A new Hamilton Khaki watch is out; its name is Hamilton Khaki Field Expedition. We know how extensive the Khaki collection is; here is why we built a complete guide named after the Khaki Field.
The original Khaki hit the scene as a military time-only watch, epitomizing the brand’s pedigree. Hamilton then upgraded the offering by adding the Khaki Navy and Khaki Aviation collections. The new Field Expedition squares the circle by offering an unexpected, contemporary take on the original template.
The new Khaki Field Expedition
The Expedition is an exploration watch, i.e. a tool watch allowing you to pinpoint where you are and where to go while walking across the mountains, for instance, equipped with everything you’ll expect from an all-round multi-purpose sports watch in a Khaki disguise.
Case, dial and bracelet
The Khaki Field Expedition’s design is new from the ground up, yet it adopts a tried-and-tested technical architecture; the case shape is unique, as is the hefty winding crown featuring the familiar, mirror-polished “H” letter on top.
The overall finish is brushed, as you’d expect from a watch of this type, except for the wrist side, where a brushed annular ring fastens against a mirror-polished surface.
Two case sizes
Hamilton has introduced the watch in two sizes: 37 or 41 mm. The smaller option comes as a 10,45 mm thick watch while – surprise, surprise – the other one measures 11,50 mm across instead. It looks strange, considering they house the same 80-hour power reserve H-10 calibre.
The headline news is the bi-directional rotating bezel with cardinal points that allow the wearer to use the timepiece as a sun compass and thus estimate your approximate destination if you’re on an excursion and check if you’re up to the task as an “explorer”.
Setting the watch as a sun compass is as easy as it gets; place the watch on a flat surface and rotate it to point the hour hand towards the sun; the sector between the current time and the position at twelve marks approximately the Southern direction. After identifying the geographic South, you only need to read the other main directions.
It looks like a niche-market product, and it is, to a certain extent, yet the solar compass watch keeps growing its market demand. Hamilton stands among many mainstream brands to offer an accessible mechanical watch conceived for outdoor activities, offering a function you usually find on a smartwatch.
The dial
The dial is quintessentially Hamilton Khaki, and it couldn’t be any different; the brand’s designers preserved all the traits that make any Khaki timepiece a Khaki at first sight, i.e. an uncluttered easy-to-read no-date timepiece showcasing large Arabic numerals, here intermingled with vintage characteristics, as represented by the arrow-shaped hour hand and its syringe-shaped minute sibling.
The design looks distinctive, instead, in the benchmark. Whether you’re searching for a mechanical or a quartz option, the market offers several multi-function watches equipped with a solar compass since they’re trendy, especially in Central and Northern Europe.
The Khaki Field Expedition has a clean, uncluttered style and is not too technical, something the Hamilton brand’s lovers do not require, at least when they opt for a time-only layout.
The bracelet
The watch is available with a leather strap or bracelet; the latter has a folding clasp and safety push buttons. The three-link bracelet is perfect if you’re putting the 100-meter water resistance to the test, making the Khaki Field Expedition Hamilton’s most versatile timepiece in this product category.
Final thoughts
Hamilton nailed it with the Khaki Expedition. In its price segment (it retails for €1,095 on a strap and €1,175 on a bracelet), the Hamilton Khaki Expedition is a formidable contender to any watch brand, once again confirming its key pillars.
The execution is flawless, the 80-hour-long power reserve is added-value, and the design is as uncluttered as it is recognizable thanks to some details like the vintage military inspiration and the size to dial to bracelet configurations.
However, we’d welcome some more upgrades, as follows. A strap’s quick-release mechanism is a must-have, especially if you compete in the over one thousand Euro price arena, and, the Khaki Expedition being an exploration watch, a Velcro strap with the Hamilton logo would be more than welcome.
We see plenty of watches adopting a Nato strap on diving watches, and we refer to all the brands here; therefore, we’d accept a Velcro strap on such a model further.
Regarding the metal bracelet, narrowing its width towards the clasp would make the timepiece even more compelling.
Placed on the case side, it winds the mainspring. When pulled out, it also sets the time and the date. A screw-down crown increases water resistance and protects the movement…
Case
It encases the mechanical movement and is crafted in one or more parts. It can also be a single piece, as with some professional diving watches, or made of unconventional…
Power Reserve
A mechanical watch feature displays, on the dial or the case back, the remaining power in a watch movement, showing the length of time until the timepiece must be rewound.
Calibre
A calibre is the type of watch movement encased in an assigned timepiece. Its name is usually associated with the manufacturer's name and a standard code, e.g., ETA 2824.
Bezel
The bezel is particularly useful on diving watches, allowing you to check dive times. In this case, it unidirectionally rotates and usually comes in two parts: a metal (or ceramic,…
Date
It indicates the date of the month. There are different types of display: via a window or a pointer, where an additional hand is usually placed centrally or on a…
Strap
A leather, rubber or other material band that secures the watch to the wearer's wrist.
