BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
Following the popular vintage-inspired trend in the current watch market, Hamilton has recently been making some interesting moves by re-issuing modern versions of significant watches from its rich historical past. Most recently Hamilton released the Hamilton Khaki Pilot Pioneer Mechanical, a faithful reinterpretation of a military watch from 1973 and now the brand has introduced the American Classic Chrono – Matic 50 Auto Chrono, a modern watch that attempts to re-create the magic of its sporty GMT chronograph the Chrono-Matic E from 1972.
The Chrono-Matic E was a bold and burly watch and thanks to an almost similar case design the same can be easily said about the new Chrono-Matic 50 Auto Chrono. Crafted from stainless steel the barrel-shaped case on this watch measures a massive 48.5mm in diameter but features a relatively comfortable lug to lug distance of 51,50mm that would make the watch sit comfortably on the wrist offering a ton of wrist presence. The case is water-resistant to 100 meters and like its vintage inspiration features a combination of pushers/crowns on both sides. The right side is flanked by two red chronograph pushers and a crown whereas there is a black countdown pusher and a date setting crown on the left. On the finishing front, you have some fine radial brushing going on throughout the case that lends it a sporty vibe.
Just like the case, the face of this watch has a lot going on. At the center of it all is a black glossy dial with lume filled applied markers, a printed minute/chronograph seconds track, a circular date window at 6 and two balanced white sub-registers for chronograph minutes and running seconds at 3 and 9. Moving outwards there is a black and white countdown bezel that has been printed in red to give the watch a nice retro vibe. And finally, on the outermost periphery is a tachymeter scale in black.
Powering the Chrono-Matic 50 is Hamilton’s caliber H-31. This is an automatic chronograph movement that operates at a frequency of 4Hz and offers a healthy power reserve of around 60 hours.
The Hamilton American Classic Chrono-Matic 50 Auto Chrono would come attached to a black perforated leather strap and would be limited to 1972 pieces. The watch would retail for USD 2,595.
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