# Are Hamilton of good quality?



## GT27

Gents,

I'm looking to purchase my first Hamilton. I admittedly, don't know much about the brand and have little experience with them. I've been reading about, and appreciate, their history and I really like some of their designs. I've seen a watch of theirs that I would really like to add to my small collection, but I had a question first. 

What is the overall consensus on Hamilton's build quality? Is their fit and finish of a high standard? Durability/reliability? Do they suffer from many known issues? 

Any feedback is appreciated, cheers!


----------



## RainDog

It is a well respected brand, gets a lot of love here, and I'm very happy with my Khaki Field. I would say it is similar to Certina, Tissot quality. You can easily find similar threads if you dig a little deeper. Cheers.


----------



## triumphrox

I agree with RainDog. I've had a couple of Hamiltons, and still have a Khaki Field. Mine have had ETA movements, excellent attention to detail, and have been solid performers. Great bang for the buck.


----------



## HerrNano

I have two Hamilton watches and I like them very much. The quality and looks are quite good, in my opinion. I'm wearing the Khaki today - it is the one watch I feel certain that I will never part with. It's like an old friend now.


----------



## hub6152

To answer more specifically as you already know Hamilton is a brand with a long history and pedigree. They supplied many military contracts over the years and are known for being well made and generally very reliable. However today Hamilton is placed towards the lower end of the Swatch group hierarchy with Breguet and Omega at the top, and Tissot and Hamilton at the bottom. What that means is that Hamilton’s component parts are more than likely made in factories in the Far East such as China and Thailand using more automated production line processes. Also other companies in the supply chain won’t apply the same high levels of finish to parts like the hands and dial markers that you’d get at the top level. The movements are mostly standard off the shelf (although some are now unique to Hamilton) and again they’re not finished or decorated as well as say an Omega. But having said all that these are relatively minor differences in the scale of things and a Hamilton is no less reliable or prone to any issues as any other far more expensive watch. And then there’s the key benefit - they cost considerably less so in fact you actually get a lot more watch for your money than you do with many more expensive brands. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## HerrNano

hub6152 said:


> (...) But having said all that these are relatively minor differences in the scale of things and a Hamilton is no less reliable or prone to any issues as any other far more expensive watch. And then there's the key benefit - they cost considerably less so in fact you actually get a lot more watch for your money than you do with many more expensive brands.


Us simple folk call that "bang for the buck." FTFY


----------



## oztech

My Khaki 38mm has been trouble free and a consistent -4 spd and has one of the most comfortable bracelets out there.


----------



## GT27

Thanks to everyone that has chipped in so far, appreciate the feedback. Keep it coming.


----------



## EightEyes

In terms of "bang for buck", it doesn't get a whole lot better than Hamilton. Fit and finish won't quite compare to Omega or Rolex, but my experience with Hamilton has been that they are solid, accurate, and trouble free. I'll happily buy more in future.

I current rotate between a Hamilton Navy Pioneer and an Omega Aqua Terra, and although the Omega is 6x the price, and in many ways "better", I look forward just as much to wearing both, and can't quite bring myself to retire the Hamilton and make the Omega a daily wear, even though it's a perfect all-rounder. The Hamilton somehow holds its own, and gets picked out of the watch box roughly every other day.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk


----------



## GT27

Thanks for the feedback. It sounds like you stand proudly behind the brand. I had an Aqua Terra and it was a nice watch, so that gives me some barometer with regards to the Hamilton comparison.



EightEyes said:


> In terms of "bang for buck", it doesn't get a whole lot better than Hamilton. Fit and finish won't quite compare to Omega or Rolex, but my experience with Hamilton has been that they are solid, accurate, and trouble free. I'll happily buy more in future.
> 
> I current rotate between a Hamilton Navy Pioneer and an Omega Aqua Terra, and although the Omega is 6x the price, and in many ways "better", I look forward just as much to wearing both, and can't quite bring myself to retire the Hamilton and make the Omega a daily wear, even though it's a perfect all-rounder. The Hamilton somehow holds its own, and gets picked out of the watch box roughly every other day.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk


----------



## GT27

How would you guys rate the Hamilton Khaki Field watches up against the Longines Conquest models?


----------



## hub6152

GT27 said:


> How would you guys rate the Hamilton Khaki Field watches up against the Longines Conquest models?


Longines are higher up in the Swatch pecking order so are of a slightly better standard of fit and finish etc. But no better a watch for that particularly. Really it's only your personal taste of their designs that dictates between them!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## GT27

Cheers hub, yeah I think I'm going to go ahead and grab this Hamilton because I really like the design. I found a great price on the GM so if it doesn't work out, no big deal.



hub6152 said:


> Longines are higher up in the Swatch pecking order so are of a slightly better standard of fit and finish etc. But no better a watch for that particularly. Really it's only your personal taste of their designs that dictates between them!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## hub6152

GT27 said:


> Cheers hub, yeah I think I'm going to go ahead and grab this Hamilton because I really like the design. I found a great price on the GM so if it doesn't work out, no big deal.


Pleasure. Honestly you can't really go wrong with a Hamilton. Enjoy it and wear it well.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## MetroiD

I bought a Hamilton Jazzmaster Regulator last year and while I took to it instantly, I have become even more attached to it after changing the (perfectly nice) original strap for a custom-made which I ordered specifically for the Hammy. Really love wearing it and have never had any issues with it.

Best of luck with your purchase - I'm sure you'll enjoy it!


----------



## JoeC

Hamilton represent a very good quality to price ratio.


----------



## MikeDC999999

After having only started with automatic watches about a year ago, I now have two Hamiltons and an Oris. Both Hamiltons have treated me wonderfully and I’m in the market for a third. I love the brand and will probably go broke because I lack any self restraint.


----------



## hub6152

MikeDC999999 said:


> After having only started with automatic watches about a year ago, I now have two Hamiltons and an Oris. Both Hamiltons have treated me wonderfully and I'm in the market for a third. I love the brand and will probably go broke because I lack any self restraint.


Ha! It's like an addictive drug! Oris are another much under appreciated brand that actually give great bang for buck.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## yankeexpress

Have no issue with Hammie quality, it is the prices that turn me off. In short, I think they are overpriced for what a buyer gets. 

To me an Oris, Eterna, Certina, Tissot, Victorinox, Squale, offer similar quality at generally lower prices.


----------



## JonS1967

yankeexpress said:


> Have no issue with Hammie quality, it is the prices that turn me off. In short, I think they are overpriced for what a buyer gets.
> 
> To me an Oris, Eterna, Certina, Tissot, Victorinox, Squale, offer similar quality at generally lower prices.


I wouldn't put Eterna or Oris in the same category as Certina, Tissot, Victorinox or Squale. And Oris, although fantastic, is not at Eternas level either.

I have a Pan Erop Chronograph and a new Intramatic LE. I love them both. The quality and finishing on both models is quite good with a slight edge going to the Intramatic. From what I've been hearing, Hamilton is beginning to position themselves closer to Longines and the Intramatic LE seems to be living up to this notion.










And here's my beautiful Eterna Madison and Kontiki.










And lastly my Oris Big Crown and Diver 65.









Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## rioc

Not much I can add here... as many said, very good bang for buck ratio.
So if there's a model that's appealing to you, go for it. You certainly won't be disappointed by the quality.


----------



## GT27

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I'm going to pick up a Khaki Field Day Date Auto. Looking forward to seeing it in the flesh.


----------



## sticky

I've always said to look at Hamiltons based on other people's perceptions of the watches but I recently received my first Hammy - a Khaki Officer - and it was every bit a good as I expected (it had a lot to live up to).


----------



## Kulprit

yankeexpress said:


> Have no issue with Hammie quality, it is the prices that turn me off. In short, I think they are overpriced for what a buyer gets.
> 
> To me an Oris, Eterna, Certina, Tissot, Victorinox, Squale, offer similar quality at generally lower prices.


I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of every brand's pricing structure, but most Squale's that I'm familiar with cost significantly more than the bulk of Hamilton's range. And, frankly, with generally poorer fit and finish. I also don't see Victorinox being up with Hamilton.

Oris watches are almost universally more expensive than Hamiltons. There may be some overlap between the highest priced Hamiltons and the lowest priced Orises, but they generally occupy completely different market segments.

And finally, while Swatch seems to place Tissot in the same market segment as Hamilton, I hear far more complaints from Tissot owners about quality issues (though I am a big Tissot fan).

I know a lot of this is subjective, but of that list, Certina seems to be the closest match, and they're typically priced the same as their Hamilton counterparts.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## dbleoh7

I bought a 38mm khaki field and am very impressed with the quality, especially the ss bracelet. They seem to last for half a decade. The only issue that I see come up is if you take them in the water a lot they can be prone to fogging (I don't take mine in water so I don't have this issue)


----------



## bluedeville

I just got a (lightly) used day date auto and am very happy with it. So far it’s been +4 s/d. Pretty damn good I’d say. 

I did have to demagnetize it, but that’s not a flaw of the watch. 

Because of the face size it wears smaller than 42mm to me, and I don’t have huge wrists.


----------



## thedentist23

I always think that Hamilton gives you the best bang for your buck in a Swiss movement watch and Seiko gives the best bang for your buck with a Japanese movement.


----------



## microrotor

Best value for the money in the Swatch Group lineup.


----------



## morrison2951

You bet! I've got a vintage Hammy as well as a Ventura chrono and the MIIB Pulsar. 

Great watches.


----------



## bank222

I bought a 38mm Khaki Field Auto, the new lower beat version, about 3 months ago. Watch is much higher quality than I was expecting. I was very impressed. I measured the time around +1.8 

Would highly recommend Hamilton.


----------



## hub6152

Here's my 1964 Accumatic still going strong!! Mind you the quality in the old days was very high generally!










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## cuthbert

Few weeks ago I bought a watch I was looking for for a long time, the Khaki Mechanical green dial:









For the money it's good but side by side with a Longines W.W.W. you can see the quality difference: the lume of the Hammy is very weak, almost non existant on the dial, while the Longines is strong, not Seiko strong but like a Speedmaster. The sapphire crystal has a blueish tint and reflects a lot of light, while the AR coated of the Longines is transparent and hold better reflexes.

Also, out of the box it gained 20 seconds per day, I had to regulate it and right now it's about +5 sec/day, like my Longines, so I would say the latter are better adjusted than Hamiltons.

Having said that the design is amazing and I like that watch very much, I am looking for an original military issue one as well.


----------



## Neymern

Hamilton make watches with high quality swiss movements, solid steel cases and sapphire crystals similar to more expensive brands from the Swatch group. They also have some nice designs. You will not be disappointed.


----------



## City74

I would argue to say that for under $1000 it would be difficult to find a brand that offers more. Maybe Oris and Certina would be mixed in there as well


----------



## hub6152

A long archived series of lectures to the AWCI by the world famous George Daniels has been digitised from VHS. In it he includes this as part of the lecture: 

“Daniels reveals that he used hairsprings from Hamilton (the famous American watch manufacture that was based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania). "I tried making my own springs but I wasn't very successful and wasn't getting the correct hysteresis into the metal. Its a very very complex business to make balance springs, so I was very pleased in the end to get some good springs from Hamilton."

Quoted from the recent HODINKEE article just published. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## sprint

I agree...I have several Hamiltons and they are fine watches.


----------



## welovewatch

Hey guys, just a general question, do u guys know where i can find an aftermarket ss bracelet for the hamilton khaki field? Mines a daydate with 42mm model. 

Cheers!


----------



## billiybop

Have any of you had problems with water tight integrity? I've read several negative reviews, mostly on Amazon.com, that their Hamilton is not very water resistant. 
A few people got their Hamilton slightly wet, like just washing the dishes, or, they got caught in a light rain shower and moisture penetrated the case. 
Should I be extra careful not to get my new Khaki wet?


----------



## Dutchman88

I am in the process of building a mostly Hamilton collection. As far as design, quality and price they are amazing. Personally I prefer the ETA movement pieces but for a daily the new H series movements still aren’t bad (the 80 hour power reserve is great for weekends to allow you to wear other watches and not come back to a dead watch Monday morning if you don’t have a winder)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## arcturus

I've owned my ventura for nearly a decade and it still treats me very well. Hamiltons are great watches, with excellent design features. If you like other Swatch group watches, this brand is a strong option.


----------



## LovecK

I had a few Hamilton watches in the past and I can recommend Hamilton as well, good watch for good money...


----------



## georgenaka

Hamilton still offers great value for the money and also real "heritage" which is something that cannot be offered by many other companies with a good value proposition


----------

