# Opinions on Hamilton khaki quartz



## Shademantis

Howdy. I've never owned a Hamilton but I find the overall look of their khaki lines very appealing. And while I do want a khaki auto someday soon, there are a bunch of NOS quartzes floating around at various retailers right now from around $80-$130 (sapphire, 50-100 wr) and it seems like a great time to dip my hairy foot into the Hammie pool by grabbing a field quartz.

I've owned a variety of field type watches over the years, mainly Swiss Army, and was wondering, for the prices quoted above, how do you all think the Hammie quartz field watches stack up for value (vs entry level Swiss Army, Wenger and Bertucci for example). I don't plan on being rough with this watch, but I also don't plan on sticking it in a glass case and mumbling hushed tones at it from across the room.

I'm also wondering if the 38mm version might look too small on my wrists (8")...the lugs are 20-22mm on the models I'm looking at. If anybody with similar sized wrists that could drop a wrist shot or two of a 38mm hammie, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Here are pics of a couple I'm considering:

West Point (50m, sapphire)










White field quartz (100m, sapphire)










black (50m, sapphire)










Day/date model 40mm (sapphire, 50m)










I'm a bit partial to the west point model...but am a little worried that off angle viewing with glare might be an issue. Anyway, any insights you all could give about the Hamilton khaki quartz (low end) line would be appreciated.


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## SRHEdD

I've been here before! I wanted a watch to wear every day over the weekend. Yard work, Jeep work, in the water, out of the water, everything. I tried Marathon Navigators, old Seiko 5's, Trasers, you name it.

It occurred to me that I HAD that perfect watch already in my watch box. A Khaki Field III! I threw a Marathon nylon strap on it (non-zulu, more like ships on a Nav), and it is perfect. More comfortable than the Nav, cheaper than a Traser, and low-profile. I'd love to get that tan strap though, and if I could find a white face, I'd get another (I seldom buy new). I'm considering a Khaki King now, chosing between the King, King Scuba, Auto, or quartz. I don't think there is a bad decision there. Just do it... and sell me the tan strap!


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## skoochy

Go with what you like!

-s-


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## Shademantis

Thanks to you both. The strap is yours drj126, if I go that route. At least for someone new to the brand like me, Hamilton really does have a wide variety of attractive models to choose from.

Skoochy, I hear you. In fact, I've gone the "live chat" route with Ashford and a few other places making inquiries about specs before I buy...and you guessed it...errors were discovered. I have seen pics of the back of the West Point Model and 'sapphire' is clearly indicated there.

About the 38mm. Oddly enough, I never considered the size of a watch until I started posting here. I'm quite sure I wore 36-38mm Swiss army watches all the way through high school and college and never thought twice about it. And now that I've been here for a few months, I've begun doubting my ability to choose the right size. By this I mean...I know what looks good on my wrist...but I have no idea how or if it ever corresponds to a particular set of case size and lug width measurements)...and since I live in the sticks, the only way I ever get to try on anything is to buy it online and pray. You city folk are lucky in that regard. 

I recently flipped an Orsa field watch that was listed at 39mm and it was too small....not because of the case size but because the face/number arrangement appeared extra dinky and crowded (not a problem that I've seen on any hammy).


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## Chuck P

Where in the Michigan sticks do you squat? I'm in Ypsitucky township.

CP


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## Shademantis

Chuck, I'm a Yooper. Left for 20 years (school and such) but returned a couple of years ago. I live at the eastern end...a stone's throw from the Canadian border. And as you may already know, we're all Packer fans up here.


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## johnj

Shademantis said:


> Howdy. I've never owned a Hamilton but I find the overall look of their khaki lines very appealing. And while I do want a khaki auto someday soon, there are a bunch of NOS quartzes floating around at various retailers right now from around $80-$130 (sapphire, 50-100 wr) and it seems like a great time to dip my hairy foot into the Hammie pool by grabbing a field quartz.


I can tell you that I love mine. Super comfortable and dead on accurate. The khaki's have a readability like no other watch.


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## skoochy

johnj said:


> I can tell you that I love mine. Super comfortable and dead on accurate. The khaki's have a readability like no other watch.


I really like the style of that one too! Since I got two Field Officer's models this week, maybe I should trade one for a dial similar to yours.

-s-


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## SRHEdD

Trade?

Trade?

Trade?


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## johnj

Don't forget the relative new comer. The Khaki action quartz.


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## Pro Diver

The movements in the Hammy quartz models are ETA and they are very nice indeed. I had two---sold one and I still own the one that sits on the right at the top of the forum---the Ventura LE.

I have a 7.5 inch wrist and found the 38mm Khaki to be a bit on the small side.


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## Shademantis

Thanks for all your input peeps. Since I've been steadily building up my watch fund over the last 2 months, I figured why nibble at the salad bar when I can grab a 20oz ribeye, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus and an ice cold Anchor Steam. Errr... what I am saying is that my first Hamilton will be an automatic (khaki field or navy) so look for a "help me decide" post in the next day or two.:-! I'll definitely grab a quartz later on but my next watch will definitely be a Hammie auto.


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## Barry H

Good thinking and a really tough choice. But let me save you the bother of another post. Get the Navy auto. :-!


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## SRHEdD

After considering it, and passing it over for a new Khaki Action Auto (due in tomorrow), I added up all of my Overstock.com coupons and sprung for a white face King Khaki Quartz. I got the white face on a black leather strap for $187 shipped. That was too good to pass up.


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## Alathea

So, how do you know based on specs from a site, if its sapphire or not? example (from our own sales forum): some fields have cropped up in the last few weeks and they list sapphire crystals, but if you google 38mm Hamilton Khaki you get a lot of "mineral" crystals. Hamilton's site doesn't list all models anymore on the main page. Can one assume Khaki's have sapphire crystals?


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## Shademantis

Alathea said:


> Hamilton's site doesn't list all models anymore on the main page. Can one assume Khaki's have sapphire crystals?


Absolutely not (for the quartz versions). You have to check by model number and correlate info you find from at least a couple of sources. Ideally, you want a caseback shot of the watch. Hamilton usually always prints "sapphire" on the caseback of watches so equipped. Most of the 42mm quartz fields use mineral...the 38mm versions are a mix. Email the seller or retailer to confirm.


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## Alathea

Yikes. What a CF. There are two Hamilton quartz's im looking at, both field-the only difference is that one is a 'special' model and one is the standard field quartz-and the special one is purported to have a sapphire vs. a regular crystal. That special model isn't on the website.


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## Shademantis

Alathea said:


> Yikes. What a CF. There are two Hamilton quartz's im looking at, both field-the only difference is that one is a 'special' model and one is the standard field quartz-and the special one is purported to have a sapphire vs. a regular crystal. That special model isn't on the website.


Show me. What model numbers? I've done a TON of online research over the past few months on available Hamilton field models and I might be able to help or offer alternatives.


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## Alathea

Got my response from Hamilton corp. about the crystal question. What are the bracelets like on the Field khaki's?


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## afc14284

If I may add... the Hamiltons that have a 42mm diameter that i've seen do have Sapphire Cristals.. My Navy Sub Quartz is one of them:-!


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## Shademantis

That's right. But most of the 42mm 'field' quartzes have mineral...which is what I think he was asking about.


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## Alathea

Im asking about the '38 mm' field quartz's though with the crown they are probably 42. I have a SWAT Field Quartz on deck, though, so I found one that looks sharp and has sapphire for a really good price. Thanks for all the information!


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## johnj

Mine is 38mm with sapphire crystal. This is one of my favorite watches and the most comfortable.


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## peewee102

Shademantis said:


> Absolutely not (for the quartz versions). You have to check by model number and correlate info you find from at least a couple of sources. Ideally, you want a caseback shot of the watch. Hamilton usually always prints "sapphire" on the caseback of watches so equipped. Most of the 42mm quartz fields use mineral...the 38mm versions are a mix. Email the seller or retailer to confirm.


I was wondering if the one I just bought, 
Quartz Khaki III H68481933
has a mineral or sapphire crystal. I've seen it listed on other sites both ways. It doesn't say sapphire on the case back.


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## skoochy

peewee102 said:


> I was wondering if the one I just bought,
> Quartz Khaki III H68481933
> has a mineral or sapphire crystal. I've seen it listed on other sites both ways. It doesn't say sapphire on the case back.


if it doesn't say on the back, then it is probably not sapphire.

-s-


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## peewee102

Thanks! It doesn't matter, I really like this watch. It's going to replace the CWC G10 I've been wearing. It has the plastic crystal, and scratches if you look at it. I'm tired of polishing the face. So, the Khaki's mineral is good enough for me! I think it's far superior to the CWC, and was cheaper to boot. Wish I had know about the Hamilton before I bought the other one.


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## skoochy

peewee102 said:


> Thanks! It doesn't matter, I really like this watch. It's going to replace the CWC G10 I've been wearing. It has the plastic crystal, and scratches if you look at it. I'm tired of polishing the face. So, the Khaki's mineral is good enough for me! I think it's far superior to the CWC, and was cheaper to boot. Wish I had know about the Hamilton before I bought the other one.


That's all that matters, and it is a great watch. The nice thing about mineral is if it does scratch (well for me, WHEN it does scratch), the replacement cost is pretty low. Enjoy it!

-s-


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## peewee102

Even when mineral scratches, it'll still polish out good enough for me. I was wondering what ETA movement it has and what battery it takes. I'm going to see about getting rid of the CWC on Ebay. At least CWC's hold their value pretty well.


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## skoochy

peewee102 said:


> Even when mineral scratches, it'll still polish out good enough for me. I was wondering what ETA movement it has and what battery it takes. I'm going to see about getting rid of the CWC on Ebay. At least CWC's hold their value pretty well.


You can open up the back pretty easily to check, but most likely it is an ETA 955.112 or F06.11A depending on how old. Someone who has looked more recently can probably correct that if it's wrong. Most likely a 371 cell.

(I can replace the crystal faster than polishing it out... I've never had good luck polishing mineral crystals.)

-s-


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## peewee102

skoochy said:


> You can open up the back pretty easily to check, but most likely it is an ETA 955.112 or F06.11A depending on how old. Someone who has looked more recently can probably correct that if it's wrong. Most likely a 371 cell.
> 
> (I can replace the crystal faster than polishing it out... I've never had good luck polishing mineral crystals.)
> 
> -s-


 The watch is a new one, had it 6 days now. How do you change out the crystal?


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## skoochy

peewee102 said:


> The watch is a new one, had it 6 days now. How do you change out the crystal?


Take off the back (a crab type opener is the best for this watch), pull the plastic retainer out, push the button and remove the crown & stem, the movement will drop out. Then use a crystal press ($15 at Harbor Freight) to push the crystal out. Put the new crystal in place and push it in. A new crystal is about $4-7 depending how thick it is. Put everything back in. Total time: 10 minutes.

-s-


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## peewee102

skoochy said:


> Take off the back (a crab type opener is the best for this watch), pull the plastic retainer out, push the button and remove the crown & stem, the movement will drop out. Then use a crystal press ($15 at Harbor Freight) to push the crystal out. Put the new crystal in place and push it in. A new crystal is about $4-7 depending how thick it is. Put everything back in. Total time: 10 minutes.
> 
> -s-


 Hi Skoochy,
I was wondering if you have heard any bad things about the sapphire versions of this watch? I have read that they crack easily. Scratched I can live with, cracked, not so much!


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## skoochy

peewee102 said:


> Hi Skoochy,
> I was wondering if you have heard any bad things about the sapphire versions of this watch? I have read that they crack easily. Scratched I can live with, cracked, not so much!


I'm pretty tough on my watches and I haven't scratched a Hamilton sapphire crystal yet (and I have a good number of Hamiltons, and wear them on a regular basis, quite more often than "high end" brands). Also, haven't broken any either, but I've only ever broken plastic and mineral crystals on other watches, never a sapphire. Probably two plastic and five mineral. And every single watch I have with a mineral crystal has a scratched crystal. I do have a B&M and an Eterna each with a scratched sapphire crystal, it sucks on the B&M because it is really gouged but also A/R coated so I don't want to just pop a generic crystal in.

So I would rate their sapphire crystals up there with most everyone elses. And at the price point, it's an excellent feature. I'd be surprised if the Khaki Fields crack easily as the doming makes them a little thicker and stronger. Maybe there's someone else who has actually cracked one can chime in? I don't recall hearing about it here though.

-s-


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## peewee102

Thanks S-. The things I read were the feedback on a stores return policy and how they handled repairs. I asked because I took the plunge and bought a sapphire one, planning to sell the mineral version. Then I read about the sapphires cracking, and wasn't sure of which one to part with!


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