BY DHANANJAY PATHAK
Introduced during 2018 the Hamilton Khaki field mechanical was an instant hit amongst field watch fans. Featuring a robust case, a fuss-free military style dial, a Swiss hand wound movement and a sub 500 $ price point made this watch a tremendous value proposition. For 2019 Hamilton is refreshing the Khaki field mechanical collection by introducing new colors and even a new more advanced hand-wound movement.
The new for 2019 Khaki field mechanical comes in three dial colors; black, white and green. Apart from the new colors, the layout on these watches remains strikingly familiar to one found on last year’s Khaki field mechanical. The primary index on the dial constitutes of bold Arabic numerals which provide a high dose of legibility. Also present is a secondary index for tracking the 24-hour time giving the watch its military vibe. The minute track is printed on the outer periphery and is a combination of hash markings and lumed triangles that not only help with low light visibility but also make the dial look interesting. Finally, to complete the tactical look of the watch you have a sword style hour and minute hand along with a stick style seconds hand which has nice circular counterweight. While all the dial colors are equally intriguing my pick of the lot would be the polar variant which looks quite refreshing and makes the dial feel a little more spacious as compared to the other two dial colors.
Moving on to the case there are two options on offer; stainless steel and a new greenish brown PVD coated case (only available with a green dial). As for the dimensions, the case is still sized similar to the previous model coming in at 38mm wide which should make it sit comfortably on a variety of wrists. Both the cases feature a Matt finish throughout which goes well with the rugged nature of the watch. Water resistance is marked at a basic 50 meters and the case also has drilled lug holes which should make strap replacement quite easy.
Another big change for the 2019 Khaki field mechanical comes in the form of the new engine that powers these watches. Previous generation models utilized the trustworthy hand-wound ETA 2801-2 movement which operates at a frequency of 4Hz and offers a power reserve of 42 hours. For the 2019 models Hamilton has used their H50 caliber which offers an autonomy of a massive 80 hours but at the same time operates at a lower frequency of 3Hz. In all its a nice upgrade especially considering that the price has not escalated much.
Overall, the new for 2019 Khaki field mechanical watches are great new offerings from Hamilton that once again bring a lot of value to the table. All watches come dressed in either a textile or a leather nato and below is the detailed information for each reference.
H69439411 – steel, white dial, textile strap, Price: – EUR 445
H69439511 – steel, white dial, leather strap, Price: – EUR 480
H69439931 – steel, black dial, textile strap, Price: – EUR 445
H69439531 – steel, black dial, leather strap, Price: – EUR 480
H69449961 – PVD coated, green dial, textile strap, Price: – EUR 495
H69449861 – PVD coated, green dial, leather strap, Price: – EUR 530.
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