Khaki Field Titanium Auto 42 Silver Ref. H70545550

The Hamilton Khaki Field collection from Hamilton has been long considered one of the favorite picks for a value-driven Swiss-made mechanical timepiece holding a classic military-inspired design. From its incredibly versatile looks, attractive specifications and a rich heritage to back it all up; it comes with no surprise that it received plenty of love from the watch community. Joining the line up, Hamilton introduced an invigorating new sibling to the Khaki Field family — now in a splendid titanium case, a cool upgrade to complement the tactical nature of the classic Khaki Field. 

Hamilton has always been associated with its military roots. Their timepieces have been tried-and-tested in the toughest conditions on land, air, and sea, producing watches of the highest performance standards has become second nature to them. Many of Hamilton's watches continue to be influenced by their proud heritage, upholding the value of producing robust watches with high quality and precision. 

Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Auto 42 Silver Ref. H70545550

Housed in a well built all-brushed grade 2 titanium case construction, the Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Auto Silver Ref. H70545550 feels exceptionally lightweight at merely 64 grams, providing an extremely comfortable all-day wearing experience on the wrist. As a watch originally built for action in the field, titanium is an absolutely fitting choice of material for a modern tool watch, offering considerable corrosion resistance, robustness and durability, essential characteristics that the Khaki Field calls for as a field watch. Setting itself apart from other Khaki Field models, the word ‘Titanium’ is distinctly etched into the side of the case. 

Measuring with a case diameter of 42mm, a lug to lug distance of 52mm and a thickness of 11.4mm, the Khaki Field Titanium Auto Silver Ref. H70545550 exudes just the right amount of wrist presence while wearing snuggly on a whole range of wrist sizes as a result of its lug design that gently curves downward to hug the wrist. Accompanying the rugged style, the watch comes fitted with a 20mm rustic tan leather strap paired with a H-style double tang buckle complete with the Hamilton logo. 

Original MIL-W-46374 specifications

Being a tribute to military issued watches, the dial of the Khaki Field Titanium Auto Silver Ref. H70545550 closely resembles the Hamilton Military Issue MIL-W-46374, consisting of printed Arabic numerals and an inner ring with military time which were essential for military timing operations. Against the utilitarian greyish silver dial, the syringe-shaped minute and hour hands makes the dial incredibly easy to read, explicitly designed for the hour hand to touch the inner indices for 24-hour military time while the minute hand reaches the outer minute markers. The hands and indexes are treated with Superluminova luminous paint for a bright green glow in the dark, serving as a modern replacement for the radioactive tritium lume used on military issued watches. 

The dial of the Khaki Field Titanium Auto Silver Ref. H70545550 is evidently built for purpose, being uncluttered and legible with a no-date layout, retaining a gratifying symmetry without the obstruction of any hour marker. Protecting the dial is a piece of sapphire crystal, providing superior scratch resistance. 

SuperLuminova for Superb Glow In Dark

At the heart of the Khaki Field Titanium Auto Silver Ref. H70545550 lies the Hamilton caliber H-10  automatic movement, which is a modified 25 jewel ETA C07.611 movement. The movement's main highlights include the boosted 80-hour power reserve achieved by lowering the 4 Hz beat rate of 28,800 beats per hour to 3 Hz (21,600 beats per hour). The lowered beat rate also translates to a more robust movement due to the lesser friction produced between the parts over time. Setting the time feels buttery smooth with the knurled push-pull crown at the 3 o’clock position. At the back of the watch, the movement is viewable through the see-through exhibition case back, featuring a custom decorated rotor with the Hamilton logo engraved. The case back is screwed in to attain a water resistance of 10 bar (100 meters).

The Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Auto Silver Ref. H70545550 beautifully combines the vintage elements of the historic Khaki Field in a modern field watch, revamped with some attractive specifications. While at its core, the military-inspired design remains largely similar to its vintage counterpart, it is certainly delightful to see Hamilton stepping things up with advanced materials, showcasing a strong mastery in watchmaking in the 21st century while embracing their proud military heritage.

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