I’ve always had a soft spot for the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical. I’m actually quite surprised I still don’t own one. It’s simple, rugged, affordable, and blessedly free of fluff. So when I heard they’d done something “new” to it, I flinched a little. Hamilton’s track record for leaving well enough alone is a big part of why this line works. But here we are, with a dial that looks like a glacial mood swing. Weirdly enough… I kind of love it.
Officially, this is the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical Zermatt Exclusive. Same 38mm bead-blasted case. Same hand-wound ETA 2801 inside. Same military-adjacent DNA that’s made it a gateway drug for field watch nerds everywhere. But that dial, man. It’s icy, blue-and-white, textured like frozen wind, and pretty much unlike anything Hamilton’s done in the Khaki Field lineup before. Aesthetically, it’s a hard left turn. But structurally, nothing’s changed, and I think this works.
Hamilton’s smart about this kind of thing. The case should still wear like a charm—lightweight, no-polish matte steel that feels almost invisible on the wrist until you glance down and catch that dial doing its thing. The handset, typeface, and layout are untouched, which keeps the watch grounded. Even the included NATO straps are familiar: one solid blue, one with a white racing stripe. Nothing here is shouting, “Limited edition!” except for that frozen lake on your dial and a boutique engraving on the back.
And that brings us to the gimmick—or the collector lure, depending on your disposition. You can only buy this thing in Zermatt. Not online, not through a boutique in Zurich or Geneva. You’ve got to physically go to the Hamilton x Air Zermatt shop, near the base of the Matterhorn, to walk out with one of these. They’ve had a partnership there for a decade, so it’s not some quick collab for press. But let’s be honest, most of us won’t be booking a helicopter tour to grab one. Still, I kind of love that it exists.
In a weird way, this watch is peak Hamilton. It blends their American military roots with their current Swiss life under Swatch Group’s stewardship. It doesn’t chase specs or flash, but it throws in a little design curveball for the folks who’ve maybe already owned a Khaki or two. And at roughly $750 it’s not charging you for the altitude.
Will this become a collector grail? Probably not. But is it the coolest Khaki you’ve never seen in person? Quite possibly. And if you’re already making the trip to Switzerland, it’s one hell of a souvenir—less about flexing and more about remembering that even legacy field watches can still surprise us now and then.
Co-Founder & Senior Editor
Michael Peñate is an American writer, photographer, and podcaster based in Seattle, Washington. His work typically focuses on the passage of time and the tools we use to connect with that very journey. From aviation to music and travel, his interests span a multitude of disciplines that often intersect with the world of watches – and the obsessive culture behind collecting them.