The New Editions of the Hamilton Khaki Field Expedition

Hamilton, once one of America’s greatest watchmakers, was a precursor of the field watch during World War 1. Supplying precision railroad watches to soldiers under General Pershing’s command, Hamilton adapted its pocket watches to wristwatch format, eventually supplying over one million wristwatches to the U.S. military during World War II. Fast-forward almost 80 years, and Hamilton, now a Swatch Group brand, looks back to its American military training chapter with its popular Khaki Field “go anywhere, do anything” models. Following the release of the Khaki Field Expedition collection last year fitted with a compass bezel, Hamilton expands the range with military-style NATO straps.

Field watches, also known as trench watches, were designed as rugged, utilitarian combat companions for the Boer War and World War I battlefields. Far more practical than pocket watches, these strap-on wristlets or wristwatches eventually phased out traditional pocket watches and were adopted by civilians. Pragmatic, robust and easy to consult thanks to high contrast displays and luminous hands, field watches endured harsh combat conditions and provided soldiers with reliable timings to synchronise artillery manoeuvres.

The Khaki Field Expedition collection packs the reliability, robustness, simplicity and legibility of Hamilton’s field watches but adds a bi-directional compass bezel to the mix. Designed for outdoor adventures and exploration, the rotating ring on the bezel can be used to determine your compass position. To establish your bearings in the Northern Hemisphere, align the hour hand with the Sun’s current position and turn the ‘S’ (South) on the bezel to the midway point between the hour hand and the 12 o’clock index on the dial.

Catering to a wide range of wrist sizes, the Khaki Field Expedition comes in well-proportioned 37mm and 41mm diameter cases. Regardless of the diameter, both cases have a thickness of 11.5mm and are equipped with a screw-down crown and caseback to ensure the 100m water-resistance rating. Sticking to its rugged, outdoor personality, the top surfaces of the case are brushed.

Available with matte textured black, white or blue dials, these are designed to capture the simplicity and legibility of yesteryear field watches. Large white or black Arabic hour numerals are paired with a simple white or black minutes track with orange luminous markers on the hour. With its arrow-shaped tip, the hours hand, the syringe-style minutes hand and the arrow-tipped seconds hand are treated with a vintage beige (fauxtina) tone of Super-LumiNova. To eliminate the problem of glare, the sapphire crystal over the dial is treated with an anti-reflective coating.

The Khaki Field Expedition collection expands its range of strap options. Previously available with leather straps and a stainless steel bracelet for the black dial, the collection now introduces NATO textile straps in khaki, blue or grey with leather stays and pin buckles. For instance, the white dial model can be paired with a khaki NATO strap or a three-link stainless steel bracelet; the black dial is offered with a grey or black NATO strap, and the navy dial is matched with a navy NATO strap.

The glass porthole on the caseback reveals the Hamilton H-10 calibre, an automatic Swatch Group Powermatic 80. This upgraded version of the ETA 2824, with its reworked kinetic chain, 3Hz frequency and longer 80-hour power reserve, is fitted with an anti-magnetic Nivachron hairspring.

The Hamilton Khaki Field Expedition, in 38mm and 41mm case sizes, on a NATO strap, retails for CHF 925 / EUR 1,065 / USD 945; the white dial version on a stainless steel bracelet retails for CHF 1,050 / EUR 1,195 / USD 1,045.

For more information, please consult hamiltonwatch.com.