I have had this watch for a month now and it has been an absolute joy to wear. As an avid watch collector, I rarely wear any watch for more than a few days in a row, yet I keep coming back to this piece. The watch was purchased at well under $300 and at this price range, few, if any watch would match the features on this one.
Firstly, the watch uses a mechanical hand wind movement. For those who are more into watches, the exact name of the movement is the ubiquitous, yet reliable and robust ETA 2801 which is a hand wound version of the famous ETA 2824 workhorse of the Swiss watch industry. This movement has a power reserve of about 40 hours so you should wind the watch once a day and my particular watch has been keeping time within 6 seconds a day which is totally acceptable for an unadjusted mechanical movement. It is rare nowadays to find a watch in this price range with a fine Swiss mechanical movement.
This Hamilton is an homage to the military field watches the company used to manufacture, so emphasis is placed on sterility and legibility, both of which are apparent in the styling of the watch. The dial is highly legible without any clutter or unnecessary writing, the layout is exactly like that of the military field watches of yore. The modestly sized 38mm diameter case is finished with a coarse yet durable bead-blast finish that is very pleasant to look at and goes very well with the olive/drab dial. The crystal is scratch-proof sapphire which is slightly domed to give the dial a bit more depth. Even the hands on the watch are bead-blasted so there is not a single shiny surface on this watch, you can say this is a completely "anti-bling" watch. The crown is very large and easy to grip to facilitate the pleasant task of winding up the movement. To facilitate strap changes, the lugs are drilled through so all you need is a pin to swap straps. The lugs are also purposely made long so as to easily accommodate 1-piece military style straps. I usually switch a new watch off its stock strap because they are usually quite cheap or simply not up to par for me. This watch however, comes with a surprisingly good strap. The strap is heavily padded olive/drab canvas with nubuck backing, the strap holes are nicely fitted with rivets for durability and the fixed holder consists of small, steel retainers.
PROS:
-Reliable Swiss mechanical movement (ETA 2801) almost impossible to find in watches in this price range
-Scratch proof sapphire crystal
-Highly legible dial
-Oversized crown
-Easy strap change with drilled through lugs
-High quality build
-High quality strap
-Great features not found in watches of this price range (High Value)
CONS:
The only con I can point out on this watch is the small number "15" beside the date window that seems out of place. I would actually prefer this watch without the date window for an even more authentic military look and a more balanced dial, but for most people, the date feature is very important.
This particular model seems to have been discontinued by Hamilton, as they have been moving up in price. If you like the classic military look and appreciate a hand-wound mechanical watch, you are not likely to find another watch of such high quality and great features as this Hamilton Khaki Field. Hamilton Men's HML-H69419363 Khaki Field Green Dial Watch
I bought this watch because I know what it is, and am already a Hamilton fan.
What is not appearant by the simple photos posted (at Hamilton and here) are the multitude of positive little details this watch has. Drilled lugs make changing the band really easy. It has a nicely engraved solid back. The band has grommets installed in each strap hole position which will prevent undue wear on the band, and look darned nice to boot. There are three stainless wire loops which serve as the first keeper for the band tail, and also a canvas one which is the free floating second keeper. The band is leather lined.
The watch itself is very smooth to wind and keeping excellent time for the short time I've owned it. It's a casual style best worn with khakis or jeans - don't expect a dress watch. That said, it's a quite nice look. It is easily read and has decent lume, which many field watches don't.
I've owned mine for 3 years now. It loses about 30 seconds A MONTH. I'm now on the second band, but the watch itself looks brand spanking new. I bought it because it reminds me of the one my Dad kept in his jewelry box -- a leftover from his time in the Army Air Corps in WWII. This is a great piece of little machinery.
As is usually the case, the photos of this watch simply do not do it justice. I was looking for a retro-style field watch that wasn't too expensive, and this watch delivered, big-time.
- The case. 38mm diameter, 10mm thick, sand-blasted steel. The look is very nice. Polished surfaces tend to show even light scratches very easily, whereas this surface seems to hide them.
- The crystal. Synthetic sapphire, and I can attest to that. On the second day wearing it, while putting on a coat, I accidentily whacked the watch on the corner of a wall, smack-dab on the crystal. Not a scratch. Unlike some crystals that are elevated above the bezel, and therefore cause distortion if viewed at an angle, this crystal is slightly domed, and the edge is flush with the bezel, for superior readability at an angle. The curvature also avoids casting nasty reflections.
- The movement. An ETA manual-wind 2804-2 swiss movement. Just what I wanted. Self-winding mechanism would just add more weight and complexity, and I wanted it to be light and thin, and reliable. Rate is outstanding. I'm running within chronometer specs, for a small fraction of the price. It would be difficult to find a quality ETA swiss movement in a watch cheaper than this one. This is a real value.
- The strap. Nice, good looking, fits the watch style perfectly. I took mine off and put the watch on a Zulu strap.
- A true field watch. Nothing on this watch is shiny, which would cause glints or reflections while outdoors.
And yes, I really did buy a second one. - Watches - Casual Watch'
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