Watchmaker Hamilton has announced a new timepiece, made in partnership with Swiss rescue helicopter pilots.
Called the Khaki Aviation Pilot Air-Glaciers, the watch takes its inspiration from the helicopter rescue teams who operate in the Swiss Alps. It has a titanium case, which reduces weight by 45 percent compared to a steel alternative, and features a striking blue dial with white markings and a red second hand designed to resemble helicopter instruments.
The watch comes with a pair of straps. The first is a blue, leather-lined nylon Velcro strap with a leather inner, and designed for use in the field (or rather, the Alpine helicopter rescue service). The latter is a brown suede strap intended more for civilian use.
At 42mm, the watch isn’t overly large, as can be the case for tool watches inspired by aviation. There’s a guarded crown at the three o’clock position for adjusting the time and date, which appears alongside the day in a window at the same position, and there are both hours and minutes scales around the circumference, with the latter being the larger and more prominent of the two.
The watch is powered by Hamilton’s H-30 automatic mechanical movement, which has 25 jewels and an impressive power reserve of 80 hours. This means the watch can be taken off on a Friday evening, put back on on Monday evening, and it’ll still be telling the correct time. Water resistance is to 100 metres.
Given its intended use case, this is a watch that puts simplicity and legibility first. The white-on-blue colour way is pin-sharp, as are the hands and the red-and-white striped seconds hand, which conveniently also mimics the Swiss flag.
What really caught my eye about this watch is its price, which at £1,285 makes this titanium timepiece feel like great value for money. You might not actually be saving lives in the Swiss Alps with daring helicopter rescue missions, but you’ll still feel special every time you strap this Hamilton to your wrist.
