Hamilton Khaki Field Owner Review : Endearing, friendly and casual

A watch I would describe as endearing. The 38mm and white dial combo is a no-brainer for me on this model. This color, in my opinion, adds the little twist it needs to avoid looking like just another black military field watch, despite it being one of the most famous examples. I particularly appreciate its 9.5mm thinness and the micro-blasted steel case, which gives it a discreet matte finish and makes it scratch-resistant. The size of the crown provides a nice balance and makes it pleasant to handle. The manual-winding mechanism is also, for me, perfectly consistent with the spirit of this watch, with a comfortable 80-hour power reserve, which is also very pleasant to wind. I find the precision to be adequate. It's a large 38mm (even more so with the white dial), thanks to its long lugs. I would have preferred a 37/36mm for better balance and a more pronounced vintage feel. I regularly replace its original strap with a sand-colored two-strand nylon that perfectly matches the indexes and hands. However, because of the long lugs, I find the comfort of wearing two-strand straps less than ideal. There's also a question about the water resistance, which is only 5 ATM, which is quite contradictory for a Field, but I have to admit that this is more of an "aesthetic" Field than anything else. In any case, I don't expect more from it. Among the things that annoy me, the brand's quality control is, in my opinion, poor. I bought a watch and noticed a few days later that there was a white hair wrapped around the hands and a flaw in the steel at the flange (a tiny hole). After exchanging it, I realized after several weeks that the dial of the new one I received was slightly off-center. The hour hand isn't particularly well aligned either. You have to have a good eye for it, and it's still lightweight, so I made do with it. Fortunately, I got it at a very attractive new purchase price. The original strap is also of questionable quality, with inserts that I imagine are made of faux leather and wear out quickly. Ultimately, it's an easy-to-wear watch with a beautiful identity, but also with a few flaws, which doesn't stop me from appreciating it.