BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
The Swatch Group of brands is really having a renaissance of diving watches at the moment. So many different diving watches and diver-style watches keep coming out and looking epic: Longines’ new iteration of the Hydroconquest springs to mind, as does Mido’s Ocean Star and Glashütte Original with their SeaQ – I’m still waiting on my tourbillon diver from Breguet, but I can wait a little longer. Anyway, Hamilton is next up to the plate with its new wavy-dialled Khaki Navy Scuba Auto 40mm, which is styled like a diving watch.
Five variations of the Khaki Navy Scuba Auto 40mm are being released, all with stainless steel cases measuring 40mm x 13mm and with 100m of water resistance.
Presented on a rubber strap are a black dial variant with a black strap, and a piece with a turquoise strap and also a turquoise outer dial ring. On a three-link stainless steel bracelet comes a classic black option, a blue dial piece with a blue bezel and, intriguingly, a white dial variant again with a blue bezel. I think the white dial with the blue bezel is the most striking of the lineup, although the turquoise combo on the rubber strap is also doing things for me.
Wavy dial textures seem to be something of a speciality within the Swatch Group, but we can’t deny their looks, I think they bring variety and interest at the more affordable end of the watch pricing spectrum. Lacquering provides a classy finish, as does the fact that the markers are applied to the dial rather than being painted on, and legibility seems good thanks to large hands and applications of Super-LumiNova. A date window is present too.
Behind each dial sits a self-winding Calibre H-10, which is Hamilton’s version of the ETA C07.611 calibre and comes with a long 80-hour power reserve and a 3.5Hz beat rate, a Nivachron balance spring protects against magnetism for more consistent timekeeping.
References:
- Khaki Navy Scuba Auto 40mm H82425140
Blue Dial & Bracelet - Khaki Navy Scuba Auto 40mm H82425110
White Dial & Bracelet - Khaki Navy Scuba Auto 40mm H82415130
Black Dial & Bracelet - Khaki Navy Scuba Auto 40mm H82415330
Black Dial & Black Rubber Strap - Khaki Navy Scuba Auto 40mm H82415331
Black/Turquoise Dial & Turquoise Rubber Strap
The price of each Khaki Navy Scuba Auto 40mm piece is USD 975 / EUR 895 / GBP 790 / CHF 795, and none are limited in production.
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