# Hamilton Khaki water resistance



## DTS419 (Nov 7, 2017)

I have a Hamilton Khaki King and a Khaki Mechanical field watch. Both are rated at 50m water resistance but do not have screw down crowns. Obviously they are not ISO dive watches and I have no intention of exposing them to extreme conditions like water skiing or deep sea diving, but I do spend a lot of time around water kayaking, fishing, and playing with my kids at the pool. I am wondering how safe it is to wear the 50m watches in these near surface activities and whether anyone has any anecdotal evidence or experience with these watches around water. While I try not to wear them at the pool because of the general dangers of scratching, damaging the straps, etc. I would like to be able to at least wear these field watches without fear in the great outdoors when kayaking and fishing. Thanks.


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## yankeexpress (Apr 7, 2013)

I leave my Hammies in my nice dry safe at home and wear my G-Shock on the water. Not taking a chance.


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## JohnnyKarate (Oct 8, 2016)

I would be careful. I heard stories of peoples 100m Khaki Fields fogging up from rain.. pretty sad really.


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## DTS419 (Nov 7, 2017)

JohnnyKarate said:


> I would be careful. I heard stories of peoples 100m Khaki Fields fogging up from rain.. pretty sad really.


I've "heard" that too, but does anyone have any actual experience with these watches in and around the water??


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## bbjai (Apr 24, 2018)

50m usually just means splash proof. They're field watches not divers so why risk it. What if you tip over during kayaking and your watch gets submerged. If there is no screw down crown I usually would never submerge it.


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## sticky (Apr 5, 2013)

In theory a 50M rated watch should be happy enough with a bit of kayaking and fishing but I wouldn't risk it especially with the stories of leaky Khakis that haunt the forums.


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## Denver1911 (Aug 31, 2008)

I have a few Hamilton’s that have been subjected to rough treatment around water without issue.


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## iuam (Jun 12, 2017)

DTS419 said:


> I've "heard" that too, but does anyone have any actual experience with these watches in and around the water??


I think there are a couple of threads here, complete with pictures


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## Eddie Bell (Mar 28, 2016)

Sadly I look at most Hamiltons as dry only watches.


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## BillSWPA (Feb 19, 2015)

If the watch does not have a screw down crown, take any water resistance rating with a bucket of salt and replace the waterproof seals every few years. Do not let the seal replacement get beyond 5 years or the seals will fail.

50m should be fine for swimming but that is about it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Vlance (Apr 12, 2014)

DTS419 said:


> I've "heard" that too, but does anyone have any actual experience with these watches in and around the water??


Old thread, but I took my khaki king on vacation and swam with it in the ocean and pool and it was fine. That being said, I wasn't doing any diving or anything.


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## Hands90 (Jun 8, 2015)

JohnnyKarate said:


> I would be careful. I heard stories of peoples 100m Khaki Fields fogging up from rain.. pretty sad really.


Yikes. I really wanted to buy this but it does seem like people reporting lots of issues. 
Still a nice looking watch though.


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## NC_Hager626 (Sep 20, 2018)

Hands90 said:


> Yikes. I really wanted to buy this but it does seem like people reporting lots of issues.
> Still a nice looking watch though.


Don't let something like this scare you away from a watch. You should understand as to why a watch would fog up.

There could be several reasons as to why a watch would fog up, such as: 
1) the gasket seal is no longer providing a tight seal between the case and the case back cover. This could be a result of a number of reasons, such as: when the case back was removed a NEW gasket has not been used, but instead of the old one was put back in; cologne or exposure to some other chemical compound weaken the gasket's seal; etc., and
2) the case back may have been removed in a humid environment, thereby allowing moisture inside the watch. This would then create condensation in the watch when going from a hot to a cold environment.

Again, the emphasis is to understand why something would happen to prevent it from happening to your watch.:-!


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