Today’s topic: the Hamilton Khaki Field Expedition
Erik:
Okay (takes breath)
The specs are great as per usual with Hamilton. They’re a solid watchmaker. I don’t really think that’s up for debate. With the rise in high quality microbrand watches coming out, you could probably argue that Hamilton is often overpriced, but their history, ties to the military, and film representation are what keep me coming back. Those things apply to me, and I love that I’m able to connect with them. I mean, when the Inta-Matic first launched, I had to get it. They were integral in the design and creation of one of the first automatic chronographs (the chronomatic) and revealed it on my birthday for crying out loud. That watch was a no-brainer. It’s my favorite watch and it probably always will be. Most of my Hamiltons have been in my favorite movies and worn by my favorite actors. Hamilton will always be a staple in my collection.
That all being said…
The Positives:
The sizes and colors available make it a one watch collection kind of watch. Sapphire crystal with AR coating, 20mm lug width, 37mm and 41mm case diameters, bracelet, strap options, two dial colors. WR is good, it’s got a screw-down crown. The specs are solid. No surprises there. Par for the course. But there’s just nothing special about it.
The Negatives:
“Khaki” isn’t printed anywhere on the dial. The compass bezel is completely unnecessary. It’s a cool selling point, but who uses compasses like that anymore? Just strap a compass to your watch strap. It works. No need to figure out how to use it. Learning to use a compass on a watch bezel is frustrating and time consuming. I’ve done it. I don’t recommend it. That bear would’ve already eaten you before you got it situated.
And really?! “Expedition”? That’s taken. It’s taken. Did you not get the memo? How about the “Camper”, “Adventurer”, or even “Wanderer”? I can’t tell if laziness named that watch, or maybe it was apathy or arrogance. I just don’t understand what they were trying to do. Hamilton’s marketing is always superb; I consider a lot of watches when I see their ads, but another five seconds of consideration caused me to almost completely dismiss it as an option. Plus, it’s almost $1000.00? I mean, Jesus. Some suckers out there.
But to be completely honest, it’ll probably end up in my collection at some point. Especially if I can find a more reasonable price. What can I say?
Celine:
As modern life makes it all too easy to spend more time indoors, it seems that watches are conversely leaning heavily into Great Outdoors marketing. Case in point is the new Hamilton Khaki Field Expedition watch, which promises to be your favorite go-to field watch in the $1,000 range. This follows a bevy of other get-outside-and-show-us-what-you-got type timepieces that have flooded the market in recent years: Tudor Ranger, Timex Expedition North Titanium Automatic (yep, “Expedition” as well), Seiko Alpinist, Yema Urban Field, Vero Smokey the Bear, Boldr Safari Ranger (yep, “Ranger” again), and so on.
I generally like Hamilton. It’s a brand that I’m quite familiar with; early in my career I was working as a Marketing Director of a large authorized watch retailer and Hamilton was one of our brands. But one of my main gripes with the American-turned-Swiss watchmaker is there’s a lot of sameyness across the collection — especially in the Khaki lines. It can be difficult to pinpoint how one particular Khaki model is actually different from the next. That said, the Hamilton Khaki Field Expedition does make an effort to offer a few new bells and whistles. I appreciate the addition of the 37mm case (because, small wrists) and fatter font (because, old eyes). The compass bezel fits the Expedition theme, even though I doubt most will actually use it. But that’s never an argument against a specific watch style — dive watches aren’t typically used for diving and chronographs are not as practical for timing car races as your run-of-the-mill smartphone.
Most of the big watch media outlets have run stories about the release of the new Hamilton Expedition and it’s a darling of the affordable watches YouTuber set, so the watch will do well in terms of sales. This reminds me of a hilarious comment I read on Hodinkee recently about the prevalence of “war correspondent cosplay” among certain types of watch collectors and media folk at watch get-togethers. I was dead. And Hamilton’s latest field watch offering would complement that look perfectly.
Kaysia:
Oh my days Celine, “war correspondent cosplay” 😂 that is truly brilliant.
To me, these Hamilton Khaki watches have always been firmly in the camp of ‘does its job’. That’s what was needed back in their military days, it’s the reason all these military watches look the same.
Basic. No frills. Nothing distracting. The beige of the watch world.
Nothing to really complain about, but nothing to excite the senses either.
When the Murph came on the scene they had definitely succeeded in adding some beauty to the Khaki range in my mind. Those cathedral hands and the elegant minute markers makes it much more flexible to wear as a classy choice with a suit, not just when you’re pretending to be Bear Grills on that campsite near Bridlington.
Murphy aside, I will admit that the Expedition does appeal to me more than some of the others in the Khaki line up, but I think it’s only because of that stainless steel bezel. If you took that away…(check out my most awesome artists impression of the expedition without the bezel)… would that really be a watch worth getting excited about??
Would you pay £1000+ for that, especially when you can get the Murph for £850ish now, or the Field Mechanical for £500 if you are desperate for the utilitarian look?
And have you seen the lume on them??
(Credit to The Mad Watch Collector.)
It’s pretty dire, but at least it won’t alert enemy soldiers on your night patrol or, more likely, other campers as you scurry from the tent to the toilet block.
The addition of a stainless steel bezel, even though SS bezels are my thing at the minute, is not enough in my eyes to justify that price, even with a supposedly improved movement. Too many other options in the microbrand world if you aren’t smitten by the heritage.
Greg:
I will admit that I am struggling to put coherent thought into this question. It has highlighted the cognitive dissonance that I have with Hamilton as a brand. Hamilton has been dead to me since they decamped to Switzerland when I was four. The Hamilton that I know and love created crazy electric watches and elegant and downplayed “dress” watches through the 1960’s. They never bragged about jewel count or shock protection, although they were plenty well equipped. Sometimes, depending how you fall into watches and collecting, you are shown the Seiko option, the Orient option, and when you are ready to spend more than a few hundred bucks, the Hamilton Khaki Field option. I didn’t come in through those doors. I had little gold Hamiltons and really only knew about their field watches as a Vietnam era afterthought. I could not forget the L.L. Bean Khaki Field and how I little I thought of that one.
A year or so ago I found myself on the Hamilton website trying to connect with the brand’s offerings. I saw open hearts and all manner of large watches, none that warranted further thought. It seemed to me as though that Swatch had pigeonholed Hamilton as the “field watch” sub-brand. All the office work watches were assigned to Tissot. Mido was consigned to forever play their greatest hits like a Toto cover band. Elegance only began at Longines, and only Omega really has the full range.
I am a middle-aged sedentary attorney. I need light dial watches for courtrooms, something I can read. I “walk” more than “hike” and rarely camp anymore. Field watches are aspirational for some of us. I know that it is playing dress up for me to walk the neighborhood in a true field watch.
I don’t mind the bezel. I like that they finally have addressed the lack of anti-reflective coating. They didn’t design this for me. And we both know it.
Chris:
Ooh Hamilton!
I’m not really sure I know where I stand when it comes to Hamilton. I do find myself recommending them to people as an entry-level (ugh!) foray, whilst at the same time conveniently forgetting they exist. It is this weird paradox that usually sees me sit-out discussions regarding the brand.
Perhaps I see the brand as having an identity crisis, which might feed into the apathy. Hamilton were American… and an American great. Now they are Swiss, but they have a weird accent from spending the summer at Camp. They are the foreign-exchange student of Swiss brands.
I do feel the views regarding the brand’s offerings. You would be forgiven that they only did the Khaki, and the only Hamilton I own is a quartz Khaki Sub 660ft. I have only worn it a handful of times, as whilst it is a cracking watch, it does not really have the appeal of many other field/dive watches. It is without a voice. It lacks the grandeur of a Smiths De Luxe, it lacks the cleanliness of the Lip Himalaya, the appeal of a Submariner, the technical leanings of the North Flag, the familiarity of a Ranger or an Explorer, nor is it is anywhere near as rugged as a G10, or as hip as a Timex. Even the God-awful Luminox Commando Raider I picked up recently has something to say, even if it is a luminous scream.
So… the Khaki Expedition:
1) don’t they do something like this already? If they don’t then that is a problem because it looks like it could be any other Khaki model.
2) it could be any other field watch. It looks ok, but this is a saturated market.
3) I could buy a nice ATP for much less and feel much better about myself. I could save up more and buy a Timor or a Vertex. It sits in the “meh”-dle ground.
4) the bezel has a compass… wow. Stop everything. This is it.
I mean… it’s ok. If you bought one for me I’d probably wear it. If I reviewed one, I’d probably be subjective. It’s not aimed at me directly, but it is something that is fired in my general direction but misses completely.
Sorry…
The Escapement Room 