# Khaki Field bracelet grrrrrr



## Smudge62 (Jan 9, 2013)

Very frustrated with the bracelet that I recently ordered for my Khaki Field. There are only 2 micro adjustment holes. If I add a link it's too loose and a tad too tight on the micro adjustment if I leave the link out.
Is it really too much for them to have put a couple more holes in? I don't suppose anyone else has had a similar problem and has had any success drilling more holes or solving the problem another way.


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## clayteson (Jan 5, 2016)

I've always kind of wondered this....wouldn't it be pretty easy to drill new holes into the clasp to add adjustment?

Also....I DO NOT have a bracelet for my khaki field auto. Does anyone wear there's on a bracelet? I've been seriously contemplating purchasing one and have seen pictures of the Strapcode Seiko Alpinist bracelet on a Khaki which apparently fits great. I asked for recommendations and was told the SC Oyster fits the khaki very well. It's also $100 cheaper with solid curved end links and has 6 micro adjustment positions. Any details?


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## Smudge62 (Jan 9, 2013)

I bought mine with a black strap (which I think looks better than the brown) but then stopped wearing leather and just wore nato straps until I saw this review and thought wow! the bracelet looks fab. Then I ran into the bracelet problem above. It's ok at the moment but when it starts to get hot again it is definitely an issue.

https://www.watchspec.com/hamilton-khaki-field-automatic/


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## clayteson (Jan 5, 2016)

I honestly don't see why you couldn't just drill a couple of extra holes in it. Seems like something I would try. I would put the clasp in a vice with a towel and soft aluminum jaws, place a small piece of wood inside the clasp to keep from bending it with pressure, and use a micrometer to make sure the newly drilled holes would line up. Why not?


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## nyamoci (Jan 31, 2017)

clayteson said:


> I've always kind of wondered this....wouldn't it be pretty easy to drill new holes into the clasp to add adjustment?
> 
> Also....I DO NOT have a bracelet for my khaki field auto. Does anyone wear there's on a bracelet? I've been seriously contemplating purchasing one and have seen pictures of the Strapcode Seiko Alpinist bracelet on a Khaki which apparently fits great. I asked for recommendations and was told the SC Oyster fits the khaki very well. It's also $100 cheaper with solid curved end links and has 6 micro adjustment positions. Any details?


I contemplated a bracelet and contacted Hamilton. $130 + $10 shipping + tax. I'd love one but not for the almost $150 it would cost me

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## clayteson (Jan 5, 2016)

Don't forget this is another option for half the price. Definitely still considering it for myself. There are a few threads here where folks are using the strapcode oyster on a khaki field and it looks great. First photo harvested from....

https://www.watchuseek.com/f357/what-your-experience-your-hamilton-bracelet-4742177-2.html

Bracelet: https://www.strapcode.com/collectio...r-seiko-alpinist/products/metal-ss-bcl20-b065


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## clayteson (Jan 5, 2016)

Alright...I tempted myself to death. Strapcode is ordered. Total was $100 with $15 expedited shipping. Odd that no other shipping method was even offered?? Oh well....tired of looking at these pictures and wondering so we'll see soon enough. Will report back.


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## Smudge62 (Jan 9, 2013)

Ah..If only I'd known about this beforehand. If anybody is interested I got my bracelet in the UK from Jura for £99 inc. postage ($129.5 USD).


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## nyamoci (Jan 31, 2017)

clayteson said:


> Alright...I tempted myself to death. Strapcode is ordered. Total was $100 with $15 expedited shipping. Odd that no other shipping method was even offered?? Oh well....tired of looking at these pictures and wondering so we'll see soon enough. Will report back.


Impatiently waiting for results lol! Hope it fits

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## Proliant (Nov 22, 2017)

I like my Hamilton Khaki Field Officer Mechanical on the bracelet .... occasionally I toss it on a NATO, but generally I leave the bracelet as I find it to be good quality and comfortable.


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## B.Boston (Jul 15, 2014)

clayteson said:


> Alright...I tempted myself to death. Strapcode is ordered. Total was $100 with $15 expedited shipping. Odd that no other shipping method was even offered?? Oh well....tired of looking at these pictures and wondering so we'll see soon enough. Will report back.


Can't wait to hear your results. Very interested in this as I seem to prefer bracelets that have male endlinks vs female endlinks. Must be the shape of my wrist because I always pinch more with the female style end links.

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## clayteson (Jan 5, 2016)

Very impressed with the strapcode bracelet. The shipping was super fast and the packaging was top notch. All links are screwed and were pretty easy to remove. The micro-adjustment on the clasp is awesome. I was able to remove 2 links on each side and put the micro on the 3rd position for a perfect fit. This bracelet fits the 38mm Khaki very well. Obviously the brushing on the bracelet isn't an exact match to the watch, but that was to be expected. It is close enough where I won't worry about it at all. Only a real hard look and the correct lighting make it look off. This is shown in one of the outdoor pictures below. Notice that with a slight tilt it's not as noticeable.

I will say my only complaint with this bracelet is the fold-down safety clasp. Not the main clasp but the safety lock. The safety lock itself has holes in it to correspond with rounded pins from a spring bar holding the main clasp (a spring bar with rounded ends). Because of this it is very easy to unlatch the safety lock. Like one swift swipe with a pinky nail and it's open. I noticed that the fold-down on my Tag bracelet is the opposite. It has male ends protruding from inside of the safety lock and holes in the actual clasp to correspond. This makes the connection much much tighter. I do not think this will be an issue, but I'm interested to see how this performs in more active duties.

This bracelet has definitely opened up a new real of possibilities for this watch. It's very well made, looks the ticket, and I will undoubtedly wear it more for an broader range of activities (if that's possible). I'm actually kind of looking forward to taking a swim with this thing and seeing how I like it. I hate getting the Barton canvas and nato's wet because they turn my wrist swampy and take forever to dry.

Male vs female is interesting...I've never actually known the difference to be honest. That said, the strap code is obviously male and my Tag has female. I can notice that the male on the SC makes the lug to lug slightly larger, but for me it's 100% not an issue. This watch wears very well with this bracelet. I can say that my Tag bracelet is a bit more comfortable simply because it articulates more and has smaller links; it also pinches my hair a bit more due to that fact. The Tag does not have open lugs on the watch head; so it's a completely different interface. The strap code is very comfortable however, it has not pinched a hair once and I'm very satisfied with this purchase. Highly recommend.


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## clayteson (Jan 5, 2016)




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## bjjkk (Oct 20, 2011)

The strapcode bracelet looks great on the watch


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## clayteson (Jan 5, 2016)

bjjkk said:


> The strapcode bracelet looks great on the watch


Thanks!! I'm very satisfied and saved almost $100 based on what I could find the Hamilton bracelet for. I can't help but think the fit is probably better as well due to the micro adjustments.


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## El Jefe (Mar 2, 2009)

clayteson said:


> Don't forget this is another option for half the price. Definitely still considering it for myself. There are a few threads here where folks are using the strapcode oyster on a khaki field and it looks great. First photo harvested from....
> 
> https://www.watchuseek.com/f357/what-your-experience-your-hamilton-bracelet-4742177-2.html
> 
> Bracelet: https://www.strapcode.com/collectio...r-seiko-alpinist/products/metal-ss-bcl20-b065


That actually looks pretty good. I'm not sure I can go as low as 38, but this is pretty tempting.


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## El Jefe (Mar 2, 2009)

clayteson said:


> Don't forget this is another option for half the price. Definitely still considering it for myself. There are a few threads here where folks are using the strapcode oyster on a khaki field and it looks great. First photo harvested from....
> 
> https://www.watchuseek.com/f357/what-your-experience-your-hamilton-bracelet-4742177-2.html
> 
> ...


That looks pretty nice. I'm not sure I could go as small as 38, but this makes it tempting. Classic look.


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## clayteson (Jan 5, 2016)

El Jefe said:


> That looks pretty nice. I'm not sure I could go as small as 38, but this makes it tempting. Classic look.


38 is close to the perfect size for a field watch IMO with a <7" wrist. The bracelet definitely adds some bulk and it has a different presence than a diver with a bracelet.


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## Smudge62 (Jan 9, 2013)

Yes, the bracelet looks very nice. Wish I'd known about it before buying the Hamilton one. 

I have contacted Hamilton customer support, inviting their comment with regard to the lamentable amount of micro adjustment holes. I am yet to receive a response.


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## Smudge62 (Jan 9, 2013)

1


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## Fronnzy (Mar 13, 2017)

I went through this same thing. I bought a used khaki a couple months ago but never wore it because I was between sizes. It was either too tight or too 70's gangster.

I just picked it up from local watch shop yesterday. Added 2 new holes. Fits great now!! And overall, it is a super comfortable bracelet.

It cost me $45 CDN. But I don't think he made any money, he broke two carbide bits in the process.










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## clayteson (Jan 5, 2016)

Fronnzy said:


> I went through this same thing. I bought a used khaki a couple months ago but never wore it because I was between sizes. It was either too tight or too 70's gangster.
> 
> I just picked it up from local watch shop yesterday. Added 2 new holes. Fits great now!! And overall, it is a super comfortable bracelet.
> 
> ...


Nice....Hamilton definitely should've done this originally. On a separate note....2 carbide bits broken?? Granted they're tiny but dang...I'm guessing he didn't have a drill press because this should be super easy to do.


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## Fronnzy (Mar 13, 2017)

clayteson said:


> Nice....Hamilton definitely should've done this originally. On a separate note....2 carbide bits broken?? Granted they're tiny but dang...I'm guessing he didn't have a drill press because this should be super easy to do.


Yeah, I thought that too. In his defence, the clasp steel on this Hamilton is actually pretty thick compared to some of my other watches.

But if he didn't have a jig or some other sort of stability he was probably putting too much lateral pressure on the bits.

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## clayteson (Jan 5, 2016)

Fronnzy said:


> Yeah, I thought that too. In his defence, the clasp steel on this Hamilton is actually pretty thick compared to some of my other watches.
> 
> But if he didn't have a jig or some other sort of stability he was probably putting too much lateral pressure on the bits.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Agreed. I've had to buy multiple packs of bits recently for various projects and even the "quality" brands titanium sets I've reamed out in no time. Especially the smaller sizes like that it's dang near impossible to drill a thick steel without a press and not break the thing.


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## clayteson (Jan 5, 2016)

Enjoy it though! I've been wearing mine almost exclusively since I got the bracelet. Adds a new level to this simple and great watch.


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## Smudge62 (Jan 9, 2013)

I've heard back from Hamilton now and even spoken with them. They have suggested that I send the watch and bracelet to them to see what they can do. They confirm that there are no half links so other than drilling extra micro adjustment holes themselves or supplying a different type of bracelet, I can't see what they are going to be able to do. I shall report back when I have some news.


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## watchsickness101 (Jun 4, 2017)

Order strapcode oyster straightend -looks pretty damn good= problem, solved


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## Smudge62 (Jan 9, 2013)

*UPDATE*

So, after some time discussing the matter (including them sending the watch back once having done nothing) Hamilton in the UK have drilled extra holes in the bracelet clasp to allow better fitting free of charge. Whether or not this means they will alter their manufacturing process is another matter. Somehow I doubt it as, although I was told that there had been other complaints about the matter, it was not a huge number. I still maintain that there is a design flaw in this particular clasp.

I have not received the watch back from them yet but I will post pics when I do, if anyone is interested.


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## Dan T. (May 24, 2018)

Smudge62 said:


> *UPDATE*
> 
> So, after some time discussing the matter (including them sending the watch back once having done nothing) Hamilton in the UK have drilled extra holes in the bracelet clasp to allow better fitting free of charge. Whether or not this means they will alter their manufacturing process is another matter. Somehow I doubt it as, although I was told that there had been other complaints about the matter, it was not a huge number. I still maintain that there is a design flaw in this particular clasp.
> 
> I have not received the watch back from them yet but I will post pics when I do, if anyone is interested.


I'm definitely interested. My Hamilton has four, so I'm grateful that I'm not stuck in your situation.

Strapcode is good on the brushing they do at the factory (or whoever they source it to...), but they have clasp issues. I've had a few and wasn't very happy. I have one diver that I'll never sell, the Orient Triton, and I noticed they started making straps for that model too, so I'm excited. But it's that ugly Angus-J model, so I'm patiently waiting (and emailing them) about launching a Triton Hexad. That would be the ultimate.

Not sure if it matters, but I have the H70305143, which comes on a bracelet, and it was the first in a long line of field watches I've owned that I decided it was time for a bracelet. I LOVE it that way now. I was missing out on so much before... Anyway, the stock bracelet doesn't jive with the quality of the watch and movement. I posted on this separately about a month ago, but my pin and collars were seized up. The links could bend in their sockets properly, but I could not for the life of me extract the collars without doing them harm. A member here recommended a dabble of Liquid Wrench, then letting it sit for a few hours, and that did the trick. But holy cow... I've *NEVER* in over 30 years of actively wearing watches and screwing around with straps, have ever encountered anything like that. I knew it was going to suck when I saw there were no arrow markings on the underside of the clasp, and then read that you can "pull them out in any direction you want." Yikes. Never seen that before either.

Also, even though it's a Hamilton bracelet, the steel doesn't quite match the case. Just like your Strapcode, it takes a very careful look to notice, but I do.

Anyway, I'm curious how well they drill the holes (or if they just swap it for a longer clasp, like one I have on mine).


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## davek35 (Jun 12, 2017)

I recently got a Strapcode straight lug SS201803B032S that tapers from 20mm-18mm at the buckle for my Khaki Navy orange. Much better fit than the straight Hamilton bracelet that came with my Khaki navy black (sold last week). Sorry I don't have a pic.


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## Rice and Gravy (Feb 7, 2014)

Wanted to share my experience with the strapcode bracelet for the SARB017 on my recently purchased Field Auto.

I recently bought a used 38mm Khaki Field Auto specifically because I had seen threads, instagram posts and Youtube videos about the strapcode bracelets for SARB017 fitting well and it looked pretty good. That was not my experience. The bracelet arrived yesterday (with one bracelet screw pin bent and broken completely off btw) and I fitted it to the watch. The fitment of the end links to the watch case was very poor, with a small but visible gap and wiggle of the end link. Maybe I got a isolated bad quality item, but it's been returned. Kind of bummed, and I'll probably sell the watch as I really want to wear this on a decent bracelet. Oh well, I tried.


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## B.Boston (Jul 15, 2014)

Rice and Gravy said:


> Wanted to share my experience with the strapcode bracelet for the SARB017 on my recently purchased Field Auto.
> 
> I recently bought a used 38mm Khaki Field Auto specifically because I had seen threads, instagram posts and Youtube videos about the strapcode bracelets for SARB017 fitting well and it looked pretty good. That was not my experience. The bracelet arrived yesterday (with one bracelet screw pin bent and broken completely off btw) and I fitted it to the watch. The fitment of the end links to the watch case was very poor, with a small but visible gap and wiggle of the end link. Maybe I got a isolated bad quality item, but it's been returned. Kind of bummed, and I'll probably sell the watch as I really want to wear this on a decent bracelet. Oh well, I tried.


Thanks for sharing! I was thinking from some photos I saw the fit wasn't as good as it sounded. Anyone else?

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## Rice and Gravy (Feb 7, 2014)

I now wish I had take a picture or video to demonstrate, but I wanted to get it packed back up and sent back before COB, and that didn't even occur to me at the time.


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## Chris-John (Mar 24, 2011)

Just took delivery of a Khaki mechanical on bracelet, and quickly noticed that the adjustment situation is brain dead. Like someone with a 70 IQ designed it. Not what you'd hope for from the Swiss.


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