss movement, which sits in compact, brushed stainless steel case. The leather strap is thick, rimmed with contrasting white stitches, and looks quite solid and durable, albeit a bit stiff. But that’s one can expect from military styled field watch after all.

The beige-colored, smooth-surfaced dial redounds to the vintage look of the watch. The dial is easily readable, as a military watch should be. The 12-hour markers are boldly styled, pronounced in black. The 24-hour markers sit directly below the hour markers, and the 60-second markers are on the outermost edge of the dial. The font just right in size, not too small, but not so large that it becomes screwy. The hour and minute hands are covered in superluminova. The tip of the second hand is white (also luminous), which is a small, but really nice touch. The tip of the second hand is red for some of the models with black dial, which looks even better, as it adds a pop of color.

The crystal is slightly domed, made of sapphire, which means it is virtually impossible to scratch it. It lacks, however, anti-reflective coating. The transparent case back is also made of sapphire crystal and gives an excellent look at the ticking heart of the watch.

Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic is available in several different color variations and sizes. The band could be of leather (available in black, light brown, dark brown and beige), canvas or stainless steel bracelet. The available sizes (diameter of the case) are 38, 40 and 42mm. At the moment of writing this review (September 2016), Jomashop.com offers 15 different models of the watch, priced between $350 and $500.

Functions

The ETA 2824-2 movement has 25 jewels and run at 28,800 BPH (Beats Per Hour), which ensures the smooth and visually pleasing sliding of the second hand. The movement also features a date function, date corrector  and a hacking second, the latter helping to set and synchronize the time. ETA 2824-2 has a 38 hours power reserve and is outfitted with shock protective mechanism. The accuracy is great for an automatic movement – the watch normally gains between 1 and 4 seconds per 24 hours.

Conclusion

Overall, Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic is a great watch. It looks very masculine, rugged and simple, as every military-styled watch should be. And yet it is elegant and minimalist, an excellent choice for an everyday casual watch.