Time and the American spirit

Hamilton, an American brand of fine Swiss-made timepieces, recently celebrated its 120th anniversary by launching the Khaki Navy Pioneer Limited Edition watch.
Held at the Swissotel Le Concorde, the event was organised by Hamilton’s importer and distributor in Thailand C Thong Panich and hosted by its managing director Vipavan Mahadumrongkul. Founded by Dilok Mahadumrongkul, C Thong Panich is an importer and retailer for a number of market-leading wristwatches from Switzerland and Japan.
First unveiled at Baselworld last March, the new watch aims to underscore the brand’s deep-rooted maritime history.
The Khaki Navy Pioneer Limited Edition is a contemporary interpretation of the marine chronometers produced by Hamilton in the 1940s. This precision timekeeper doubles as a wristwatch and table-clock.
Each of the 1,892 numbered pieces, referring to the year in which the company was founded, comes in its own Para rubber tree wooden box, reminiscent of its wartime “ancestors”. The design combines a proven pioneering spirit with passion for detail that makes a difference in terms of appearance and functionality.
Owners can choose whether to enjoy today’s precision-timekeeping on their wrist, or in pride of place on their desk – with absolutely no collision danger from a
 style or operational perspective.
The original Hamilton marine chronometers demonstrated unrivalled accuracy, known as a “zero rate” of perfection, according to the Naval Observatory. Today’s Hamilton Khaki Navy Pioneer Limited Edition adopts the same ambitious course.
A Swiss-made, hand-winding mechanical movement powers the watch. In tune with the rhythm of the hours and minutes, a separate dial positioned at 6 o’clock tracks the passage of the seconds. The watch is water-resistant up to 100 metres.
Reminiscent of the distinctive blue hands of a Hamilton marine chronometer introduced in the 1940s are hand-made, shaped hands in ocean-blue. A traditional case shape integrates loops for the leather strap and a bezel with delicately patterned sides. The dial gets a classical look through a velvety finish on its silver colouring.
The launch event put on show a number of Hamilton’s museum pieces plus some luxury editions that are scheduled to appear in upcoming Hollywood films. These included the Khaki Aviation, Jazzmaster and the American Classic Shaped editions.

 TIMELY FACTS

Hamilton Khaki Navy Pioneer Limited Edition
Case Size 46.5 mm
Material  Stainless steel
Dial Colour Silver-coloured with velvet-finish
Attachment Brown stitched leather
Movement 6498 hand-winding mechanical
Crystal Sapphire with antireflective coating
Water resistance 100 m
Number of pieces 1,892
Price  US$2,945