Hamilton has been releasing updated versions of its popular line, and the four latest 40 mm power reserve references are some of the best yet.

The Khaki Field Mechanical Power Reserve comes in a 40 mm x 11.95 mm sandblasted stainless steel case, featuring either a black or white dial, paired with either a 20 mm, at the lugs, NATO-style strap, or a tapered stainless steel bracelet.

A clean, easy-to-read, printed dial with a 24-hour military scale on the inner track, with luminous hour markers and hands (in Old Radium-colored Super-LumiNova), represents the Khaki’s signature look. And now, it has an F-E half-circle vertical power reserve indicator, a feature that’s often not included on mechanical watches, but that should be.

An exclusive hand-wound H-23 caliber, with a power reserve function, developed for Hamilton by ETA, features an 80-hour power reserve and needs to be hand-wound, which is one of the fun ways to enjoy mechanical watchmaking, compared to an automatic movement that rarely needs to be wound by hand.

Apart from the new 40 mm diameter case, the power reserve dial and movement, another design feature we’re seeing on all the next-generation Khaki watches is a crown that has been flattened compared to older models, and while this does sacrifice some grippability, this is a case where form matters more than function, and the new crown is inarguably better looking.

Hamilton also upped the water-resistance on this model, giving it a full and proper 100 meters of water-resistance, which should be a standard on a watch made for the “field.” A sapphire crystal protects the dial, and a solid screw-in stainless steel caseback secures the back side.   

Hamilton sells the Khaki Field Mechanical Power Reserve watch (Ref. H69509130 – steel bracelet black dial, H69509110 – steel bracelet white dial, H69509930 – black dial Nato-style strap, H69509910 – white dial Nato-style strap) for $945 on a NATO-style strap or $1,025 on a steel bracelet, which is decently priced, in an era when most timepieces have skyrocketed in price.

 

Photos by Hamilton.