Why I Love This Watch

I love the simple, casual, functional nature of field watches. They’re easy to read and easy to pair with most casual outfits – especially when you have a neutral dial (black or white).

And I love the size of this particular field watch. It’s 38 mm in diameter and under 10 mm thick, which is perfect for small or average sized wrists.

One reason I chose this hand winding version over its automatic big brother is the thickness. Both watches are 38 mm in diameter, but this simple manually wound movement is very thin.

That means this watch slides neatly under any shirt cuff, almost like a dress watch. In fact, in a pinch, you could absolutely throw this watch on a patent leather strap and wear it with a suit.

It’s also very light, so it really disappears on your wrist after you wear it for a while. I think this watch offers a ton of value for the price. It’s a Swiss made watch from a company with plenty of heritage.

Hamilton was originally founded in Lancaster, PA, not too far from where I grew up. The company made a name for itself with super accurate pocket watches for the railroad industry.

During WWII, Hamilton provided hundreds of thousands of watches to American soldiers. Their field watches – like this one – are still some of their most popular models.

In the 1970s, Hamilton was bought by the Swatch Group, a giant Swiss watch company that owns brands like Omega, Longines and Tissot.

So they have this American heritage, even though they’re technically Swiss watches. And the fact that you can get this mechanical, Swiss watch for under $300 is ridiculous.

Khaki Mechanical Strap

A lot of people complain about the strap that this watch comes on, and I think many people who buy it end up putting it on a leather or NATO strap.