The $595 Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical vs. a $50 AliExpress Field Watch. How do they Compare?
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- A comparison between the $595 Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical and a $50 Ali Express watch from Escapement Time. There are quite a few differences and similarities between these two field watches. Plus we'll go over some other alternative options in similar price ranges from Bulova, Marathon, and more.
Full Review of the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical:
• Is the Hamilton Khaki ...
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#watchcollector #watchreview #hamiltonwatch
Thank you for this clear and concise presentation. I have similar model from Tandorio and it is great!
An early mentor told me, "No one cares about your watch. Wear what you like and can afford. If you are seeking to impress others, do it with something that matters - like your character."
Since discovering Ali Express my collection has significantly grown to where I am now on a two-week rotation and all pieces are beautiful. They ranged from $50ish to a few hundred.
Build a solid collection for not a lot of money and enjoy your treasures. 🙂
Yeah frankly MSRP for that Hamilton is insane. It's an extremely simple watch and all those Chinese clones prove that 100%. Looking at your video I can't find any notable differences between the two other than the strap quality, which is just as well as I absolutely dislike natos (and I find the sweeping quartz a huge positive for a watch I would put on only occasionally).
I have the Baltany. Its spectacular. Very happy with it.
got my 39mm with the white dial on the 3-link "Bader" bracelet watch on amzwatch 3 weeks ago and am loving it to pieces. Absolute fantastic watch that wears super comfortable on my 6.75 inch wrist. Chose the 3-link over the 5-link bracelet for the toolless quick adjustment. Way more comfortable than my Longines Hydroconquest 41 mm.
A link to the AliExpress watch would be greatly appreciated or a model number or somewhere where I could do some more investigation
It's listed on Ali Express as: Escapement Time VH31 Quartz Movement Watch 38mm Case Waterproof 100M Super luminous. The model number is listed as H0300. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching!
Great video. I of course ran out and bought the Escapement Time watch when it was released. I’m a fan of those meca-quartz movements since I have so many automatics it’s nice to have a grab and go. ET did a really good job on this watch, though they should have given it sapphire for a few extra bucks. The Militado in white now seems like the one to get. Even the branding looks Hamiltonesque at a glance. The lume test was shameful. Hamilton should be embarrassed.
The "China made" stamp at the bottom of the dial, kind of a parody of the familiar "Swiss made" stamp 😂
Great video! 💯
Thanks for the nice comparison.
I ordered the chinese one some time ago only to check if the style and size of the Hamilton would fit me. In the end I didn't buy the Hamilton, as the Escapement Time is quite nice and the Hamilton is so badly overpriced. Certainly it is the better watch - but it's never worth 12x the price.
The greatest flex when you have the Hamilton is you can afford to sink lots of money into something so simple. Knowing you got the original model of all the homages, on your wrist, is worth the price of admission. In my collection for a year now.
And yeah. Don't spit on it because you hate it, or can't afford it. Like spitting on someone else's tastes and preferences. The +/- 2 seconds of precision per day and the 72 hour power reserve, makes it almost set and forget.
I just don't get Hamilton. Hamilton ended in the sixties with the brand name eventually becoming owned by the Swatch group. The brand name was revived but the watches are made in a different factory in a different country. To me it's just a branding/marketing exercise which enables them to sell overpriced field watches which they cannot even be bothered to give a decent spec. They scream cash grab. Especially given the massive price inflation over recent years.
The Escapement Time is quartz. Literally a set and forget.
@@fredfour0 But not mechanical. Big difference for me, on the feel
thing is the hamilton khaki isnt the first field watch in that style lol
i guess if it can help to boost your low self-esteem, it might be worth. personally, i dont need to spend lots of money just for the flex. spending more for quality, that's a different story. similarly, you too shouldn't spit on someone who prefers not to spend more if they don't need to.
I tried going down the Chinese clone route for a while, but I ended up buying the Hamilton. I just couldn’t shake the feeling I was wearing a cheap knock off. Yeah they’re good value for money, but the feeling you get isn’t the same, or even close.
I can understand that. I'm actually wearing my Hamilton Khaki today! Thanks for watching.
Hamilton or Escapement time down the pub . Hamilton would rock it .
Its in the name unfortunately .
All luxury watches are overpriced.
Starting to realize that Seiko, Hamilton and so on are just overpriced scams. You can get so much value with way less money!
I agree, Seiko, Hamilton, Rolex, Mido, IWC, and so on... These companies sell you overpriced watches just because of the brand name. It's an absolute scam.
That's what I've always been saying...
you already paying china through your tax money. They clone a Japanese brand and since they received so many incentives making the same clone of japanese product will be cheaper for china thus you think you pay less for the same quality while you already paying china to build the fake watch and you pay the more when you purchase the product. China is making thousands of percent profit and crippling genuine brands like seiko, forcing them to raise the price and limit production.
Nah, its pretty badass to wear a Seiko! The brand that nearly killed the whole Swiss watch industry. You need to give Seiko the respect it deserves.
@_RJ_Z while that's true, their head has gone waaay too big! Right now, they're nothing short of milking their fanboys. It's sad but true.
The HKFM is well overpriced.
I bought a vintage 1969 Hamilton GG-W-113, for less than half of the price of that Khaki.
Why would you buy a 'homage' when the real thing is cheaper?
'A fool and his money...'
Can someone recommend a Field watch like these but with only a 24hour dial
Do you mean a watch where the hour hand moves around the dial once per day? If so, maybe the Glycine Airman? I don't know of many 24 hour field watches. Maybe check out Svalbard watches?
also the chinese one has darker dial color
Good Review Rob....makes you think, lol....
If you’re into the look, yeah why buy a hamilton when you can buy a chinees knockoff for 1/10 the price. I would love to see an actual legit field test
Hamilton is over priced
How do you compare the Hamilton with this Chinese 🗑
Well the Hamilton’s case, caseback, crown and hands come from China, lord knows where the Hamilton’s strap is made, so you’d better put that in the bin too 😂
@borassictime918 Where did you get this information!? Do you have a link so I can read about this?
@@LaithFaouri I work in the watch industry. A considerable proportion of parts are sourced from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc., and assembled in Switzerland whilst still meeting the “Swiss Made” standard; basically 60% of production costs by value, including labour, with final assembly and QC/regulation in Switzerland. Parts sourced from the far east are cheap and so make meeting the standard easy. Some Hamilton watches don’t even have ‘Swiss Made’ on the dial, including a Jazzmaster I owned, because they don’t meet even *that* standard. Some brands like Moser, who source 95% of its components in Switzerland, refuse to use the ‘Swiss Made’ label because it’s so abused. To quote Moser there is a “gap between end-consumers’ perception of the label, who generally take the Swiss Made designation to mean the item is 100% Swiss, and the reality that brands manufacture many components in other countries”.
And don’t take my word for it, if you subscribe to podcasts like those of eg Scottish Watches and A Blog To Watch Weekly, you will quickly learn the extent of such slights of hand. 👍
@borassictime918 Thank you for the great information 👍🏼
Also, if you want to know more, have a listen to this week’s ‘A Blog To Watch Weekly’ podcast episode #123 ‘Watch Swag, Swiss Protectionism…” in which they discuss what Swiss Made actually does, should, and could amount to.
I found the Militado ML05 a better version of this style of watch. No branding on the dial and a sapphire crystal. There is also a 36mm version if you want more of a retro size.
I've the same model, paid 47 euros and with Seiko VH31 mechaquarz movement. With the sterile dial it is much more beautiful and similar to a real military watch
The RDUNAE RA03 is even more accurate in size, but has a simpler quartz caliber.
@@TheGrenadier97 I've both models, RA03 and ML05, the RA03 with a NATO strap is very similar to the original Benrus. The domed glass and the small size make it very beautiful. But Militado have a better glass (sapphire) and an interesting movement (Seiko VH31) for a cheaper price. However I prefer RA03 because it is more relevant to the version used in Vietnam.
That was my dilema. Nicer specifications at one side, correct dimensions on the other. I went for the RA03, but i suppose RDUNAE will make it better in the future because sales have been seemingly quite good.
Yep, have that Militado, too. Great little beater watch to wear at my industrial job. Strap was horrible, though. But replaced it with a much more comfortable NATO for about $4. So, about $50 all told. And I also have a Hamilton, although a Jazzmaster. And that thing is beautiful. But I don't really care for their field watches with their borderline specs for such a high price.
My stainless steel, 200 meter resistant Tandorio field/Flieger can be had with several different dial types (A/B/12+24) and has an NH35A automatic calibre, which is holding +1 sec/day while worn and on a winder at night! It cost 45 dollars, shipping included. I really like it!
The Hamilton is by far the better watch, but Hamilton screwed itself by pricing it up and up and into the stratosphere. It would be an easy buy for the Hamilton if this was $50 vs $200, but at nearly $600 USD (and even more in CAD), it isn't really worth its price anymore.
So virtually identical in looks but 1/12th price and 20 times more accurate. 🤔
I'm waiting for a Militado ML05 and a Steelflier, great watches for the price.
"Khaki" pronounced "kacky" amuses me. Kacky in Australia means covered in shite.
That's hilarious. I'll have to remember to bring the Hamilton if I visit Australia and talk about it a lot! Thanks for watching!
@@worthwhilewatches FYO. khaki in Oz is pronounced "car key"
Exactly! Same in the UK..it's hilarious....😂
A pointless video. So, Hamiltons are overpriced: what a scoop, really! Amazing!
Nice fake Hamilton.
Love the Hamilton Khaki field but its ridiculously priced nowadays..Have the H0300 superb lil piece but now the Militado MLO5 is the one to get for a good homage to the iconic HKF... Great review.
comparing a mechanical to a quartz...... is like comparing 'planes to cars. Both ahve their merits, but they simply are not the same.
'Apples and Bowling Balls' to steal a line from The Sopranos.
I agree but that wasn't the soul point of comparison. It was just one point of comparison
That fraying is annoying.
I paid about $300 for my Hamilton Khaki Mechanical several years ago. It’s a fantastic watch and worth every cent. $600 is quite a bit harder to swallow. Maybe worth it in the long run. It isn’t just that Hamilton has a long history or whatever. It’s that Hamilton actually put R&D money into the design that the Chinese company just ripped off. The mechanical movement and sapphire crystal are vastly superior to the quartz and mineral crystal on the Chinese watch. Wear the fake Hammy if you, probably no one will notice the difference. For my $50, I’d rather wear a Timex that’s at least honest about its design and has Indiglo that crushes any lume anyway.
There is another watch from militado ml05 with sapphire crystal for less than $50.
I would say it’s a “ripoff” if they branded their watch as Hamilton.
@@RpMcMurphy_ No, that’s counterfeit. That’s different. Watch brands rip off other companies designs and put their name on it all the time. Call it an “homage” if you like, there’s a lot of gray area there.
@@bolandjd
Yeah well I don’t have any issues with homage watches especially if the original model is no longer manufactured or out of reach for the majority of people due to cost. It’s not pretending to be the original. Further in many cases I don’t believe it affects sales of the original because they sell to a different market(individual). Finally I do see your point that they just steal the design. I’m not disagreeing with you there. I suppose it’s all in how one does it. Let’s use another example: I’ve always wanted a gg-w-113 but do not want to necessarily wear a vintage mechanical daily. Praesidus made one that’s of decent quality. It uses modern materials which allows it to stand up to daily use while allowing today’s people to have one. They are paying respect to that place, time, company etc. Would you say they ripped of Hamilton, benrus and others?
@@RpMcMurphy_ Yeah, I see your point. Like I said, there’s a lot of gray area. And I agree with you that Ali Express knockoffs are likely not stealing sales away from actual watch companies. Praesidus is an interesting case. AFAIK, they are copying historical designs that are out of production. And really their watches are just homages anyway, since they sort of mimic the general esthetic, but cases are different, movements are different, etc. Also, the A11 was a government spec produced by numerous companies.
With the price hikes in recent years, id agree the value proposition of the khaki field isnt as great as before. However, what Hamilton does have which greatly increases cost is R&D, and a proper QA/QC department. The no name clone company has neither of these large cost centers in their business.
Two years ago I bought a Hamilton for 400 euros, compared to the current price, a good buy. I ordered the smaller version of the Hamilton Rdunae RA03 copy, so I'm curious. 😊
Get a Bertucci field watch great price good lume and one hundred meters water resistance from an American company.
Yeah, I'd like to try one of those soon.
Timex expedition north has a titanium hand wound model with 200m of water resistance in titanium case. It is $420 ish, so it is not extremely cheap, but way better value for money.
I double checked and with timex you actually get an automatic for that price
You get mech for sub 300
That sounds comparable to the Boderry Voyager: titanium and sapphire, Seiko NH36 automatic movement, only 100M water resistance but costs about $100 on Amazon (US).