One of the reasons why we want to keep in good condition our material possessions is because of the story behind acquiring them. This is the exact reason why your father does not want to sell his old beaten-up car, or why it’s painful to send significant jewelry pieces to the pawnshop. The same emotional attachment comes with watch enthusiasts and their wristwatches. Those who are engrossed in watch collecting or have an interest in timekeeping value have as it connects them to the historical significance of the watch. A brand that is an excellent example is Hamilton. If you are interested to know the historical significance of this brand and want to get a closer look at one of their watch models then this article is for you.
Hamilton’s History in a Nutshell
Hamilton was founded in 1892 in Lancaster Pennsylvania and their fundamental aesthetics and styling are deeply inspired by their history. Way before the quartz was invented, the American railroad needed to find a way to have a timekeeping device. Hamilton was the provider of excellent quality wristwatches and had a significant role in providing railroad watches. They turned their expertise of precision, accuracy, and watchmaking to large-scale production and ventured into making military watches. During World War I, Hamilton produced watches and served as field watches for the American forces and quickly became preferred over the large pocket watches. Besides this, they also supplied Navy forces who needed to find a more accurate way to tell the time while at sea.
Until today this historical background continues in the design of Hamilton’s timepieces. To take a closer look at the quality of the brand we laid down three aspects of the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pioneer with Reference number H76419931.
Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pioneer
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Design
With the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pioneer, there is no doubt that its design’s direct inspiration comes from a 1970s reference with the W10, a pilot watch made for the British ministry of defense from 1973 to 1976. This wristwatch draws from a monumental military-issued timepiece from Hamilton while staying true to the design and packaging and putting it in a compelling modern format.
Hamilton Khaki does an excellent job of bringing in the historical background of the brand. It comes with a black textured surface that has a slight reflective graphite-colored finish. In the outer circle of the dial, a railway-style minute track and white with faux loomed hour markings are visible, next to corresponding hour numerals executed in white to offer excellent legibility. Following the legible attributes of the pilot pioneer, it also features a triangular marker at the 12, to assist with orientation in dark and in light environments. At the center a pencil-style handset containing a faux lum to match the dial and simple printing of Hamilton brand at the 12 and is matched with the word Mechanical placed at 6 o’clock. The look brought in by the dial captures a classy yet historically rich aura of the brand.
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Dimensions and Bracelet
The Pilot Pioneer has a case size of 36-millimeters, a thickness of 10-millimeters, lug width of 18-millimeters, lug to lug of 41.5-millimeters. These dimensions follow very closely to the original and are a reflection of the time period. You probably will think that this is a small watch, and yes, it is. With that said, this wristwatch will be best suited for those with smaller wrists or those who greatly appreciate the history behind military timepieces. The pilot pioneers case finish comes in an all-brush style matching the utilitarian undertones while featuring a slightly recessed crown at 3 o’clock that is easy to engage. Between the lugs on the timepiece is an 18-millimeter lug width, which gives many options of straps to be paired with this piece. This model, however, is equipped with a gray Nato and a seine Hamilton buckle on the other end. The strap has leather outlines of the punch holes with the Nato to bolster the security of the watch when strapped to the wrist.
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The Mechanism
When you go over to the back of the wristwatch, you will see that it features a simple closed-down case held into place with the help of four screws at its periphery and allows the watch to obtain 100 meters of water resistance. Within the watch is the Hamilton H50 which is a modified Etta 28012 movement, a Swiss-based hand-wound caliber that offers nice reliability in spec and is housed within many of Hamilton’s khaki mechanicals. The movement takes the traditional 28,800 vibrations per hour beat rate of traditional out of calibers and then drops it down to a 21,600 vibration per hour beat rate to achieve a lengthier power reserve of 80 hours and maximize the energy stored within the mainspring. The caliber also features hacking which enables the wearer to stop the second’s hand when they pull out the crown in the farthest position. With the watch’s 100 meters of water resistance, it is perfect for everyday wear.
In Conclusion
If you like this military watch, with its 1970’s case style and the history behind this piece this is going to be a watch that you’re going to like. With a dial that is unquestionably well done in terms of its surface finish definitely and a reliable mechanism that powers this timepiece it surely makes for a great watch to wear. The Khaki field collection from Hamilton is a very busy collection and you have plenty of options at your disposal but amongst that busy catalog this one certainly stands out and for the individual that values this history connected to this timepiece as well as wanting something that is a bit different. For more information about the prices, you can check out WatchShopping. They are a fully authorized dealer of luxury wristwatches and have dedicated customer support that would help you find the Hamilton Khaki wristwatch of your preference. Make sure to check them out today!