Hands-on with the Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto Green Watch
Sunday - 21 May 2023
The 43mm series of Navy Scuba watches gets a striking green gradient dial and a matching-coloured bezel for successfully measuring elapsed time
Hamilton has been supplying tool watches to the American military since 1914, to which the Navy was the brand’s main customer. It put the watchmaker in the perfect position to hone into the needs of this clientele further, refining its approach to legible, accurate instruments for challenging missions. Whether on land, in the sea or up in the air, Hamilton’s Khaki watch collection is home to the brand’s toughest and most durable wristwatches and is segregated into three categories; the Khaki Field, Khaki Aviation and Khaki Navy. The latter is home to a plethora of water-resistant watches based on the marine chronometers it supplied to the Navy many years ago. These watches were deployed in combat during the Second World War and served as an integral piece of kit for performing important missions and completing operations.
Within the Hamilton Khaki Navy watch collection is the Scuba line. We covered another newcomer to this line – the Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Quartz watch – here. It came complete with a green dial and a matching green-coloured aluminium unidirectional bezel that had the first 15 minutes of dive time marked out in a sleek black colour. It also featured an additional 24-hour scale, luminous hour markers and hands and a green textile strap that completed its look on the wrist perfectly. The new Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto watch is a design similar to the Scuba Quartz. The design has been made available in this striking moss green colour and follows the design cues of the 2021 models, with a beefed-up case design promising an improved 300-meter water resistance.
The new gradient green dial of the Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto watch lives in a robust house made from stainless steel with a scratch-resistant and anti-reflective crystal glass roof. It belongs to the line that became the brand’s entry-level collection, with several quartz designs measuring a very compact 37mm diameter, whilst the automatic versions tended to measure 40mm. Prior to the 2021 additions to the line, the automatic watches were equipped with 100-meter water resistance too, but now feature different dial textures and materials, as well as the absence of a date window.
Joining a line of black, white and blue dials, the new Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto watch reference H82525160 is clothed in a moss-green colour in a gradient effect. A lighter centre bleeds out to a darker perimeter and is adorned with a granular matte texture that matches a unidirectional bezel in the same green colour. The bezel need only be aligned with the minute hand on the dial and you have a perfect way to track elapsed time underwater. Designed so that it can only rotate in the counter-clockwise direction, the bezel can never be accidentally extended, ensuring that you won’t outstay your welcome underwater. The new Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto watch is also equipped with a screw-down crown at 3 o’clock with two crown guards that ensure a water-tight environment for the movement inside the case. In addition to this, the back of the watch is screwed down to create an impermeable housing for the Calibre H-10.
The H-10 automatic movement is based on the ETA 2824 and provides a useful 80-hour power reserve that comes in useful when wanting to alternate the watch with something dressier in the evening. Should this be the case, the movement will continue to perform at a constant rate of 3Hz to ensure it won’t lose time whilst off the wrist. The movement is also equipped with a Nivachron balance spring that is resistant to the negative effects caused by magnetism.
The legibility of the Hamilton Khaki watch series has always been paramount, so it is no surprise to see that the Scuba Auto watch reference H82525160 has been equipped with large applied indexes that have been treated with plenty of Super-LumiNova. The same can be said about the central hour and minute hands, as well as the useful inner 24-hour scale. The hour markers are a mix of triangular and circular shapes, whilst the central second hand has been enhanced with a red arrow-tipped motif and luminous material filled in its centre. All these features are protected by a domed piece of sapphire glass that protects the display from denting, scratching, light, moisture and heat damage. The notched bezel for easy-grip purposes also features a luminous pip at the 12 o’clock location.
What seems noticeable about the new Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto watch is its sportier influences, which can be appreciated in its assertive presence, enhanced all the more by a matching stainless steel bracelet. The tough metal band secures to the underside of the wrist with a folding clasp and a push-button release mechanism to make it easy to handle when dressing it on and off the wrist.
If you’d like more information on the new Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto watch, you can call and speak to a member of our knowledgeable Jura Watches sales team on 01135 453453, who will be more than happy to advise on pricing, availability and online finance options.
