Hamilton Khaki Action Chronograph

Today my watch is a Hamilton Khaki Action chronograph, Hamilton model number H63412133. It uses an accurate and reliable Swiss quartz movement, probably an ETA although I didn't make a note of it when I replaced the power cell last year. I don't believe this model is in production currently. It's not listed on the Hamilton website although a couple other Khaki Action models are. This one is very similar to my Khaki Action automatic. Both watches have the same case design and size (40mm) as well as flip-up crown guard and textured bracelet center links. The dial on this chronograph is very attractive and purposeful. The date window at 4 o'clock is a nice touch, as are the red details and gray minute and tenths subdials. The center links on this bracelet are Delrin which give it a unique look and feel but should still hold up very well. This watch I bought brand new a few years back but even then I had too many watches so I never got around to sizing the bracelet or wearing it (except for the pictures you see here.) As you can see the plastic on the caseback and bracelet has never been removed, and the plastic on the crystal was only removed for the photographs. The bracelet hasn't had any links removed, but the micro-adjust holes on the clasp have a wide range of adjustment. Even without removing links I adjusted it to fit my 7.5" wrist. I'm guessing it would fit up to an 8-8.5" wrist. It's a really good looking watch, and the chronograph works perfectly with all hands resetting quickly to zero (which is always fun to watch.) It's currently for sale on the Watchuseek forum and I hope it finds its way to somebody who will wear it, use it, and keep it for a long time.

Wenger Commando Chronograph Black Dial

Today's watch is the black-dialed version of this watch. It also came on a black leather band instead of the jubilee-style bracelet. I don't know if it's the different dial color or the strap, but I like the looks of this one better than the blue-dialed one. This is surprising because I chose to buy the blue one while my dad originally bought this one. Now it's mine and I will probably wear it more often than the blue one.

Zodiac Calame Sport Automatique Chronograph ZO-2003

My watch today is my only Zodiac so far. I have considered buying a number of vintage ones, but as with many vintage divers the prices have skyrocketed in the last few years. The release of the Zodiac movie probably didn't help matters either. This Zodiac chronograph was released about five years ago, and I believe it was one of the first new models released after Zodiac was purchased by Fossil. I originally thought this model was pre-Fossil because it is so much nicer and more expensive than Zodiac's more recent offerings. It seems that the brand has been brought a bit downmarket recently because the current collections are mostly quartz and seem to turn up more frequently in department stores than specialty or jewelry stores. I really like this watch and was very happy it was available when I was ready to buy it. I was looking for a chronograph that was dressier than my two Hamiltons and this one fit because it's a little smaller (40mm without the crown) and looks really good on a leather strap, which tends to dress up any watch normally on a stainless band. I also really liked the dial design which I think is clean and relatively original. The movement in this one is not a Valjoux chronograph movement (like my other automatic chronographs) but an ETA 2824 with a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module. This kind of movement is typically found on higher-end watches (Breitling, Bulgari, Jaeger-LeCoultre, etc.) and is essentially a regular automatic movement with the chronograph module on top. This makes the watch slightly thicker than normal, but the action of the chronograph pushers is much less clunky than those on the Valjoux movements. Because the two movements are not as integrated as an all-in-one chronograph movement, this watch has 51 jewels, about double the number of jewels in a normal automatic. The only downside to this arrangement is the date is placed far behind the dial, and even with the magnifier in the date window, it is sometimes hard to read. This is actually the watch I wore when I got married, and I think I made an excellent choice, so I don't mind that it will probably be in my collection forever.

Wenger Commando Chronograph Blue Dial

I'm not certain of the model number of the watch I'm wearing today. If this page has an accurate photo, then I suppose it is a 70728. I probably have the paperwork somewhere but the number's not listed on the watch and it's not important enough to go searching for it. In fact, I've talked about it too much already. I'm pretty sure I bought this in 1999, but I'm certain I bought it from Value America. For those of you who didn't have the pleasure of purchasing from Value America, and maybe don't even know who they were, let me set the scene: It was 1999, "e-commerce" was a buzzword and the "Dot-com Boom" was, well, booming. E-tailers were falling over each other to offer better deals to make sales, profits be damned! Value America was at the forefront of this with their "Value Dollars" program, which awarded Visa cardholders a 50% discount on items up to $200. This was supposed to be limited to one offer per customer, but just about everybody knew it was actually one offer per email address, and we know how difficult those are to come across. Anyway, thanks to Value America this watch cost me something under $100 (maybe 1/4 of MSRP since their regular prices also included a discount) and I have a similar one that cost a couple dollars less. It was really the only watch I wore from 1999 until probably 2004 and it looks it. It's not in terrible shape, but the band links have worn and loosened up a little and it has some scuffs and scratches on the case, band and crystal. The batteries seem to last about 3 years and I've replaced it twice. It's a decent size, about 39mm across without the crown (42mm with) and 13mm thick. The tachymeter track outside the dial is fairly thin so the dial itself is quite large and legible. It has a solid ETA Swiss quartz movement that consistently keeps good time and the chronograph hands also move quickly back to zero on reset. My only complaints about this watch are minor. First, like a number of my watches it has developed a slight haze on the inside of the crystal and should really be disassembled and cleaned (and the last time I had it open it wasn't immediately obvious how to remove the stem and crown.) Second, while the hands are aligned well to the dial, the tachymeter ring is off ever so slightly. I'm sure I could take care of both fairly easily after removing the movement, or I'll take it to my watchmaker and have him do it next time I have him doing something more substantial. Neither problem bothers me enough to make a special trip.

Vintage Splendor Chronograph

Today I'm wearing, well, this, whatever this is. It's branded "Splendor" and says "Top Timer" on the dial, but the crowns and caseback are not signed and I haven't opened it to see what kind of movement it is. I bought this relatively cheaply through eBay and the seller didn't have any additional information. I was looking for a vintage chronograph (before I came across my Wittnauer) and didn't want to spend the $500+ for a nice vintage Hamilton chrono. This one appeared to be from the '60s or '70s, said "Swiss Made" on the dial and "Swiss" on the back, was a decent looking design and the single pusher and oversized crowns kind of intrigued me. Also, it was well under $100 and claimed to be in good working order. At some point I'll probably have my watchmaker take a look at it to identify the movement and see if it's worth cleaning/adjusting/repairing. It does run pretty well, but it ticks very loudly, to the point that I thought my car was making odd noises on the drive home today, but it was just the watch. Also, I haven't a clue what the dial at 9 o'clock does. It counts up to 14 (no, really, go look at it!) and seems to move on its own and not as part of the chronograph function. In fact, since there is no real dial nor hand at 3 o'clock, just a circle and some writing, the chronograph hand just kind of spins and spins, so timing anything over 60 seconds is impossible. So anyway, it's a curiosity, but it's a decent size, maybe 38mm without the crowns, and it's not in bad shape considering it has a chrome-plated brass case, and it runs. Maybe I'll find out something else about it from my watchmaker or maybe somebody will recognize it here, either way, I don't mind keeping it in my collection for the time being.

Timex Ironman Triathalon Chronograph T5B131

Today I'm wearing my Timex Ironman Chronograph. This was the last watch I bought before seriously getting into watches. I was wearing this one when my wife bought me my Hamilton Field Chrono, and I distinctly recall the friendly clerk at Joe's Jewelry looking at my wrist and asking "What are you wearing now?" and me being a little embarrassed to say "Oh, just a Timex." But honestly, it's not a bad watch. It's analog with an alarm, and I only have one other watch with that feature and it cost dozens of times what this one did. The chronograph seems to work well, it has an Indiglo backlight so it's pretty easy to read at night and it seems pretty durable with a 100m water resistance rating. Probably the worst thing that could be said about it is "It's a Timex." I think "Fossil" or "Oakley" would be just as at home on the dial as the case, band and dials all have a really nice look to them. Sure, the band and case don't have the weight nor finish of a $100+ watch, but this one cost me under $30, so I can't complain. (I did some searching around to see if this watch is for sale online right now and it looks like you can get it in the UK, although the $120 price seems a bit ridiculous. I was also reminded that Timex calls this a "Dress" chronograph, and I guess it is dressier than a digital Ironman chronograph, but it's certainly no dress watch.)

Hamilton Khaki Aviation Chrono Automatic

Today I'm wearing my Hamilton Khaki Aviation Chrono Automatic. I think this might be my favorite Hamilton so far. It's big (44mm with a 22mm wide strap) but certainly not the biggest watch on the market nor even in my collection. It has a heft to it that just feels right. I think the only thing that might make it better is the factory stainless steel bracelet but I really love the leather strap, so maybe it wouldn't. One complaint was the watch didn't come with a deployant (and Hamilton deployants, bracelets and straps are notoriously hard to buy on their own) so I used the deployant that came with my Field Chrono since I usually wear that on an aftermarket strap. I have no idea why some models come with deployants and others don't, it certainly doesn't seem to go by price, series nor anything else I can think of. On to the dial, which I think is one of my very best looking dials. The sunburst-patterned silver dial with dark grey subdials and printing has just the right amount of extra details, pips, circles, etc. and the delicate but legible hands reach perfectly out to the minute and tachymeter tracks. The unique symmetrical subdial arrangement is a function of the movement, a Valjoux 7753, which isn't as common as the Valjoux 7750 (which is found in my Field Chrono and dozens of other models.) It's a great watch and has excellent timekeeping, classic good looks, great size and I really love wearing it. I don't think I could ask for anything else.

Vintage Wittnauer Mechanical Chronograph

Today I finally got to wear one of my favorite vintage watches, a 1950s Wittnauer chronograph. This is another one that my dad picked up somewhere but never had serviced. I had it serviced last year and I think my watchmaker spent a month just trying to get the back open. Apparently when the seals in these watches deteriorated they turned into a kind of glue, and getting the caseback unstuck without damaging it was quite a challenge. The good news, after all that waiting, was with cleaning and adjustment this watch has been keeping phenomenal time. It's also great looking with the original dial and hands, although it appears the crown was replaced at some point. The dial has a patina to it that I find pleasing and have no desire to try and clean it. There's some good info here about the functions of the various scales on the dial and some other stuff, so I won't repeat it here. You can also see what an original crown looks like there.
My one complaint with the watch was its size. At 36mm wide, it felt very small on my wrist, especially since it's a chronograph and I expect them to be beefier. I finally got around to ordering a "Bund" strap for it. This style of strap was originally produced for the German Air Force which is part of the Federal Defense Force, or Bundeswehr. As I hoped, it adds some weight to the watch, both visually and literally. I have a feeling this is one vintage watch that I will be happy to wear on a regular basis.