Watch brandsWatch wikiWatch videosVariousWatch calendarSaved articles
PopularRolexOmegaPatek PhilippeAudemars PiguetTudorGrand SeikoCartierSeiko

Field Watches · Page 20

479 articles · Page 20 of 20
Hands-On: Hamilton Khaki Field Murph SJX Watches
Feb 10, 2020

Hands-On: Hamilton Khaki Field Murph

Released in 2014 to critical and commercial success, Interstellar tells the story of a Joseph Cooper, an astronaut recruited to save humanity by travelling through wormholes to seek new, habitable worlds. He’s played by Matthew McConaughey, while Jessica Chastain takes the role of Murphy, his daughter. A key scene in the film has Cooper communicating across space and time with Murphy via the seconds hand of her wristwatch, which jumps in Morse code. The wristwatch prop was a custom Hamilton, but it took the brand five years to take advantage of the big screen opportunity – though Hamilton did recruit the movie’s production designer to create a sci-fi wristwatch – with the Khaki Field Murph finally launching last year. Though based on the standard Khaki Field Auto 42 mm, the Murph edition is notably different. To start with, it has a retro look with faux-vintage luminous markings and cathedral hands. And perhaps more importantly for the aficionado, the Murph has no date function; in fact, it is the only automatic model in the Khaki Field line without a date (the other models sans date are all hand-wind). In short, the Murph is a good-looking, military-style watch for relatively little money. The dial of the Murph is surprisingly well conceived for an inexpensive watch. The layout is balanced and well proportioned, with both hands being just the right length. Because the Super-Luminova used is a dark parchment, the dial has strong vintage aspirations that don’t q...
Read article
Hands-On: anOrdain Model 2 with Hammered, Enamel Dial SJX Watches
Oct 17, 2019

Hands-On: anOrdain Model 2 with Hammered, Enamel Dial

Founded in Scotland five years ago by industrial designer Lewis Heath, Anordain is one of the most unusual “microbrands” as it managed to master – straight out of the gate – one of watchmaking’s most prized crafts: vitreous enamel, often known as grand feu enamel in Swiss watchmaking. As a result, the brand manages to offer some of the most affordable watches with fired enamel dials, mostly priced under US$1500. Following the success of the inaugural Model 1 last year, the brand has just unveiled the Model 2, a compact, hand-wound, two-hander with a modern, minimalist design. Most notably, two versions of the watch feature a fired, translucent enamel done over a hammered surface. Like all Anordain’s standard enamel dials, the new hammered, enamel dial is done in-house. Located in Glasgow’s East End, Anordain’s workshop includes its own three-person team of enamellers that can produce eight to nine dials a week, usually in bright, unusual colours such as pink or a translucent bottle green. Design nuances Inspired by classic field watches – the no-nonsense wristwatches made for armies in the first half of the 20th century – the Model 2 was designed entirely in-house, from the case to the typography and hands. And just like vintage field watches that are small by modern standards, the Model 2 measures a discreet 36mm in diameter and 11mm in height. Its balanced proportions are indeed reminiscent of field watches, albeit in a more refined and formal ma...
Read article
Introducing the New Seiko 5 Sports Collection SJX Watches
Aug 7, 2019

Introducing the New Seiko 5 Sports Collection

Long offered in a dizzying range of iterations – all priced extremely affordably – the Seiko 5 Sports collection has, for the longest time, enjoyed stardom in the segment of watches below US$200. The affordability of the range and its core features – automatic winding, day and date, water resistance, a durable case and bracelet, plus the recessed crown at four o’clock – have been a gateway drug for aspiring watch enthusiasts who have never owned a mechanical timepiece. The Seiko 5 Sports line-up has just been streamlined, and now consists of five core variants, each conceived for a specific style of dress. The entire line-up will be made up of 27 specific models. All the watches are essentially “diver-lite”, looking much like Seiko’s “SKX” scuba diver’s watches but not built to the same robust standards. The new Seiko 5 Sports collection is centred on a common watch design, sharing the same case, rotating bezel, hands, and dial design. And the movement used across the line is the self-winding cal. 4R36. All the redesigned models are identified by the new Seiko 5 logo that has the “5” rotated 45 degrees to the left. The first Seiko 5 Sports from 1968 What seems to be missing from the revamp is a new version of the popular Seiko 5 Sports “field watch” that has a distinctive, military-inspired design and has long been a perennial favourite for first-timers to the watch world. Given Seiko track record in swiftly iterating a model into do...
Read article

Comments 3

  1. Marcus T.
    The 36-40mm range is worth emphasizing; many modern field watch offerings have crept up to 42-44mm, which rather defeats the purpose of the legible, compact utility tool. I'd note that the proper lineage traces back to the Omega CK2129 and A-series military watches of the 1940s, not just general military tradition. The movement, typically a 15 or 17 jewel hand-wound caliber, was always secondary to case and dial function.
    1. Otis replying to Marcus T.
      good write-up but surprised no mention of the seiko 5 field watch variants. they hit that 36-40mm sweet spot and the dial legibility is as good as anything twice the price.
    2. Jonas replying to Marcus T.
      Completely agree on the size creep, though I'd argue the A-series influence gets overstated sometimes. The real test is whether it still fits under a uniform cuff, ja? Movement specs matter less than you'd think; a clean dial and proper contrast do the heavy lifting.

Leave a comment

All comments are reviewed before they go live. Email is for our records only - it's never published.