Hamilton Khaki King Automatic
Today I'm wearing one of my newest watches (other than the one I picked up at the post office today, and the others that I should get in the next week or two. Yes, I might have a problem...) my Hamilton Khaki King automatic. I've mentioned I'm a fan of House, M.D. before and this is the watch House wore from the beginning of the show until he got his Casio Sea Pathfinder last season. As the show debuted in 2004, it coincided with my renewed fascination with watches, and specifically modern Hamiltons, so it's no surprise that I've wanted it ever since I saw it on Hugh Laurie's wrist the first time (I've also been a Hugh Laurie fan since I saw him in Blackadder.) I also noticed he wore it off the show, on talk shows and for this TV Guide photo (from Watches In Movies.) I don't know if it was a promotional deal or if he just liked the watch, but either way I'm happy I finally got one. I was actually after the same model with the stainless steel band, but unless I could obtain the Hamilton strap for it, I don't think I would consider it "The House Watch". Also the cost would have been almost $100 greater, which didn't seem to make a lot of sense. Looking at the watch, you certainly can recognize it as a Hamilton with the purposeful stainless case, highly legible dial and military-inspired design. The big day is a nice complication which prompted one of my friends to comment "IT'S FRIDAY!" You certainly have no excuse to not know what day it is when wearing this. The 40mm case is a good size, and the overall look is different enough from my 42mm Khaki Field automatic that I don't feel like I have two of the same watch. The leather band also helps in this respect. The Khaki King came with a regular buckle on the sturdy leather strap, but I replaced it with a Hamilton deployant which I purchased originally for my Khaki Mechanical Limited Edition. The finish on the deployant never suited the bead-blasted finish on the Mechanical, so I never used it. Fortunately it fits and matches the Khaki King perfectly. As strange as it sounds, I think I'm done with buying Hamiltons for a while. I have all the models and variations that I really want, and while Hamilton continues to come out with some very original and interesting designs (and I would be happy to receive a US 66 with power reserve as a gift) I don't feel like I need any additional models at the moment. The poor exchange rate of the US dollar to the Euro makes the decision even easier, as the Hamilton watches that once could be found with great discounts on eBay now cost hundreds more. I think I can manage to curb my appetite for Hamiltons and other Swiss watches until the exchange rate tips back in our favor a little bit. I have plenty of watches to hold me over.
Today I'm wearing one of my newest watches (other than the one I picked up at the post office today, and the others that I should get in the next week or two. Yes, I might have a problem...) my Hamilton Khaki King automatic. I've mentioned I'm a fan of House, M.D. before and this is the watch House wore from the beginning of the show until he got his Casio Sea Pathfinder last season. As the show debuted in 2004, it coincided with my renewed fascination with watches, and specifically modern Hamiltons, so it's no surprise that I've wanted it ever since I saw it on Hugh Laurie's wrist the first time (I've also been a Hugh Laurie fan since I saw him in Blackadder.) I also noticed he wore it off the show, on talk shows and for this TV Guide photo (from Watches In Movies.) I don't know if it was a promotional deal or if he just liked the watch, but either way I'm happy I finally got one. I was actually after the same model with the stainless steel band, but unless I could obtain the Hamilton strap for it, I don't think I would consider it "The House Watch". Also the cost would have been almost $100 greater, which didn't seem to make a lot of sense. Looking at the watch, you certainly can recognize it as a Hamilton with the purposeful stainless case, highly legible dial and military-inspired design. The big day is a nice complication which prompted one of my friends to comment "IT'S FRIDAY!" You certainly have no excuse to not know what day it is when wearing this. The 40mm case is a good size, and the overall look is different enough from my 42mm Khaki Field automatic that I don't feel like I have two of the same watch. The leather band also helps in this respect. The Khaki King came with a regular buckle on the sturdy leather strap, but I replaced it with a Hamilton deployant which I purchased originally for my Khaki Mechanical Limited Edition. The finish on the deployant never suited the bead-blasted finish on the Mechanical, so I never used it. Fortunately it fits and matches the Khaki King perfectly. As strange as it sounds, I think I'm done with buying Hamiltons for a while. I have all the models and variations that I really want, and while Hamilton continues to come out with some very original and interesting designs (and I would be happy to receive a US 66 with power reserve as a gift) I don't feel like I need any additional models at the moment. The poor exchange rate of the US dollar to the Euro makes the decision even easier, as the Hamilton watches that once could be found with great discounts on eBay now cost hundreds more. I think I can manage to curb my appetite for Hamiltons and other Swiss watches until the exchange rate tips back in our favor a little bit. I have plenty of watches to hold me over.
Where did you get the Hamilton deployant? I've asked some watch stores around here and they don't seem to know...
ReplyDelete