I won’t cover the history of the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical because I’ll probably cock it up. Standard issue to US troops in Vietnam during the late 60s and the rest… The specs are as follows: 38mm wide, 47mm lug to lug, 10mm thick, sapphire crystal.

Now the movement, well I have to be honest with you, I was quite worried. The H-80 caliber is brand new based on the ETA 2801. It’s been slowed down to 21600bph in order to achieve an 80hr power reserve. Winding it every few days will put a childish smile on your face, I can assure you of that. Let’s be honest this watch stays true to its history. When I put it on in the morning Fortunate Son starts playing in my head. If you look at the original the only easily visible distinction is the size and some slight details on the dial. Now I know you’re looking at it thinking that the crown is out to get the top of your wrist. But no, thanks to some clever finishing the crown goes unnoticed all while being big and grippy enough to make winding a pleasure.

The case and crown are completely bead blasted providing a solid level of scratch resistance and looking pretty damn good in the process. The case itself wears quite large as the lug to lug distance suggests but I think it fits most wrists quite well. Now something I particularly enjoyed was the drilled lugs paying homage to the original. A very useful feature considering this watch is quite the strap monster. Speaking of which I have to say the OEM NATO is surprisingly durable and of high quality. Also surprising was the accuracy. Mine runs +-4 seconds a day.

All in all this watch is an amazing value proposition and I have fallen in love with it. I wholeheartedly recommend it. It can be worn with nearly any attire and it never looks out of place. It’s subtle yet has a presence. The Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical is close enough to the original field watches to give your grandad PTSD.