The Hamilton Jazzmaster Face 2 Face III watch hands-on

Hamilton Watch is a global, multi-faceted brand, and it comes as no surprise the release of its signature Face to Face’s third edition. When meeting with the product development team, you’ll understand why Hamilton is unique, able to equally master its military pedigree as much as engineering eclectic timepieces like the series pictured here.

The Face 2 Face’s product evolution

Let’s rewind the Face 2 Face’s roadmap. The first edition broke the market, listing Hamilton among the brands capable of offering a wristwatch with a flipping case; the following edition, which we reviewed in 2016, made things simpler by abandoning the two-movement layout while adopting a more mainstream configuration.

However, the first and second editions share the provoking elliptical art-nouveau case design, paired with a dual display, but the Face to Face 2 has lost its signature off-centred two-time display to adopt a less controversial and more affordable, too, ordinary layout while preserving its pedigree as a tool for “early adopters” and uncommon collectors.

The Face to Face II is a circle-inscribed-in-an-ellipse timepiece and represents the first attempt to simplify the product’s concept and foster family feeling across the vast Jazzmaster collection.

The new Hamilton Jazzmaster Face to Face III

The third edition is no longer the unicorn we were used to; it’s mostly a new two-sided watch from the new Jazzmaster Performer collection. Limited to 999 pieces, it comes with a round case for the first time, whose mid-section pivots along a horizontal axis to finally lock into a chosen position after any 180-degree rotation in either direction; once in place, you’ll find it quickly unlocks, sometimes too easily, at least on our prototype.

The outer frame has an edgier design, with sharper lines, increased lug-to-lug distance, and oversized Chrono pushers, as found on the Jazzmaster Performer. Compared to its previous iterations, the Face 2 Face III adds refinement and comes with a sportier case, showcasing a vaguely vintage touch as found on the beautiful leather strap with blue stitching.

The dial, instead, preserves the original three-register pedigree out of a skeleton-looking design, fully revealing the Date ring. Blue tones are everywhere, on the 12-hour counter or the central Chrono hand mirrored and rotated 180 degrees, placed on the case back.

The “other side” displays pulsometer and tachymeter scales to please watch enthusiasts with any measurement. We’re not fans of the winding mass as we were not on the previous model, too; here is another feature setting a Face 2 Face I in a class of its own.

We love the flipping-over case, despite growing the thickness to a whopping 17,25 mm while the diameter stops at a reasonable 44 mm, an excellent value for an accessible self-winding chronograph with a two-layer case. The watch runs on the tried-and-tested H-41 calibre boasting 60 hours of power reserve when fully wound; here is a rugged mass-produced mechanical movement whose target is consistency rather than finishes.

Final thoughts

The Hamilton Face 2 Face III is the most Jazzmaster-looking ever and more ordinary-feeling than before. The brand’s team worked to help such a “halo” project better fit into the entire offering while promoting a retail price cascade whose landing point is a more attractive proposition than editions one and two.

The model costs half as much as the first one and is close to 30% less than the previous one, proving the brand firmly believes in the project. It comes with a more ordinary yet edgy case design and a more sophisticated polished to brushed surface finish that elevates perceived quality and hopefully enlarges the customer base, ready to pay slightly less than 3,000 Euros to get one.

(Photo credit: Horbiter®)

Editorial Team @Horbiter®