Hamilton, once an American watch company (now owned by Swatch Group), has a long tradition of producing watches for military and pilots. Since 1918, countless aviation-focused models have been created, and the current collection continues to honor this rich heritage by offering both modern designs like the X-Wind or Aviation Converter, as well as vintage-inspired models such as the Khaki Pilot Pioneer Mechanical. Today, the brand has decided to expand this retro-style watch line with a new series dedicated to the iconic Model 23 pocket watches. Here are the new Hamilton Khaki Pilot Pioneer 38mm Automatic and 43mm Manual Wind models.
HAMILTON KHAKI PILOT PIONEER COLLECTION
The Khaki Pilot Pioneer name hides a collection of watches inspired by the brand's rich past in creating tools for pilots. Most are watches that pay homage to an old existing model and are revived with a certain (varying, depending on the model) level of fidelity. Take, for instance, the charming Khaki Pilot Pioneer Mechanical, which is almost identical to the W10 wristwatches once supplied to the British Ministry of Defense - essentially, the aviation equivalent of the military-inspired Khaki Field Mechanical model. But there are other models, such as the Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer Chrono (unfortunately, quartz watches), inspired by military chronographs of the 1970s. And today, it's about transferring the essence of some of the brand's most significant pocket watches into a modernized wristwatch size.
Behind the new Khaki Pilot Pioneer 38mm Automatic and 43mm Manual Wind watches lies Model 23 - military-style pocket watches made for the US Air Force during World War II. In addition to over a million wristwatches for the military, Hamilton supplied the armed forces with over 27,000 of these Model 23 pocket watches throughout the war. "As an advanced chronograph of its time, Model 23 was particularly useful for US Army Air Force navigators. Fine, ultra-clear numerals, cathedral hands, and an authentic outer railway track scale" are what define these watches.
Now, in 2021, Hamilton uses these Model 23 pocket watch codes and their elegant dial aesthetics to create new members of the Khaki Pilot Pioneer collection - wristwatches in a "khaki pilot" style, requiring no serious approach, utilitarian and retro-style, offered in two versions, one in a 38mm case with an automatic movement, the other in a 43mm case with a manual wind caliber - knowing that the latter is available either in steel or bronze. And Hamilton, being Hamilton, once again offers these watches at very fair prices. And if the relevance of inspiration and its embodiment in wristwatches raises some doubts, it's hard not to acknowledge that the result is visually appealing.
STEEL OR BRONZE KHAKI PILOT PIONEER 43MM MANUAL WIND
First of all, this is the largest series, returning to a large manual wind movement that was once the prerogative of pocket watches - the classic ETA Unitas. Around this large movement are built equally large pilot watches with solid dimensions of 43mm in diameter and 13mm in height. The case features all the classic signs of aviation-oriented watches, such as the bulbous crown, large enough to be used with gloves. And although it doesn't screw down, the case is water-resistant to 100m. The case is fully matte with a simple, instrumental design. The most notable feature of the new collection is the bezel, bidirectional and equipped with a scratch-resistant mineral glass insert with a 60-minute countdown scale.
Under the anti-reflective sapphire crystal lies a dial that pays homage to the past, with a matte grainy surface and a display that is an ode to Model 23, with simple yet legible Arabic numerals, a clear railway track, a well-placed small seconds indicator, and, the star of the show, luminescent cathedral hands. All indicators are made of old radium-colored luminescent material.
As you may have noticed, these Khaki Pilot Pioneer 43mm Hand-Wound watches come in two different versions. The first has a classic stainless steel case with nickel-plated hands. The second has a bronze case with a titanium case back and rose gold-colored hands. Otherwise, both editions are identical and are worn on a vintage-style brown leather strap, closed with a pin buckle.
Under the hood is the classic ETA 6498-1 movement, a large hand-wound caliber with a slow frequency of 2.5Hz and a power reserve of 50 hours. It is simply decorated, with straight matte bridges. The price of the stainless steel Hamilton Khaki Pilot Pioneer 43mm Hand-Wound model will be 1,095 Euros, and the bronze model 1,345 Euros.
Quick facts: 43mm diameter x 13mm height - stainless steel or bronze with titanium case back, matte, 100m water resistance - bidirectional bezel with mineral glass - AR sapphire crystal on top, transparent case back - matte grainy black dial with small seconds hand, luminescent markers and hands from old radium - ETA Unitas 6498-1, hand-wound, 2.5Hz, 50-hour power reserve - 20/18mm leather strap with pin buckle - reference H76719530 (steel) and H76709530 (bronze) - CHF 1,195, EUR 1,095 or USD 1,295 for steel - CHF 1,450, EUR 1,345 or USD 1,545 for bronze
AUTOMATIC KHAKI PILOT PIONEER 38MM
If the 43mm diameter and manual wind movement of the above-described Khaki Pilot Pioneer are not to your liking, do not worry, as Hamilton has taken care of you by releasing a second edition of these watches. Based on the same overall design, this version is made in a more compact 38mm stainless steel case, with identical 100m water resistance and (slightly less) large bulbous crown. This reduced model has retained the bidirectional bezel with a mineral glass insert with a countdown and has an 18mm lug width. The watch is worn on a brown leather strap with a pin buckle.
The dial of the Khaki Pilot Pioneer 38mm Automatic is done in the same spirit: matte black base with graining, simple Arabic numerals, railway minute track, and nickel-plated cathedral hands. All elements are painted in old radium color to create a vintage atmosphere, but the display has been updated to a classic central H-M-S. Under the transparent case back lies the H10 caliber, which Hamilton calls the Powermatic 80, upgraded from the classic 2824 base. This movement has the same architecture but boasts an increased power reserve of 80 hours - thanks to an updated kinetic chain and a frequency of 3Hz - as well as an anti-magnetic Nivachron balance spring.
Hamilton Khaki Pilot Pioneer 38mm Automatic will cost 895 Euros.
Quick facts: 38mm diameter x 11.4mm height - stainless steel case, matte, 100m water resistance - bidirectional bezel with mineral glass - AR sapphire crystal on top, transparent case back - matte black dial with central seconds hand, luminescent markers and hands from old radium - H10 caliber (Powermatic 80), automatic, anti-magnetic Nivachron spring, 3Hz frequency, 80-hour power reserve - 18/16mm leather strap with pin buckle - reference H76205530 - CHF 945, EUR 895 or USD 995
All three watch models will soon be available in retail and on the brand's website. For more detailed information and ordering, please visit www.hamiltonwatch.com.