Not many brands can claim to make a better watch (materially and functionally speaking) at a better price than Hamilton.
Following Longines’ slow creep up the pricing charts, Hamilton has been left as the most visible ultra-affordable brand owned by the Swatch Group. Price-wise, it is on a par with Certina and Mido, but neither brand enjoys as much name recognition or owner-group attention as the American-founded, Swiss-based maker.
Choosing just five models from Hamilton’s current catalogue that deserved to comprise this list was the biggest challenge I’ve faced of all the lists I’ve thus far assembled. There were three or four excellent watches that had to make way for my top five, which speaks volumes of the brand’s depth of offering. A special shout-out goes to the American Classic PSR Digital Quartz (reference H52404130). I’m still stunned I didn’t see fit to include it, but I wanted to make a little space in the fifth spot for something I don’t think we see enough of in the modern world of watches — something at which Hamilton truly excels…
5. Hamilton American Classic Boulton Quartz H13431553
Hamilton American Classic Boulton Quartz H13431553 - Credit Hamilton
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Yes, it’s quartz. Yes, it’s teeny weeny (27mm x 31.6mm). And yes, it’s PVD gold plated and not solid gold (my only real criticism of this piece, although the material choice is strongly reflected in the price).
As with many of Hamilton’s watches, this one features on the silver screen, having starred in the final Indiana Jones flick, the Dial of Destiny, released in 2023.
While that’s a cute fact, it’s not why I picked this diminutive darling for the list. For years, I have owned a similarly proportioned (although less curvaceous) Hamilton Ardmore, a watch famously favoured by women, Richard Gere, and me. When I bought mine in 2009, it had a retail of £250. In 2024, the Boulton, with its gold-coated case, retails for around £650, but it’s still a great pick-up due to the timeless elegance, extreme comfort on the wrist, and generation-defying character that I’ve also enjoyed from my Ardmore this decade and a half past.
Never be afraid of quartz movements used in the right pieces. For dress watches, especially two-handers or those with stubby sub-seconds registers (the hand is so short, the potentially jarring nature of its tick is barely perceptible), it’s the smart choice.
4. Khaki Aviation Pioneer Mechanical H76419531
Khaki Aviation Pioneer Mechanical H76419531 - Credit Hamilton
While this is far from an original design (with tens of brands producing almost identical watches for militaries around the world over the years) this is a well-executed, extremely faithful interpretation of a classic style.
Purists might baulk at the spring bars, which enable those of us not in the army to switch the supplied military band for a two-piece alternative if we prefer (which I would recommend experimenting with).
3. Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto H82395330
Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto H82395330 - Credit Hamilton
It’s incredibly pink and that’s incredible. I’ll just leave that there, I think.
2. Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38 mm H70405730
Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38 mm H70405730 - Credit Hamilton
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When Interstellar burst onto cinema screens around the world it was hailed as possibly Christopher Nolan’s finest work (an opinion I still hold to this day despite Oppenheimer’s success during awards season). While Hamilton has continued its close relationship with the storied director and continues to supply his characters with era-appropriate timepieces whenever required, neither brand nor director has ever topped the creation and importance of the Khaki Field “Murph” used in Interstellar.
Unusually for a watch, the “Murph” played an active role in the plot as the conduit through which Matthew McConaughey’s Coop was able to communicate with his daughter Murph.
The original model used in the film didn’t even have a movement inside of it. Instead, it had a small receiver that was remotely activated to twitch the seconds hand at the right frequency to communicate a message via Morse Code from Coop to Murph. The first edition released following the film’s success and watch’s warm reception was 42 mm (and the first 2,555 of those came in a sweet Tesseract-inspired box). Redoing the watch in a more wearable 38 mm was a wise decision (even though 42 mm is not exactly massive, the nature of the Murph’s design caused it to sprawl over the wrist).
The only other change from the 42 to the 38 is the absence of the lumed Morse Code message that previously ran the length of the seconds hand. While many appreciated that easter egg, I thought it was gimmicky and am glad to see it gone.
In short, the Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38 mm H70405730 is the best movie watch ever. Buy it.
1. Hamilton American Classic Intra-Matic Chronograph H H38429110
Hamilton American Classic Intra-Matic Chronograph H H38429110 - Credit Hamilton
It’s hard not to have the Murph at the top of this list given its popularity, versatility, and price (£865), but the American Classic Intra-Matic (hand-wound) Chronograph H38429110 is, in my opinion, not just the best value watch within Hamilton’s collection, but one of the best value watches in the industry.
The design may be subjective, but, for me, the ecru dial, old radium lume, black sub-dials, and reduced text on the dateless dial are all incredible touches. The sharp, slim horns, the oversized crown, and the protrusive pushers are all aesthetic highlights calling back to an earlier era (the golden era, I would say) of chronograph design.
I’d buy it at £2,060 on the bracelet but probably wear it on a vintage brown leather strap. It’s a watch that can accompany you almost anywhere to very close to 2K from a legendary brand backed up by a global service network. I’m not sure how much better it could be.
