Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba 37mm

[Guybrush]

This is my new beater/tool watch for biking, swimming hiking, yardwork, etc. So far I'm a fan!

Manufacturer's product site with specs (though see my commentary below; some of their specs are questionable).

My wrist is 6.75" and I was on the hunt for a while for an under-39mm watch with decent water resistance and a dive-style bezel for timing, a feature I use frequently. Under $1k USD. Really, the operative measurement I wanted was a lug-to-lug span of under 51mm (based on my wrist size). I was also hoping for no date and quartz---the lowest maintenance watch possible. (My daily/only nice watch a wg 36mm Rolex Day-Date, and I don't need to manage another automatic with a complication.)

This watch scratches all the itches (and at $625 the price is right), plus I really like the bright white dial and blue bezel. I like the fact, too, that while it maybe sorta resembles an Omega or two, it doesn't really, so it doesn't register as an homage piece, and it won't attract the eyes of thieves cruising for luxury watches. (Another reason I wanted this piece was to have something I could wear in places where I might feel uncomfortable wearing the DD.) Plus, Hamilton---superb brand with a great history.

Ordered the watch late Tuesday afternoon; had it by 5pm the next day, via free UPS Ground shipping. Very nicely packaged in a lined wooden case.

First things first, I'll provide the essential measurements. Hamilton describes it as a 37mm watch, but it most assuredly is not. Using calipers, I registered only one ~37mm measurement, and it's not the one I'd use to establish a watch's actual on-the-wrist size. Some sites have listed this as a woman's watch, but others as a man's; I'd say it would be quite large for a woman's watch, and ideally suited to any man with a wrist under 7.5". These gendered categories are utterly meaningless nowadays for most any watch 34mm and up. (The A-11---the military-issued watch that "won" WWII---was 34mm, and I've seen pictures of women rocking 44mm Rolex DeepSeas.)

Case diameter: just over 38mm (with crown just over 41mm)
Bezel diameter: just over 37mm (I'm guessing this why they say it's 37)
Dial diameter: 29mm (identical to a 5-digit Submariner)
Thickness: 11mm
Lug-to-lug: 45.3mm (with flare of the end-links, closer to 50mm)
Lug spacing: 18mm with a non-tapering bracelet
Weight: 139g (with two links removed)

I'd say the watch wears at about 38-1/4mm, and with the large dial-to-bezel ratio, the impression of wearing it is very very (very!) close to what it feels like to wear a 14060. It's slightly thinner and a bit heavier than that watch, but the dial-size is the same, and the overall feel is extremely similar. This watch has a narrower bracelet (18 vs 20mm) but it actually feels more imposing because it doesn't taper. (That's more of an Omega feel.)

Most importantly, with the lug-to-lug span, it fits my wrist like it was made for it. There's no overhang, and it just contours perfectly. I think it's right on the money: any bigger and it would be just barely too big. (I really wish Rolex made a GMT or Exp2 in this size!)

It's a quartz, so accuracy is no issue; the second hand hits about a 10th of a click off from the indices, which isn't bad in my experience, and it's not something anyone would notice who wasn't seriously ocd, using a loupe. (Seikos are notoriously bad when it comes to this "issue.")

The bezel action is you-can-hear-it-across-the-room loud, but I actually like that clicky quality in a bezel. It's a 60-click bezel (not a 120), again a plus for me, and there's very minimal to any back-play. It's not a Sub, but it's the best I've seen for a watch in this price-tier. It's a little difficult to grip, but way better than, say, a Seamaster.

Speaking of the Seamaster, one of the reasons I sold my SMP a while back was that the two-button deployant clasp on the bracelet kept jamming while the watch was on my wrist--a deeply unpleasant experience that required two trips to Omega for service and they still kept screwing it up. I mention this because the Hamilton has the same style of clasp (and the "snap" sound the closure makes isn't as robust and reassuring as I might wish), so I'm a bit nervous about that, but so far so good. Also, this watch just screams out for a strap---perhaps a two-piece NATO with some blue and red on it. (I don't do single-pass NATOs.)

The lume is outstanding---bright and legible and long-lasting.

As a military employee, I appreciate having the field-watch-style 24hr track on the dial. That's actually one of the features that pushed this watch out ahead of some of the competition.

My critiques: I do wish the bracelet tapered and that the clasp had on-the-fly microadjust--if you're going to provide a bulky dive-style clasp anyway, that seems like a nice feature to offer. There is one peg of adjustability (using a springbar), but it's not something you could do sans-tool in a few seconds.

Aside from that, it's a really nice, minimalist-styled but fun diver that should be able to take a beating.

P.S. (EDIT): I just noticed a few lingering bits of plastic shrink-wrap on the bracelet, visible in my photos but not to the naked eye; they've since been removed. :)

[Guybrush]

Should add that Hamilton does make watches in the same line in various colorways, including ones that are larger and use automatic movements.

For example, they do 40mm ones, that are automatic, but I'm pretty sure they all include a date complication (which I don't like), and you can't get the simple white-dial/blue-bezel combo in that size.

To get that exact colorway in an auto, you have to go for a watch that's comically large: 43mm. That one doesn't include the date and it does include a splash of red on the second hand, which is nice looking. But unless you've got an 8.5" wrist, I assume it's going to look quite goofy.

[eathstar]

amazing photos