Since the debut of Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic “Interstellar” in 2014, the film has carried a special significance for the watch enthusiast community. The unique Hamilton Khaki Field that plays a crucial role in the film’s plot was custom-designed as a prop for the character Murph, but nearly as soon as the film hit theaters, fans of the brand were clamoring to buy one for themselves. In 2019, Hamilton answered the call with the Khaki Field Murph, which faithfully recreated the film prop for the general public. At 42mm-wide, however, many found the Murph to be too large for their tastes. Once again, Hamilton has responded to public demand, and for its latest release the brand has translated the fan-favorite design into a more compact case design. The new Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38mm offers a handsomely versatile look with balanced proportions, excellent performance, and in some ways an even more faithful rendition of the original movie-star design.
Naturally, the Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38mm’s stainless steel case measures in at 38mm-wide. While the overall shape may be shared with its larger counterpart, the reduction in size creates a markedly different overall character in images. The smooth, low-rise polished bezel, athletic unchamfered lugs, and bold unguarded 3 o’clock crown take on a decidedly more classical feel than the 42mm model. This classic ethos meshes well with the Murph’s overall combination of old-school field watch hallmarks and mildly futuristic touches. Hamilton fits the Khaki Field Murph 38mm with a sapphire display caseback, and rates the watch for a dependable 100 meters of water resistance.
Much like its case, the Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38mm’s matte black dial closely follows the example of its larger predecessor, but the change in proportions makes an outsize difference in images. With a smaller dial surface area, the rounded, modernist printed Arabic numerals have less negative space between them, helping the dial to feel fuller and more densely packaged in photos. The matching khaki-toned outer seconds track also adds to the visual fullness here, while the sharp serif numerals at five-second intervals give the design a hint of extra visual detail. Speaking of detail, the cathedral handset remains an ornate and eye-catching centerpiece to the design, but eagle-eyed enthusiasts will notice that there is one major change to the hand design from the 42mm variant. While the larger model included the word “Eureka” enameled along the length of the stick seconds hand in Morse code, this smaller design drops this visual cue in favor of a cleaner bare metal look. Some may decry the loss of this clever Easter egg, but it does move the Khaki Field Murph 38mm more in line with the original watch from “Interstellar,” which did not have this detail. Without this subtle touch, the eye is drawn more towards examining the dial as a whole, and its excellently balanced no-date execution in images.
Hamilton powers the Khaki Field Murph 38mm with the ETA-based H-10 automatic movement. The H-10 is Hamilton’s unique execution of the Swatch Group-exclusive Powermatic 80 movement line, and offers excellent performance for its price range including a hefty 80 hour power reserve at a 21,600 bph beat rate. Hamilton keeps the H-10’s finishing clean and simple, with matte blasted bridges topped by a custom brushed cutout rotor. To complete the package, Hamilton fits the Khaki Field Murph 38mm with a surprisingly dressy black alligator pattern leather strap.
By reducing the size of one of its fan-favorite designs, Hamilton brings the new Khaki Field Murph 38mm more in line with current sizing trends, while losing none of the larger Murph’s charismatic style and excellent performance in the process. The Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38mm is available now through authorized dealers. MSRP for the Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38mm stands at $895 USD as of press time. For more details, please visit the brand’s website.
