Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto Review: An Underrated Dive Watch?

When it comes to dive watches, there are a few iconic examples in most people’s mind that everyone always defaults to: Omega Seamaster, Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight or Pelagos, Rolex Submariner. On the budget friendlier side we have the Seiko Prospex, Tissot Seastar, and some G-Shock models that would be the top picks.

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Enter the Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto

Specs:

Movement: Automatic
Caliber: H-10
Power Reserve: 80 hours
Case Width: 43 mm
Lug Distance: 22 mm
Water Resistance: 300 m

The mechanical watch that is usually recommended to people who are just starting to dip their toes in the realm of serious collecting is the Hamilton Khaki Field watch. The Khaki Field has established itself as a great entry point for those with an interest in horology since it is inexpensive, robust, looks good, and is nostalgic. While we agree with the fact the Hamilton Khaki Field watch is amazing in both style and quality, we’re always on a mission to find new angles and offer exciting alternative paths. That’s why one of our all time favorites is the Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto.

Here is a list of some of the reasons we think the Khaki Navy Scuba might be one of the best dive watches currently available:

Swiss made watch
Automatic movement (H-10)
Incredible power reserve (80 hours)
Case width: available in both 40 mm 43 mm sizes, therefore it’s a great fit for most wrist sizes
Unbeatable price: $995.

Overview

Luxury meets sport in the Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto. Designed to be equally functional during a leisurely vacation in the South of France near or during deep sea exploring. The ceramic bezel protects it from corrosive elements such as sand and saltwater. With increased water resistance to 30 bar (300 M), this high performance watch is ready for all your adventures on, in or under the water.

Specs:

Movement: Automatic
Caliber: H-10
Power Reserve: 80 hours
Case Width: 43 mm
Lug Distance: 22 mm
Water Resistance: 300 m

Dial

The blue dial is brighter in the center of the watch and the darker shade around the edge gives more depth and contrast against the white hour marks. Towards the center, the hours are visible in military time. This combined with the red tip of the second hand and the hour and minute sword hands gives the Khaki Navy Scuba a very dynamic and serious look.

Bezel

The unidirectional bezel has a classic design we usually see on dive watches, called the count-up bezel. The bezel has a 60-minute scale engraved that traditionally helped divers read off their time underwater. The way to do this is to align the minute hand with the bezel’s zero marker.

Overall, the bezel’s design is perfectly in sync with the dial’s appearance: serious, straight to the point functionality, while making sure the elegant look is maintained.

Case

The case itself is made from brushed stainless steel, and a screw down crown guarantees protection from water. The Khaki Navy Scuba is water resistant up to 300 meters (30 bars).

The Khaki Navy Scuba ref# H82505140 we’re showing here has a case width of 43 mm, the lug-to-lug distance is 52 mm, and the lug width is 22 mm.

There is a smaller version as well at 40 mm case width. Its lug-to-lug distance is 50 mm and has a 20 mm lug width.

The material of the crystal is sapphire, therefore the watch will have a solid scratch resistance. Additionally, anti reflection coating will ensure excellent visibility in most circumstances.

Movement

The H-10 is a three-hand movement that comes with or without a date function and it has a superior power reserve of 80 hours. The movement is based on the ETA C07.611 movement.

It is an automatic self-winding movement with 25 jewels. There are some forums saying this movement variation by Hamilton has some plastic parts, and is sensitive to hand winding. This is not the case, the H-10 movement does not have plastic parts, and hand winding shouldn’t be an issue. However, we always recommend using watch rotators when you’re not wearing the watch to extend the life of the main spring.

The 80 hour power reserve is very impressive and useful for a watch that can be a perfect travel companion, however the beat rate was lowered in order to achieve this power reserve. When this happens, the accuracy rate usually suffers. In this case the accuracy rate should be less than +/- 15 seconds-per-day, which we think is perfectly acceptable.

Stainless Steel Bracelet

The brushed stainless steel bracelet is an oyster bracelet, which contributes to the classic dive watch look. It is one of the most popular bracelet designs, as it gives a sporty yet classy look, therefore it’s a great fit for most occasions. The butterfly clasp is perfection in our eyes as it provides safety, but it’s still easy to operate. The width of the buckle is 20 mm.

Specs

Watch

Reference : H82505140
Caliber : H-10
Collection : Khaki Navy
Movement : Automatic
Case size : 43mm
Dial color : Blue
Case material : Stainless steel
Crystal : Sapphire
Power reserve : 80 hours
Water Resistance : 30 bar (300m)
Anti Reflection : Yes
Screw Down Crown : Yes
Nivachron : Yes

Bracelet:

Strap reference : H6058251001
Strap type : Stainless steel
Lug-to-lug: 22 mm
Buckle type : Butterfly
Buckle width : 20mm

Summary: Takeaway and Final Thought About The Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto

The Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba is a perfect dive watch for everyday use as well as for the wildest adventures. It perfectly and seamlessly combines a modern appearance with classic evergreen design elements. Hamilton has been very consistent with good quality, reliable timepieces and this watch is no exception. The H-10 automatic movement gives you an 80-hour power reserve, the scratch resistant sapphire crystal, and the brushed stainless steel case and bracelet make this watch a perfect everyday beater. Don’t forget, it’s a dive watch, so it will be a perfect companion for most occasions. The price of this watch is $995, and in our estimation that’s a very reasonable price point, we can only recommend it!