Hamilton Khaki Field
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Hamilton H71516733 - Khaki - Field Automatic Chronograph - 42 mm in Diamet
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Warranty
Warranty provided by manufacturer.
Watch Information
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Scratchproof Sapphire Crystal
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Watch description
About Hamilton ALT-H71516733:
Hamilton - Khaki - Field Automatic Chronograph - 42 mm in Diameter - Scratchproof Sapphire Crystal - Stainless Steel Case - Automatic Movement - Chronograph - Water Resistance 100 Meters - 22 mm wide
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Your are viewing Hamilton H71516733 - Khaki - Field Automatic Chronograph - 42 mm in Diamet
written by Guest , September 26, 2008
After some shipping delay, which I don't think is properly attributable to the seller, this beautiful watch finally arrived. After a week with this watch on my wrist, I'm still loving every minute of wearing it, not counting the many times when I take it off so I can look inside it through the display back. I just can't take my eyes off it. I'd look stupid looking like I don't know how to tell time by staring at it for a long while every so often, and I don't mind.
This is an old model of the Khaki Field automatic chronograph. I read somewhere that Hamilton no longer makes this model. Nonetheless, apart from the considerable difference in price, the new models do not look very different from this model.
The picture of the watch at amazon doesn't do this watch justice. From the outside, the 42 mm case is beautifully brushed, except for the top of the stationary bezel which is polished to a high gloss and gives a very nice contrast to the brushed case. The case is quite thick at about 14 mm from the domed sapphire glass to the rounded display back, but it does not appear that thick when worn because the flat brushed portion at either side of the case from lug end to lug end is only about 6 mm thick, and the brushed side of the bezel is just over 1 mm. The rest of the thickness is hidden in the roundness of the display back as well as in the dome of the sapphire glass. (But since I like big watches, I would not have minded if all that 14 mm thickness is visible on the side.) The lugs are huge and prominent. Thankfully, the strap is padded and thick and complements the lugs. But more on the lugs and the strap later.
It is what is inside this watch that is most amazing. The movement is topnotch. The Valjoux 7750 gains only 5 seconds every 24 hours, which in my opinion is great for an automatic. To compare, my other swiss automatic gains around 15 seconds everyday, and my black monster gains 10 seconds daily.
The chronograph functions work perfectly. The center chronograph second hand and the chronograph subdial hands at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions are aligned to the zero marker very well and, when run and reset, would whiz back to such aligned positions. I notice that resetting the chronograph jerks the center second hand back to its zero position rather forcefully. And if reset when the center second hand is farthest from its zero position, i.e., at the 6 o'clock position, the very thin second hand is thrown back violently that it bends back almost five seconds from zero before it aligns back to zero. I was a bit worried that the second hand is just too thin that it might get permanently bent when the chronograph is run and reset every now and then. However, I now think that the center second hand is made purposely very thin to make it flexible enough to absorb the force every time the chronograph is reset.
Another thing I notice, and which I like, is the way the minute and hour counter hands move. The minute counter hand moves instantaneously or jumps from marker to marker when the center chronograph second hand passes the 60th second, making it much easier to read on the subdial how many minutes has been counted, especially since the markers on this 30-minute subdial are quite close to each other. On the other hand, the hour counter hand appears to move continuously, not instantaneously. And since there is considerable space in between the markers on the 12-hour subdial, the continuous movement of the hand makes it much easier to read if a quarter, half, or three-quarters of an hour has been counted. I imagine that reading the elapsed time would take extra effort if the hand in the hour counter jumped from marker to marker.
The independent running second hand at the 9 o'clock position stops when the crown is pulled out to the last position, making it possible for precise synchronization with a reference clock. Since this second hand is very small, the beats are hardly noticeable and the hand just appears to glide effortlessly. I read somewhere that Hamilton does not modify the movements it uses, and this appears to be the case with this watch as the day and date functions of the Valjoux 7750 are used, which is a plus for me as I like to see both the day and the date on a watch. Only the rotor visible through the display back is decorated, but minimally only - no fancy colors, just engraved "Hamilton" and "Twenty-Five 25 Jewels Swiss". And speaking of the rotor, it does give the peculiar feeling that the watch is wobbling, as many have noticed, whenever my wrist gets it spinning in the non-winding direction. When the case is tilted to the right position, the balance wheel is also visible, and its smooth turning back and forth, as well as the rapid winding and unwinding of the hairspring, is just great to look at. I'm not sure if the display back is sapphire as well.
I bought the model with a black dial. The combination of white hands and a black dial with white markers is very legible. But only in daylight as the luminous center hands and hour and minute markers around the dial are not really luminous at night. Well, I'm comparing it to the black monster, which one can probably use to read a book in the dark the entire night.
I have only two minor quibbles with this watch. First, it is supposedly water resistant up to 100 meters, but the crown does not screw down. Well, I don't dive and I won't be diving with this watch to six inches of water in the sink, so this probably should be a non-issue. Also, the crown feels sturdy and tight enough even when pulled out to the last position. Second, and this may apply only to my watch, there is a gap of around 3 mm at the closest point between case and the straight end of the strap between the lugs. A gap of only 1 mm or less would have made for a more solid look. I read somewhere that this gap is noticed in old Khaki Field bracelet models when changing the bracelet with a strap. As I understand it, the position of the lug holes in the bracelet version is different from that of the strap version. Apparently, the lug holes in the bracelet version are farther from the case and nearer the tip of the lugs, presumably to give enough space for the end links of the bracelet. On the other hand, the lug holes in the strap version are closer to the case, so that the strap would cover most of the space between lugs and give the watch a more integrated look. So when owners of the bracelet version get tired of the bracelet and try switching to a strap, a gap is noticed between the case and the strap where the end links of the bracelet used to be.
Since there is such a gap in my watch, I'm thinking that my watch is actually a bracelet version on a strap. This is actually a minor issue because since I'm thinking of changing the buckle with a butterfly deployant, I might as well change the strap with one that has thicker material at the straight end. And if my watch is indeed a bracelet version (I've emailed the seller regarding this), I would have the option of buying the bracelet separately, if available, as it would fit my watch.
All in all, this is an excellent and very beautiful watch for the price. I would recommend it to anyone looking for an automatic chronograph with a military yet very elegant look from a reputable manufacturer.
written by Guest , April 01, 2009
I purchased this watch in 2005 and wore it every day. It is a beautiful watch and loved everything about it. In 2008 it stopped running so I wanted to get it looked over and cleaned. The price for this service was $450.00. I payed 600.00 for the watch new. It's now in the drawer with all the other expensive watches that have given up over the years. Treasure for future generations and grandchildren. I'm now back to my old Eddie Bauer field watch which I purchased for 65.00 15 years ago. It still keeps good time with a new battery once a year. They replaced the battery for free for the first 10 years. What can I say, save your money.