Hamilton Takes Flight With New Series of Highly Technical Pilot Watches
Ready for takeoff.
Hamilton has been making precision pilot watches for more than a century, dating back to when it first supplied timepieces for the U.S. Airmail service in 1918. Now the heritage watchmaker is launching a new series of Khaki Aviation Converter timepieces that enable critical flying calculations and conversions to be performed right on the wrist.
Available in automatic, automatic chronograph and GMT automatic movements, the Khaki Aviation Converter’s signature feature is a bi-directional rotating bezel that interacts with the fixed scale around the dial to create a “slide rule” designed to carry out in-flight mathematical computations.
This workhorse of a slide rule bezel can determine crucial flying factors including airspeed, distance, fuel consumption, rate of climb or descent and flight time, and follows the same principles as the E6B “Whiz Wheel”, a paper flight computer that’s still used in pilot training today.
If you’re not in need of such Top Gun-level geekery, the watch’s bezel can also tackle more mundane tasks, including currency conversions for international travelers and unit conversions for kilometers/nautical miles, pounds/kilograms and feet/meters.
Hamilton’s latest pilot watches also boast a classically handsome design befitting the image-savvy brand that’s provided timepieces for hundreds of movies, from the custom BeLOWZERO seen in Chistopher Nolan’s latest mind-scrambler Tenet to the classic Hamilton Venturas featured in every Men in Black flick.
Here’s a look at images and specs of the three new styles.
Khaki Aviation Converter Automatic
The 42mm automatic version features a balance spring made of a magnetic field-resistant Nivachron alloy, an exclusive new material that’s designed to negate the magnetic forces found around cockpits and flight decks. The sleek black dial houses a H-10 automatic movement with 80 hours of power reserve, and it’s available with a black or brown leather strap or stainless steel bracelet. All Khaki Aviation Converters are water resistant up to 100 meters. $1,095 – $1,195
Khaki Aviation Converter Automatic Chronograph
This sophisticated 44mm timepiece houses a H-21-Si automatic chronograph movement with 60-hour power reserve and day date function, as well as that newfangled silicon balance spring. The black-dialed watch features eye-catching touches like rose gold plated hour and minute hands and a choice of black cow leather strap with alligator embossing, dark brown calf leather strap, or stainless steel bracelet. $1,995 – $2,145
Khaki Aviation Converter GMT Automatic
This 44mm blue-dialed timepiece has a H-14 automatic movement with 80-hour power reserve and GMT function. Like the other two Khaki Aviation Converter options, it has nickeled Super-LumiNova hour and minute hands and a nickeled second hand with a red tip, as well as sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective coating. It comes with a stainless steel bracelet or brown calf leather strap. $1,445 – $1,495
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