There is no shortage of competent field watches out there, but the value that Hamilton is offering with its new titanium version of the classic Khaki Field watch is worthy of attention. It’s not as attention-grabbing as the brand’s digital PSR revival, but for the buyer looking for an everyday field watch that is legible, finished well, and lightweight, while being under the $1,000 mark — this piece should be on the short list. That simple combination of classic, traditional style with contemporary materials and movement is a defining characteristic of Hamilton, and it’s not hard to see why it does so well.
Measuring 42mm-wide, the case of the Hamilton Field Khaki is a pretty ideal size, in my opinion, though I know some of you will be be yearning for something closer to 40mm. That said, the light weight of the titanium case here makes it pretty easy to forget there’s even anything on the wrist (titanium plus a non-bracelet strap often has this result). The lug-to-lug measurement comes in at just about exactly 51mm, which isn’t small, by any means, but the lack of a bezel and long-ish lugs doesn’t make it wear particularly large. The rule of thumb is that a watch shouldn’t excessively hang over or under the wrist when you look down at it, and the Khaki Field is a snug fit on my 7.5 inch wrist.
The case is clean and simple, but I would personally prefer that the text reading “titanium” on the left side of the case be left out. Such a pronounced declaration of a material designed to be lightweight and subtle just doesn’t click for me. Aesthetics aside, it’s resilient, weighs basically nothing, and has a robust 100M water resistance. Hard to complain about much, frankly.
There are two dial variants, with the gray/silver dial model seen here. The other version is black PVD-coated with a matching black dial. I kind of wish I had also gotten to see the black model, but I can surmise what it would look like. The dials appear to be simple at first glance, but Hamilton did some nice work on the dial. Between the outermost seconds track and innermost 24-hour track is a guilloché ring housing the large, legible, and lumed hour numerals. It’s nothing flashy but adds just enough visual variety and a bit of texture. Let’s also not forget the removal of the date window from previous iterations, which awkwardly cut into the 3 o’clock hour marker, as well as making the “15” on the 24-hour track off-center with the other numerals.
Easy to read and contrasting well against the dial, the syringe-shaped hour and minute hands could probably stand to be a smidgen longer, though they nailed the arrow-tipped seconds hand. Having good anti-reflective coating over the sapphire crystal goes a long way in helping legibility, as well.
Through the exhibition caseback, you can see that tried and tested H-10 movement (essentially a modified ETA 2824) made possible by Hamilton’s owner, the Swatch Group. We can see how the 42mm case of the watch is nearing the upper limit for the H-10 movement by the size of the sapphire on the caseback, but it’s a decently finished movement and it’s hard to argue with an 80-hour power reserve.
The Hamilton Field Khaki in titanium is positioned at a fair price point, even if its biggest competitor may be the fellow Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical watch that, while half the price, self selects its buyer pool with a 38mm case size and has simpler dial finishing. Also, the premium that titanium carries can’t be ignored, either, which makes the price of $945 very fair. You can learn more at hamiltonwatch.com.
