For those who’ve followed us for a while, you’ll know it’s no secret that we love Hamilton’s Khaki Field Watch. However, we rarely get the chance to discuss the American watchmaker’s other Khaki lines, the Aviation and Navy. While they’re all very similar in terms of overall design language and vintage military inspiration, the Khaki Aviation is the range dedicated to pilot’s watches, making nods to the brand’s days of supplying U.S. Airmail pilots in the early 20th century. Today, Hamilton expanded the Aviation collection with seven new references in two case sizes.
Consisting of four 36mm models and three 42mm models, the new watches take after the older Khaki Pilot Auto Day Date, which was larger at 46mm. These smaller editions supply versatility to the pilot’s range and give more of a vintage appeal. Just like their predecessors, these timepieces have a dial design that favors legibility, with large seconds/minutes markers in place of hour markers, with 3, 6, and 9 sporting crosshair-style rectangular markers and a triangle at the 12 o’clock spot. These four “edges,” as well as the hands, are treated with bright green Super-LumiNova lume.
While the glow on the minute hand is at the top, the lume on the hour hand is placed at the bottom, with the tip operating as a window that displays the hours, which are put on the inside circle on the dial. Encased in stainless steel with 100m of water resistance, the 42mm references feature a day-date window at 3 o’clock and are powered by Hamilton’s ETA-based automatic H-30 caliber movement. The day-date is omitted on the 36mm versions, which run on the H-10 automatic movement. Depending on which variant you get, the Khaki Aviations either come with a stainless steel bracelet or a matching leather strap. Both movements are exposed through the caseback.
Ranging from CHF 920 (~$1,060) to CHF 995 (~$1,145), the expanded Khaki Aviation collection is a great mid-level tool watch that can compete with the best options out there. Head over to Hamilton’s website to learn more.
