People almost always complain about the US-based watch brands — mostly, because of the poor-quality watch. Indeed, most of the US companies can’t match the superior craftsmanship of the Swiss watches.
Now, what if you can get a watch that is made of the ‘American’ passion and Swiss craftsmanship?
Wouldn’t that be awesome?
Those of you who are quite aware of the watch market already can assume that I’m talking about — Hamilton.
Hamilton is one of the few US-based watch brands that is still going strong since birth. The late 1800s has been a glorifying era in the watch market in the United States of America. The market was full of great American watches.
However, only a few names from that golden age still have a strong presence in the market. And Hamilton is one of them.
Hamilton is nowadays mostly known for top-notch Swiss engineering and superior craftsmanship. Also, Hamilton believes in offering a fair price. This fair pricing policy is one of the prime reasons why Hamilton is so popular among middle-class users around the world.
Today, we’d take a keen look into one of Hamilton’s most popular watches, in this Hamilton Khaki King Review.
A Quick Overview of Hamilton Khaki King
Hamilton Khaki King is a line-up from Hamilton that celebrates the brand’s military heritage. As Hamilton is an official supplier of the US Armed Forces, the brand has a reputation to maintain. The Khaki series is the expression of celebration of that bond with the Armed Forces.
Khaki watches are known for being robust, rugged, resilient, and bold. Now, the Khaki series again comprises of three sub-categories — Khaki Field, Khaki Aviation, and Khaki Navy.
As you can imagine, Field features the army themes and symbolisms, Aviation is devoted towards the air force, and Navy is more driven towards naval forces.
The watch that we are talking about, Hamilton Khaki King, belongs to Field sub-category. That means Khaki King an army-themed watch. Also, you should know that the particular model that we’d review today is the Hamilton Khaki King H64455533.
There are several model variants of Khaki King available. These 4 are noteworthy –
- Hamilton Khaki Field King II H64455133 – All metal build
- Hamilton Khaki Field King H64465733 – Complete black build; comes with a black PVD-coated case, black dial, and a black leather strap.
- Hamilton Khaki Field King H64455523 – Come with a unique and classic beige dial.
- Hamilton Khaki Field King Quartz H64451533 – Same design and form-factor but comes with a quartz movement.
So, Hamilton has a Khaki Field King for every kind of user.
Let’s see what kind of feature Hamilton has stored for us in the Khaki Field King.
Things to Consider Before Buying A Watch
This section is a newbie-friendly section who are still learning about the basics of a watch. If you want to directly jump on the features and benefits of Hamilton Khaki Field King, please jump onto the next section.
Now, let’s begin with a basic buying guide!
The first thing that you should focus on is the ‘movement’ of the watch. In simpler terms, think of the movement as the driver or mechanism that tracks time.
Commonly, there’re two main types of movements available –
- Mechanical Movement – Has mechanical components inside that moves by receiving energy from a mainspring or a spring drive.
- Quartz Movement – Uses a quartz oscillator that receives an electronic discharge from the battery.
The movement in the Hamilton Khaki King is an automatic movement. This is an upgraded mechanical movement that uses a rotor to receive energy from the kinetic movement of the wrist.
Mechanical or automatic movements are superior and more expensive as it takes precision and craftsmanship to manufacture and assemble the mechanical components.
After you’ve sorted out the choice of movement, you should focus on the case.
You should choose the case based on your taste and personal preference. However, you should definitely consider the durability and strength of the case.
As you can imagine, a stainless-steel case is a much better option than a plastic case, both in terms of looks and durability. Among all the stainless-steel cases, the 316L surgical grade stands tall as the best material for watch cases.
And, for the crystal (the glass protector), you should be looking at the sapphire crystals. These crystals offer the highest durability and a fine polished finish.
However, these are quite expensive. In that case, you can settle for a mineral crystal.
When it comes to the choice of strap, the choice is entirely up to you. The common options for a strap are —
- Leather
- Faux leather (fake leather)
- Metal bracelet
- Nylon
- Plastic (PU)
- Silicone
Each of these variants has different use cases and purposes. So, it’s hard to tell which one is the superior option.
Features and Benefits of Hamilton Khaki King
Movement
Hamilton Khaki King H64455533 features an in-house movement called the H-40. However, Hamilton didn’t develop this caliber from scratch.
In fact, this is a modified version of the ETA 2834-2. ETA is one of the most prominent names in the Swiss watch industry for its impeccable manufacturing excellence. Especially, you can find a massive number of Swiss watches with ETA calibers powering them.
Also, ETA 2834-2 is an upgraded variant of the ‘workhorse’ ETA 2824-2. Most people are familiar with the accuracy and quality of the ETA 2824-2s. However, ETA 2834-2 is quite uncommon.
What are the differences between ETA 2824-2 vs ETA 2834-2?
ETA 2834-2 comes with an additional day display placed on the 12 o’clock marker. Also, instead of showing the shorter symbols of the dates — i.e., SAT, SUN, MON, etc., it shows the full names — i.e., SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY, etc.
But, what’s the specialty of the Hamilton H-40?
The original ETA 2834-2 has a power reserve time of 38 hours. Hamilton boosts that power reserve time to 80 hours!
We have seen Hamilton doing the same thing before with their H-10 calibers that are based on the ETA 2824-2. It seems that Hamilton uses the same technology as the Tissot POWERMATIC 80.
Sadly, Hamilton also reduced the clock frequency from 28,800 BPH to 21,600 BPH!
In terms of quality and accuracy, H-40 is a very dependable choice — goes perfectly with the overall aesthetics and functionality of the watch.
More: Tissot Le Locle Review: The Best Entry-Level Swiss Automatic Watch
Case
Hamilton Khaki King wins the hearts with the superb craftsmanship of the case. The front of the case is made of stainless steel. The back boasts of a see-through case-back made of sapphire crystal and stainless steel.
You’ll see a soothing combination of polished and brushed finish throughout the entire case. While the bezel has a mirror-polish-finish, the rest of the case offers a nice matte look with the brushed finish.
The overall build feels very sturdy and premium. There’s no room for any complaint.
Another good news is that Hamilton has used sapphire crystal for dial protection. As you know already, sapphire crystal is the finest possible choice of material for crystals.
The crown has an ‘H’ imprinted on it that is protected using two wedges from accidental pressures.
Dial
There are so much to talk about the eye-catching dial of the Hamilton Khaki King. This particular model, H64455533, has a pitch-black dial with Arabic numerals on the markers.
But the black dial is not plain. You can see a patterned ring and the hour markers sit on this ring. The minute markers around the edge also help to track seconds and minutes.
I think the unique day and date displays on top resemble the ‘crown of the king!’
It’s a shame that Hamilton couldn’t solve the design with the 11 and 1 o’clock markers.
It makes the design a bit awkward!
The sword-style hands are coated with luminescent to let you see the time in a darker environment.
Overall, Hamilton Khaki King has a nice-looking dial with a slight issue.
More: Ferrari Watch Review: Fancy Getting That Ferrari Logo?
Bracelet
Let me be honest — I’m in love with the strap here!
It’s full-grain cow leather. The top and bottom, both the parts of the strap are made of genuine leather. I know a lot of good brands who use genuine leather on top but cheap out by using fake leather in the bottom.
Kudos to Hamilton!
The brown leather strap has white stitches on top that creates a soothing contrast.
The strap feels plush and soft, yet durable — as expected from high-quality genuine leather.
However, I have a complaint about the choice of clasp here. Hamilton uses the usual tang and buckle. A watch in this price range should come with a decent deployant clasp.
Well, you can always use an aftermarket clasp. But it will not have the Hamilton imprints.
More: Casio Duro Review: Cheap Doesn’t Mean Bad!
Detailed Specifications of Hamilton Khaki King and What to Expect?
| Feature Type | Feature Specs | What to Expect? |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | Automatic Mechanical | A desirable choice of movement, definitely superior to the quartz counterpart |
| Caliber No. | Hamilton H-40 | Impressive accuracy with a long 80 hours of power reserve time |
| Base Caliber | ETA 2834-2 | A reliable choice of caliber coming from an original Swiss manufacturer with a big date display |
| Case and Bezel Material | Stainless Steel | One of the best choices of material for the case with a combination of polished and brushed finish |
| Case size | 40mm Diameter | Very sleek form factor that complements the classic look |
| Band Width | 20mm | Standard size, the strap can be replaced with aftermarket custom straps |
| Band Material | Genuine Cow Leather | Comfortable and plush |
| Water-Resistance | 50m/165ft. | Expected water resistance for a formal dress watch |
| Dial Protection | Scratch-Resistant Sapphire | The best-in-class; offers the highest level of sturdiness |
| Weight | 64 Grams | Lightweight and comfortable to wear |
| Clasp | Pin and Buckle | A bit disappointing, deployant clasp would have been a better choice |
Social Proof: What Other Customers Say
Hamilton Khaki King is a very popular watch among the users. Since its launch in 2011, people have gone crazy for this watch.
In fact, the massive success of this watch paved the way for more Khaki King watches later.
More: Check our guide to Seiko Recraft Review Here
Here are some of the Hamilton Khaki King watch review below –
Best Alternatives of Hamilton Khaki King
Hamilton Khaki King vs Field
It might sound a bit confusing, but the best alternative to the Hamilton Khaki King watches is some of the other Hamilton Khaki Field watches.
Here, you might watch to note the fact that Khaki King belongs to Hamilton Field line-up.
Hamilton Khaki King vs Hamilton Khaki Field (H69409930)
| Factors | Hamilton Khaki King | Hamilton Khaki Field (H69409930) |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | Automatic Mechanical | Mechanical |
| Caliber | Hamilton H-40 | Hamilton H-50 |
| Base Caliber | ETA 2834-2 | ETA 2801-2 |
| Case size | 40mm | 38mm |
| Band Size | 20mm | 20mm |
| Case Material | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel (Black PVD) |
| Band Material | Genuine Cow Leather | NATO (Nylon) |
| Water Resistance | 50m. | 50m. |
| Luminescence | Basic | Super-LumiNova® |
| Crystal | Anti-Reflective Sapphire | Anti-Reflective Sapphire |
Hamilton Khaki King vs Hamilton Jazzmaster
Hamilton Khaki King vs.Hamilton Jazzmaster
| Feature Type | Hamilton Khaki King | Hamilton Jazzmaster |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | Automatic Mechanical | Automatic Mechanical |
| Caliber | Hamilton H-40 | Hamilton H-10 |
| Base Caliber | ETA 2834-2 | ETA C07.111(Based on ETA 2824-2) |
| Case size | 40mm | 40mm |
| Band Size | 20mm | 20mm |
| Case Material | Stainless Steel | 316L Surgical-Grade Stainless Steel |
| Band Material | Genuine Cow Leather | Genuine Calfskin Leather with Synthetic Inside |
| Water Resistance | 50m. | 50m. |
| Weight | 64 grams | 50 grams |
| Crystal | Anti-Reflective Sapphire | Anti-Reflective Sapphire |
Hamilton Khaki King vs Tissot Le Locle
Hamilton Khaki King vs Tissot Le Locle
| Factors | Hamilton Khaki King | Tissot Le Locle |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | Automatic Mechanical | Automatic Mechanical |
| Caliber | Hamilton H-40 | Powermatic 80.111 |
| Base Caliber | ETA 2834-2 | ETA C07.111(Based on ETA 2824-2) |
| Case size | 40mm | 39.3mm |
| Band Size | 20mm | 18mm |
| Case Material | Stainless Steel | 316L Surgical-Grade Stainless Steel |
| Band Material | Genuine Cow Leather | Genuine Leather with Synthetic Inside |
| Water Resistance | 50m. | 30m. |
| Luminescence | 64 grams | 67 grams |
| Crystal | Anti-Reflective Sapphire | Scratch-Resistant Sapphire |
Conclusion
Without a doubt, Hamilton Khaki King is one of the best Swiss watches to get at this price point. As you have seen in the comparisons, Hamilton Khaki King comes top in every comparison.
Now, we’re at the end of this very end of the Hamilton Khaki King review.
What do you think about this watch? Let me know in the comments below!
