Hands-On: Suspend Your Purism And Enjoy Two New Colors Of The Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38mm
The Hamilton Khaki Field Auto has been a gateway watch for many seasoned collectors. It is also one of those rare watches that serve that role without owners “growing” out of it. You’ll find it sitting proudly among Rolexes and Omegas, holding its own in so many enthusiasts’ collections. Today, we get two new colorways, and it got me wondering: are these for purists too?
I got to go hands-on with the new Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38mm in green and blue. Join me for a closer look!
Specs of the Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38mm
First things first. Just in case you don’t have the Hamilton Khaki Field Auto’s specs memorized anymore, let’s do a quick recap. As the name suggests, you get a 38mm automatic field watch. You didn’t need me for that, did you? You get a sapphire crystal up top and a display case back. Hamilton rates the Khaki Field’s water resistance at 100 meters. That should be ample, as any field submerged by 100 meters of water probably counts as an ocean floor, demanding a different sort of watch altogether. If you fear 38mm is too small for you, Hamilton provides a 42mm option as well.
Peaking out through the display case back is caliber H-10, Hamilton’s version of the Powermatic 80. The name already gives away the power reserve — 80 hours on a full wind. Although based on the layout of the trusty ETA 2824, the beat rate has been reduced to 21,600vph to achieve this power reserve. It features a date complication, which Hamilton positions at 3 o’clock for the Khaki Field Auto.
The Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38mm in green or blue costs CHF 650 on a leather strap or CHF 730 on a bracelet. That’s a very defendable price for a watch of this quality and pedigree.
The new green dial
So, what’s new here? Just the dial colors, really. Let’s have a closer look, starting with the green. As we all learned in primary school, you get green by mixing blue and yellow. The new Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38mm features a green tone with a relatively large amount of yellow. The result is a warm, military-esque green.
You would think this green blends perfectly with the military theme, then. In reality, I find that it doesn’t for two reasons. First, true army green is grayer than this, making it more subdued. Second, the dial has a sunburst finish and concentric graining, making it rather flashy. Any military unit would request a flat dial for optimal legibility and minimal reflections.
The blue alternative
So, what about the blue dial? For starters, it features the same finishes and, consequently, a somewhat flashy appearance. Although neither color is overly bright, these dials aren’t subdued in real life. The blue is difficult to pin down, shifting between denim blue and even slightly purple in certain lighting.
Again, don’t look for thematic reasons behind the color. This isn’t an army/navy crossover, inspiration from a specific army unit, or anything like that. Hamilton simply made an attractive blue dial for its field watch — no more, no less.
Suspend your purism to enjoy the Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38mm in green or blue
As you may have gathered, I found the new colors mildly confusing when wearing the new Hamilton Khaki Field Auto models. As a watch enthusiast, I expect the field-watch theme to be approached in a rational, function-first manner. Frankly, there is none of that here.
It took me a while to realize that I had to suspend my purism. If you want the historically accurate thing, get a black-dial Khaki Field Mechanical. These two new models are, rather, attractive watches for everyday use. I reckon Hamilton foresees owners wearing these to the office and over the weekend, potentially as their only watches.
Viewed from that angle, these make a lot of sense. You get a sporty, versatile, and solid watch at a reasonable price, now with more dial colors to choose from. What could be wrong with that? The downside of having a rich pedigree is that we tend to view everything through that lens. To understand these new colorways, I think we have to remove that lens and simply appreciate the watches for what they are — very good, basic, and appealing.
What do you think of the new blue and green Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38mm? Let us know in the comments section below!
