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After attending enough novelty events and trade shows, one can easily distinguish between mindful showings and those that apply a basic template. Earlier this month, I attended the annual novelties event hosted by Hamilton, and their mindful approach had an unexpected impact on me – it made me appreciate not only a certain segment of their incumbent catalogue but also an entire genre of wristwatches.
This genre is, of course, the humble field watch. Simple, to the point, and ultimately tool-ish in its roots, the field watch is often the understated choice for the discerning who do not want to draw attention to their wrists. Originating as simple three-hand watches in a rugged steel case, these watches were used by militaries worldwide in decades past. Brands such as Hamilton, Tudor, and Marathon, just to name a few, all have a rich history of providing such watches to the military. Field watches were also the favoured (and sponsored) tool for explorers who wielded Rolex Explorers as they went on their expeditions. Every single owner of a Rolex Explorer and Tudor Ranger I have encountered has mentioned how they appreciate the understated nature of their watches.
“The thing that I love the most about my Explorer is that it is not recognizable as a Rolex. I feel safer wearing this than my Sea Dweller,” said a collector a couple of years ago, just as the pandemic restrictions were being lifted.
“No one ever notices my Ranger,” confided another collector as we compared notes from our mutual Tudor Ranger ownership experiences.
These tools, originally meant for those on the battlefront or for those breaching the frontiers of humanity, are now jewelry worn by men and women alike. Their low-key presence and added durability make them a very suitable replacement for a traditional dress watch.
As the night drew to a close at the event, even though I was directed toward the new releases from Hamilton, I was blown away by two of their existing watches. Both are from their Khaki Field lineup, and both are field watches with cases made from exotic materials – exotic in the realm of wristwatches and especially for the price point.
It dawned on me at that point that Hamilton was leading the way in making the field watch accessible (relatively when compared to Rolex and Tudor) and doing so in a dedicated manner that deserves more attention.
The first was the Khaki Field Titanium (H70215130). Not only was the case made in titanium, but it also had a thick and textured black PVD coating that was unlike any I had handled. The texture was subtle, but it added a level of grip to the watch, which instantly made it feel more secure in my hand. This added security was welcomed due to how incredibly light it felt, especially when contrasted with the added visual weight from the coating. The fantastic bracelet was very similar to the Khaki Field Expedition that I reviewed last year.
The overall package instantly made me feel like this was a watch that I could wear to most activities for the rest of my life. The muted orange highlights kept the timepiece from being too severe, which had split the opinions of some. I have spoken to a few people about this, and some expressed a desire for the watch to be entirely monochrome. Fortunately for them, Hamilton does offer fully blacked-out field watches in their existing catalogue.
The second watch that caught my attention was the Khaki Field Bronze Mechanical (H69459530), and I was in trouble. After I put it on my wrist, my brain immediately thought of two straps from Erika’s Originals that I owned and how it would look perfect on them. My wrist is big enough to contend with the lug-to-lug measurement of the watch, which is the only complaint thrown at the 38mm Hamilton Khaki Fields, and the 50-metre water resistance is not an issue for me either – hold on to that thought.
I wanted this watch. I wanted it badly.
The faux-patina luminescent paint perfectly matched the bronze case, and the existing brown strap simply looked perfect. My current daily worn watch, the Omega X-33, was being serviced at that time, and my mind started racing about this hand-wound tool watch on my wrist. The writer in me wanted to write a long-term review of the watch and see how it would fare as a timepiece in truly harsh environments. How would the rugged hand-wound movement (the H50) perform after months of going on daily runs? How would the patina of the bronze case look due to regular daily wear, exercise, and extended periods in the kitchen? I wanted to know this. At that moment, I needed to know this. I wanted to own this watch and to have it grow with me over the next few years. I wanted to wear this watch on a daily basis, to look down at the simple dial and not to have to contend with the regular stares at my wrist from strangers.
In short, I was, and still remain, in trouble.
There are two reasons that have stopped me from buying this watch, and both are personal. First, I simply need a watch with some sort of elapsed timing complication. Whether this is a dive bezel, a chronograph, or timers, my personal and professional life demands these features. The Omega Speedmaster X-33 (alongside my Seamaster 300) is the watch I wear every day simply because of this. These complications are vital for my day-to-day activities, and I cannot see myself wearing the Khaki Field long enough actually to develop the patina needed for such an article.
Second, and this is a deeply personal one, which is why this article is on my site and not on another website, is cost. There comes a point when, as a collector, you reach a crest of saturation where all your desires and needs are addressed. When at this summit, the collector looks at new offerings in front of them, and their periphery is filled with their existing library of timepieces. Over the years, I have spoken to many collectors about this, and those who do not sell their watches all reach this point. This point was mutually referred to as simply being content.
When content, such desires for a new timepiece are usually tempered, and a good walk around a city block or two depletes such longings. The only reason why I still want to own the Khaki Field Bronze watch is to write about it. I especially want to write about taking the watch diving as an instructor in a lake which is not deeper than 20 feet. I really want to see how the case patinas in those polluted waters which are comically sodden with goose manure. These waters are so gross that in the height of the summer, certain parts of the shore look like they are lined with eggplant dip. The joys of diving in Ontario.
However, as someone who is fortunate enough not to be too directly impacted by the current cost-of-living crisis but who reads about it and takes care of people who are, a $1200 watch is hard to justify. The average weekly grocery cart from Walmart (Canada) has gone up 38.2% in the last three years, food prices have not come down from their inflationary high, and average increases in wages have hovered around 8% in the same period. The cost of renting a two-bedroom apartment in Toronto has doubled in this time as well.
The background noise of this reality that we all are experiencing weighed heavily on me when returning to the thought of buying this watch and any new watch. The brain has funny ways of thinking about these things, and I immediately thought about how that money should be spent on my existing collection instead. When discussing this matter with a group of friends, I brought up how many full services the $1200 would cover to maintain my two daily-driven Omega watches. A friend from Texas mentioned that he really liked this rational approach and commended it highly.
These two factors aside, the story that I feel needs to be told from wearing this bronze field watch may yet compel me to eventually buy it in the distant future. The only two areas in which these watches could see improvement are on a shorter lug-to-lug measurement, making it more accessible for wrists smaller than 6.5 inches, and it would be nice to see the 100-metre water resistance of the recent Khaki models trickle their way to the entire Field line up.
By changing the material of the case, this seemingly simple spin on the beloved and humble field watch truly makes it a fascinating mechanical watch. The major advantage of mechanical watches over their smartwatch competition is that when maintained, they stay with the owner for their lifetime. And I cannot think of another watch which would show its wear more beautifully and proudly than this watch by Hamilton.