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Having recently picked up a watch that I have drooled over for quite some time I am finally able to write my own review on the watch. All I can say is the wait to find the ‘right one’ was worth it. This is arguably the nicest watch within my collection now and I don’t think I could appreciate it anymore than I do now.
Cost: While this watch was picked up by me in the grey market off of Watch Freeks (Thanks Chuck!) for a great deal in my opinion of $550, the MSRP is listed at $1,945.00 on Amazon. All in all I’d say I made out like a bandit here and for that I am truly thankful.
Variety: While many people seem to know what a Hamilton Khaki X-Wind is, not many people seem to actually own them. Not to mention of the few members here on WUS that do own this timepiece, I have yet to see this color scheme. The black and red seem to meld together in a more sporty and edgy look than the classy gold/brown and black. And in my honest opinion this is more of a sportsman chronograph watch than it is a classy style, the inner rotating bezels, outer fixed bezel, and sub dials have more of a sports feel than anything.
Size: The case of this watch is what some would consider on the large side, but it is not by any means a monster. The case measures 44mm wide and 16mm thick making it a slightly thicker watch than most others. That being said, this is a chronograph with the Valjoux 7750 movement in it. Anyone who owns a 7750 knows that this movement is not exactly a slender movement.
Finish: The finish of this watch is beyond wonderful; it’s almost impeccable. I cannot find one error or miniscule thing that urks me about this watch. One thing that I think is very cool concerning the movement of this watch is the fact that it seems Hamilton wanted to break away from the typical Valjoux 7750 chronograph pattern and flipped the movement and had the date and day on the left side rather than the right like most other 7750 chronographs.
Bezel: The bezel(s) in this watch are superb. The 2 inner bezels rotate smoother than I would have ever expected. There is 0 play in the crowns when rotating them, and seem like they could be used to calculate very precise measurements. The outer bezel is fixed but still gives a solid read out. The numbers are clear and readable on almost all the bezels except for the innermost bezel, which is read though the outer most inner bezel’s window. The window is small and is sometimes hard to read the inner most bezel due to that, resulting in me holding my wrist or the watch itself into the light in odd manners to try to calculate things.
Crown: The crown(s), yes there are 3 crowns on this watch; 2 for rotating 2 internal bezels and one for winding the 7750 movement and setting the day/date. They all operate very smoothly and show excellent signs of quality, there’s no ‘gritty’ feeling when screwing the crowns in or out and they are very secure when tightened.
Strap: The 5 row stainless steel bracelet is comfortable, yet hefty to keep letting you know you have a marvel of machinery on your wrist. The rubber strap with red highlighted stitching is one that I instantly grew fond of from the second I strapped it on. Its comfortable, flexible, and still breathes more than I expected. The inner sides have “HAMILTON” and “KHAKI” marked on the strap itself which I thought was a excellent attention to detail. I’m really happy this came with a rubber strap the more I think of it because in my personal experience rubber seems to last longer, and not hold creases much like my Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic does.
Lume: There’s not much to comment on here, the lume is on the dots near the numerical hour markers and on the chronograph hands as well as the hour and minute hands. The lume is nothing to shake a stick at, that’s for sure. But then again, I have my tritium, Super LumiNova, or G-Shock for when I really need to see the time at night.
Visual appeal: This watch has some serious visual appeal in my opinion. It’s gotten more looks than any other watch in my collection. Maybe it’s the color scheme, or the amount of measurements it has on it that catches peoples eye. Either way, the visual appeal when I look at this watch as compared to any other watch in my collection seems incomparable. Maybe it’s the ‘new watch’ effect or maybe its because its just the ‘loudest’ watch I own right now.
Overall, this watch has been everything I thought it would be and more. There is very little if any things I can find that I don’t like with the watch itself and continue to stare at my wrist to just gaze at it rather than telling the time like the WIS I am slowly admitting I have come to be. The thing that I probably love most about this watch is the fact that I finally have a automatic watch that has a smooth second hand sweep. Even on my Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic with the ETA 2842-2 movement I can see a very slight stutter to the second hand. With this watch the smaller sub dial is probably what plays a huge factor in not showing any stutter but it is entirely smooth to my eye. No matter how much I stare at the watch closely. In my honest opinion, if you’re looking for a 7750 chronograph that’s affordable and a great bang for your buck; pick this watch up.
Wrist shot for the masses:
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Originally Posted by Dwnshft
