Hamilton Khaki Field King Auto 40mm

I’ve been craving a Hamilton watch for a very long time, but I always found them to be just a bit too expensive for my taste. That being said, as I always do, I waited patiently on the second-hand market and I found my Khaki King for the pretty awesome price of around 370 USD, slightly banged up, and for that, it’s a steal.

The reasons I like the King so much are the following: 

I really appreciate the field watch aesthetic, but I find it too boring on its own. The day and date at the top, the weird but masculine case shape, and the interestingly executed dial all work together to keep the watch from being boring, so instead of boring, it’s actually hella cool!

I love the thin case too, which makes this watch the most comfortable one I’ve ever had. The 40mm case size is perfect, it feels more like a 39. The syringe hands are very aesthetic, the lume is adequate, the bracelet is acceptable, and I really like the box the watch comes in.

Another important thing to mention is the movement. It’s great. The 80 hours of power reserve come in very handy if you switch regularly between watches like I do. The accuracy seems to be fine, mine is a little fast, off by like 10 seconds a day (which I like, because when I have to correct the time on my watch all I have to do is pull the crown out and wait for the correct time to catch up), and it looks very attractive through the open caseback. Nice stuff.

All of the above are very important of course, but what’s really crucial is that Hugh Laurie wore the Khaki King in the TV show House MD. I mean, you cannot put a price on that. Dr. House is the G, and this is his watch. And if you don’t like House, so this fact doesn’t play a role in your decision making when it comes to buying this watch, I have nothing to say to you. Maybe you should self-reflect a little, you know. I mean, who doesn’t like House? With his cool sneakers, arrogant wit, and everything?

Anyway, a couple of issues with the watch:

First, no AR coating. It’s annoying. Unless you like looking at your stupid face in the reflection of your watch. Then it’s a feature.

Second, crappy bracelet. The clasp feels very good when you close it, it has that satisfying click to it, but there is no micro-adjustment, and the whole thing is very flimsy. It’s wearable, mind you, but definitely not acceptable for a… wait, how much? Holy shit, a 730 CHF watch? That’s almost a whole grand in US dollars, baby! Way too much. Way too much.

And what about the water resistance, you ask? “What if I wear this military field watch when the apocalypse breaks out, and I’m fighting a scary and stinky fascist zombie (previously a regular United States government official), and the zombie pushes me the wrong way, and I fall straight into a deep pond of rainwater, zombie brains, and human excrement, will my watch be okay at least?”

No, it will not be. It only has 50m water resistance and a push-pull crown. What a shame.

Also, the lume could use an upgrade. It’s alright, you can read it in the dark, but it’s not bright enough. It doesn’t give you that “oooooo, look at that, look at that, that’s pretty cool, ain’t it?” feeling.

So, how to conclude all that? I guess I would say this watch is one of my favorites, and I really like wearing it, BUT, I would not pay close to a grand USD for it. Buy it used, buy it cheap, and you’ll love it! And don’t forget, IT’S DR. HOUSE’S WATCH, DAMMIT!