American Spirit & Swiss Precision: The Stylish Khaki Field Watch

The Hamilton Khaki Field is a military style field watch from a brand with a well documented history. There are many variations of the Khaki Field and the one featured in this review has reference number H69419363.

The Hamilton Khaki Field is my first wind up mechanical watch and so it took me a little while to get used to winding it every morning prior to wearing. It’s become my go-to casual watch as I’ve been wearing it extensively for the past 3 months.

In this review I’ll be touching on the history of the Hamilton Watch Company, the Khaki Field’s style & aesthetic, features & specs, quality & construction, some pros and cons and finally some closing thoughts about the H69419363.

HAMILTON KHAKI FIELD MECHANICAL WATCH REVIEW

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF HAMILTON WATCH COMPANY

For Hamilton watches it all began in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which was the site of the original Hamilton factory. It wasn’t until 111 years later that they took the company overseas to Biel, Switzerland, the industrial watchmaking epicenter of the world.

With Hamilton came many firsts. They gave rise to the world’s first electrical watch in 1957 powered by a battery. And Pulsar, the world’s first LED digital watch in 1970. Hamilton later became part of the Swatch Group in 1974.

Hamilton has also played a prominent role in many major motion pictures thanks to its close ties with Hollywood. Having appeared in over 450 movies over the decades, the Hamilton brand is deeply engrained in America’s movie scene.

From the American railroads to its skies, into the deep blue ocean and wild jungles, Hamilton’s innovations have served as a pillar of the American spirit and Swiss precision that’s left its mark on the world of watchmaking forever.

HAMILTON KHAKI FIELD STYLE & AESTHETIC

The Hamilton Khaki Field is unmistakably a field watch to the core. It exudes a clean ruggedness that’s prime to be worn with all kinds of casual getups. That’s why I’ve been gravitating towards them of late. I love my Seiko 5 which I’ve owned for over 5 years now and the Hamilton Khaki Field being my latest purchase has been getting lots of wear these past few months.

From the olive textured canvas strap with metal grommets, the bead blasted matte finish bezel and the clean symmetrical dial, the Hamilton Khaki Field has plenty of character.

I think the watch looks good on my wrist, even though it wears larger than its 38mm dial would suggest. This is due to the much longer than normal lugs. It’s case thickness is 7.8mm and so it’s fairly thin for a field watch and fits comfortably under my shirt cuffs.

Just like the Seiko 5 SNK803, the Hamilton Khaki Field H69419363 looks great with all kinds of leather and suede straps. I love versatile pieces and one of the reasons I got it was because I knew it’d look great with a wide variety of straps and leather natos.

The Hamilton Khaki Field sports a clean dial, highly visible vintage style numbers, and symmetrical markers with 12 and 24-hour scales. The hour, minute and sweeping second hand are luminous enough that’s plenty visible in the dark.

The white hands provide a nice contrast against the muted olive/grey dial and the non-reflective matte bezel gives the watch a true military watch feel. The second hand is clean with an elongated arrow at the tip and a circular embellishment on the other end. It sweeps cleanly in tandem with each tick.

All the Khaki Field Mechanical watches are equipped with a scratch resistant sapphire crystal with a domed glass giving it a retro feel.

H69419363 FEATURES & SPECS

The Hamilton Khaki Field H69419363 features a hand winding hacking movement which means that the watch can only function by manually winding the crown. When you pull the stem, the watch will stop functioning because of the hacking, manual movement. This is a hallmark of field watches back in the day.

Fun fact: Hacking allowed for WWII soldiers to coordinate plans and operations to the second.

As with all Hamilton timepieces, the H69419363 is Swiss made with the ETA Caliber 2804-2 hand-wound movement which I believe is found on all of the Hamilton Khaki Field line. The 2804-2 is essentially the 2801-2 with the addition of a date complication.

The green Khaki Field has a 38mm dial which is suitable for more modest sized wrists, but it actually wears much larger due to the 46mm lug to lug which extends further than many other field watches. And so if you’re worried about a small case size, keep in mind it it wears larger than it actually is.

There’s a power reserve of 46 hours, a water resistance of up to 50 meters or 165 feet, and a calendar date display at the 3 o’clock mark.

THE DETAILS

• Brand: Hamilton
• Series: Khaki Field
• Model: H69419363
• Watch Label: Swiss Made
• Movement: Hand Wind
• Engine: ETA Caliber 2804-2
• Power Reserve: 46 hours
• Case Size: 38 mm
• Case Thickness: 7.8 mm
• Case Material: Stainless Steel
• Case Back: Screw Down
• Crystal: Scratch Resistant Sapphire Domed Glass
• Hands: Luminous Silver-tone
• Dial Markers: Arabic Numeral
• Luminescence: Hands and Markers
• Bezel: Fixed Stainless Steel
• Crown: Pull/Push
• Band Material: Canvas
• Band Length: 8.5 inches
• Band Width: 20 mm

ADDITIONAL KHAKI FIELD FEATURES

• Water Resistance: 50 meters / 165 feet
• Calendar: Date display at the 3 o’clock position
• Fuctions: Date, Hour, Minute, Second
• Features: Calendar, GMT, Stainless Steel

WATCH QUALITY & CONSTRUCTION

The Hamilton Khaki Field has all the hallmarks of a quality Swiss made timepiece with American military usability. From the precise click with each millimeter you wind the crown to symmetrical triangular hour markers and minute hash marks, the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical is crafted with a careful attention to detail inside and out.

It’s easy to wind with the oversized crown. You feel it clicking as you wind it and when you begin to feel tension, you’ll know when to stop. There’s no way you can overwind this watch. Just take it slow and as you feel it begin to reach capacity.

The watch feels solid in hand and has a nice weight to it. It doesn’t feel cheap like a lot of fashion watches out there that sadly go for around the same price.

The domed sapphire crystal glass is another sign of a quality watch as well as the hacking movement. The watch band is lined with a comfortable, soft leather that doesn’t irritate the skin. And the bead blasted matte finish bezel feels a touch more luxurious than that of my Seiko 5. Finally, the back case looks elegant as light reflects off the engraved lettering and the Hamilton “H” logo.

Some people say that the Khaki Field has a loud ticking, however I don’t notice it too much. It’s slightly louder than my Seiko 5 SNK803, but nowhere near the volume of my Timex Weekender.

Shop The Hamilton Khaki Field

HAMILTON KHAKI MECHANICAL PROS & CONS

PROS:

• Rich history in American and Swiss watchmaking
• Hacking movement
• Domed sapphire crystal glass
• Swiss made and built to last
• Rugged canvas strap w/comfortable leather
• All signs point to a quality made timepiece
• Affordable for what you’re getting

CONS:

• Lug to lug is too long for a 38mm watch
• Lume could be better

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

The green dial Hamilton Khaki Field retails for $425. It’s listed on Amazon at $395. Best yet, you can find it as low as $200-$250 on sale pretty much year round.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The Hamilton Khaki Field is a watch that offers tremendous value for the price. It sports a clean face, classic design, is Swiss made and has heritage.

With this field watch I think I’ve found a simple, elegant watch that’s also rugged in appearance, tells time with great accuracy and looks beautiful to boot.

I’d say if you want to level up beyond the Seiko 5 and Timex field watches, go for the Hamilton Khaki Field. You won’t regret it.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE HAMILTON KHAKI FIELD MECHANICAL?

Let’s continue the discussion over in the Gentlemen Within Private Facebook Community.

Looking forward to seeing you in there.