Which brand is King of watch width
Im willing to guess that the prolific Hamilton Khaki watch collection might have more SKUs attributed to it than maybe any other watch brands collection out there. The Hamilton Khaki is the Swatch Group-owned, historically American brands continuing celebration of the legacy of military watches Hamilton produced. Many of those were field watches that were worn on the wrists of a variety of soldiers. What people so admire about military watches is that they are very much purpose-built machines, and the variety manifested in them echoes the many flavors of soldier and warrior.
Among the many Khaki watches out there (the collection is now split into Khaki Navy, Khaki Aviation, and Khaki Field), the Khaki Field King is an impressively affordable mechanical model that features a fully-spelled-out day-of-the-week indicator. Most of the Khaki Field King watches come in naturally polished steel, but this reference H64465733 version is in a black PVD-coated case offering a stealthy personality.
What is so kingly about the Khaki King? Im not really sure. It isnt the largest-sized, most complicated, or most expensive Khaki watch family out there. Maybe King is Hamilton playing on President, which is the nickname for the Rolex Day-Date watch. Rolex was the first watch brand, and the most popular, to put a day-of-the-week window at 12 oclock with the entire days name spelled out. Day/date calendar watches are actually rather common today, but most have the day of the week spelled out as a three-letter abbreviation. I could be wrong, but that is my guess for why Hamilton decided that this day/date version of the Khaki Field should be called the King (not to be confused with the Hamilton Ventura, which was worn by the King Elvis Presley in a movie).
Hamilton offers the Kkahi King in both King Quartz and King Auto versions, the latter with Hamiltons H-40 automatic movement. The Swiss Made movement is produced for Hamilton exclusively by sister company ETA and is a 3Hz, 80-hour power reserve automatic movement with the time and day/date calendar complication. The movement is visible through the caseback window of the watch. It isnt decorated, but Hamilton intentionally opted to forgo such embellishments to keep the cost down. For more money, the company has plenty of decorated movement-based watches out there. Given the infantry soldier theme of the Khaki Field, I dont mind the movement being an un-decorated little tank in action.
Maybe my photography intern will be able to take over watch shooting duties in the future.
The Khaki King case is 40mm-wide, which, when combined with the relatively broad bezel, makes for a very medium-size wearing experience. The 50-meter water-resistant steel case is also about 11mm-thick and has a roughly 50mm lug-to-lug distance. The brushed black case finishing visually minimizes the look of the watch so that means in natural steel, the Khaki Field King watch probably feels a bit larger. The dial is all traditional Khaki Field class with some nice shapes and attractive proportions. I did find the hands to be a bit on the shiny side, though the high contrast on the dial allows for the watch to remain very legible.
The dial itself has a t-shaped cutout under 12 oclock for the calendar windows. Hamilton opted for a symmetrical design layout, putting the date window right under the day-of-the-week window. Ive never seen this before, and it shakes up the Rolex President display layout, which keeps the date indicator window at 3 oclock on the dial. A separate scale for a full 24-hour set of markers is part of the military personality of the watch, while the shape of the hands has a personality-rich retro vibe that has been a hallmark characteristic of the Khaki collection for ages now.
Glare off the domed sapphire crystal is an issue with the watch. A lack of AR-coating and the shape of the crystal make for a fair bit of glare. Some people actually prefer this since, when light plays with a watch, it calls more attention from others. So in a social setting, more glare can actually be a desirable trait. Most watch collectors dont necessarily think that way if they value a watch for its more utilitarian purposes. Glare on a watch crystal can have an adverse effect on legibility because of the reflected light. Never is the Khaki Field King watch not legible due to glare (as is the case with many other watches), but the clean, reflection-free look of purist tool watches is not what Hamilton was going for in this model.
That makes the Khaki Field King among the more lifestyle (i.e., fashion-focused) versions of the Khaki model out there, which is totally understandable and expected given what I mentioned above about the very large family of Khaki watches out there. Attached to the case is a high-quality black leather strap, though its matte-black color is a bit less than exciting. I have a feeling that, on a black NATO strap, the Hamilton Khaki Field King would be just a bit more interesting, but in reality, a black watch such as this can be paired with any strap color you like. A solid value for sure, the price for the Hamilton Khaki Field King reference H64465733 watch is 650 Swiss Francs. Learn more at the Hamilton website here.
Necessary Data>Brand: Hamilton>Model: Khaki Field King reference H64465733>Price: 650 CHF (Swiss Francs)>Size: 40mm-wide, ~11mm-thick, and ~50mm lug-to-lug distance.>When reviewer would personally wear it: Actually, with a black suit when I didnt feel like a dress watch was in order. A good office watch, as well.>Friend wed recommend it to first: Someone who loves military tool watches who really needs a nice-looking social watch that has a conservative, lasting vibe to it.>Best characteristic of watch: Hamilton offers a lot for the money, including a long power reserve movement and attractive dial. Handsome in black, even if it changes the visual wearing size.>Worst characteristic of watch: Glare off crystal could be reduced. Strap could be accused of being dull, but it is versatile and conservative. Movement view begs for a few more traditionally finished surface treatments.
The All-New Seiko King Seiko Collection Brings Back the Flair of the KSK
In late 2020, Seiko announced something very special, at least to people with some knowledge of the brands history and evolution through the decades. While Seiko was founded in 1881 and through the years saw immense prosperity, it has many fascinating chapters in that long history. Today it is one of the biggest watch manufacturers in the world, with a vast collection housed under various sub-labels or even as separate brands. The introduction of the King Seiko KSK SJE083 towards the end of 2020 revived the fabled internal rivalry with Grand Seiko. That watch left us wondering whether Seiko would do more with the King Seiko legacy than just this one-time limited edition? Surely not! So with a resounding Long live the King, we formally welcome back the King Seiko collection and the introduction of five new references. And they are non-limited, more compact and more accessible.
Like various other brands, Seiko has often relied on a sub-branded range of watches to target new audiences or present a substantially different style. By now, were all very familiar with Seiko, Grand Seiko and probably, to a lesser extent, King Seiko. The fact that this name returns in the permanent collection is a testament to the importance of King Seiko to the Seiko Corporation. Without it, the brand simply wouldnt be where it is today.
A fruitful internal rivalry
As we explained in the hands-on review of the King Seiko KSK SJE083, both the Grand Seiko and King Seiko sub-brands result from the internal rivalry between the Daini Seikosha and Suwa Seikosha factories. Weve said it then, and well say it again: competition leads to growth, evolution and ultimately change.
The first product following Seikos decision to put the Suwa Seikosha factory in charge of creating a luxurious, more precise type of wristwatch was labelled Grand Seiko. A year later, and not to be deterred by Seikos aforementioned decision, the Daini Seikosha factory would present their own under the King Seiko name.
Soon after, both would follow suit with design guidelines determined by Taro Tanaka. Mr Tanaka set apart Seiko from the traditional (read Swiss) style by defining a simple yet effective set of rules, the so-called Grammar of Design. In essence, this meant cases had to be shaped and finished free of distortion, bezels had to be simple, and hands had to be sharp and mainly flat. This is still very much part of Grand Seikos watchmaking language and philosophy today and applies to King Seiko as well.
The Return of The King
The King Seiko KSK SJE083 Limited Edition from late 2020 was modelled directly after the 1965 King Seiko 44-9990, albeit in a slightly more modern execution. While the shape of the case and the overall look and feel very much has that distinct 1960s style, Seiko has taken a few liberties with the SJE083. Liberties that are now more or less corrected with this King Seiko collection.
The new range comes in five references, all featuring a 37mm sized case very close to the original King Seiko 44-9990. The sharp and angular case, with a height of 12.1mm and brushed and polished finishings, looks very close to the original. The faceted lugs, for instance, are directly taken from the 1965 model. The boxed sapphire crystal gives it that quintessential style of the 1960s. Both the crown and the caseback are finished with the King Seiko emblem that was introduced with the original one.
The King Seiko comes in five different dial colours, each with its own flair. The most accurate one in relation to the 44-9990 is the silver dial with sunray brushing, which is reference SPB279. Next, theres also a silver, or actually light-grey dial with straight brushing, the SBP281. And then, there are three darker dials: charcoal grey (SPB283), brown (SPB285) or burgundy red (SPB287). All dials are finished with applied, polished indices. Just like the 44-9990, the marker at 12 is double the width of the rest and given a fine pyramid-like pattern on the top surface. And like the original, it lacks a date indication, keeping the dial clean and balanced. In line with the Grammar of Design, the hour and minute hands are flat with a Zaratsu-polished, faceted finish (without the high-end bevels found on the limited SJE083, however) combined with a needle-thin seconds hand.
Modern Mechanics
The King Seiko is outfitted with the in-house calibre 6R31, which is closely linked to the 6R35. Using the same mechanical architecture, the 6R31 has 24 jewels and runs at a frequency of 21,600vph. The only difference between this and the 6R35 variant is the absence of the date indication, and as a result, the number of jewels is reduced by two. The movement is accurate to run within +15/-25 seconds per day, just like its dated cousin, the 6R35.
Bracelet, availability & price
To complete the very retro-like appeal of the new King Seiko collection, it comes on a stainless steel multi-link bracelet, very much like the one on the original 1965 model. The faceted links, tapering from case to folding buckle, have a brushed finish with polished bevels. As an alternative option, each reference is also supplied with vintage-styled leather straps with a pin buckle bearing the King Seiko name.
Where the King Seiko SJE083 was a bit pricey, the new King Seiko collection retails for a more reasonable EUR 1,700. This puts it directly between the average top-end of Seiko and below Grand Seikos entry-level models.
Final Thoughts
Simply put, we love the fact Seiko has brought the King Seiko philosophy back from the past. And to do it in such a faithful and respectful way is all the more reason to be excited. Even on a wrist as big as our editor (Robin has a 19cm wrist circumference), the 37mm sized case looks well proportioned. The dials are fun and offer an appealing variety of colours. Go for the traditional silver one of the original, or a more daring burgundy red, and you will not be disappointed.
The only slight complaint we have regards the accuracy of the automatic movement. As King Seiko, much like Grand Seiko, stems from the idea to build the best and most precise watch possible, the precision of the calibre 6R31 is a bit of a let-down. Running within +25/-15 seconds per day means theres a lot of room for improvement. Other than that, very well done, Seiko! Long live the King!
For more information, please visit SeikoWatches.com.
https://monochrome-watches.com/seiko-king-seiko-collection-2022-non-limited-spb279-spb281-spb283-spb285-spb287-hands-on-review-price/
