Hamilton Khaki Action Watch 6309

The Khaki invention

The War Department named Hamilton the official watch of the US Military as far back as 1917. Hamilton used a 981 pendant movement to run those early doughboy models. Afterward, the company made watches for aviation, especially the US Postal Service, and eventually became the primary supplier of watches for the Allies in World WarII.

During the cold war, Hamilton made wristwatches for some NATO countries including the UK and the US. They also produced watches for the Korean and Viet Nam wars. I estimated a circulation of 800,000 Hamilton military watches existed at its peak.

In 1980, the company made a brilliant marketing move. It decided to repurpose a watch made to strict standard military regulations for retail customers. The incentive happened quite by accident.

In 1979, a visitor to the Hamilton Watch Company’s Lancaster, PA plant saw the military assembly line. He commented on army watches becoming chic with young New Yorkers. At the time, designers referred to them as “guerilla fashion.”

Hamilton named it Khaki. Why should anyone care? It’s an interesting bit of history and explains a rare success story.

The visitor’s observation prompted Hamilton’s advertising agency to develop a marketing plan. One of the company’s vice presidents offered the idea to Bloomingdale’s and the department store buyers chose the “Khaki” for the Bloomingdale’s 1980 Christmas catalog. The watch sold out and has remained a staple of the New York department store ever since.

Bloomingdales offers Hamilton Khaki watches in it’s 2016 Christmas catalog. This link will take you to the proper page. Here’s an interesting factoid. Before the Khaki, Hamilton faced failure as an enterprise and would have disappeared.

What have we here? A Khaki with enhancements unseen in the early models, such as a sapphire crystal, a Panerai Luminor style crown protector, luminescent hands and numeric markers, an engraved

Hamilton’s contracts with NATO countries expired in 1988 as hostilities with the Soviet Union ceased. To all concerned Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev’s policies of glasnost (“openness”) and perestroika (“restructuring”) and his reorientation of Soviet strategic aims contributed to the end of the Cold War.

Gorbachev’s program removed the role of the Communist Party in governing the state from the Constitution, which inadvertently led to crisis-level political instability with a surge of local nationalist and anti-communist activism culminating in the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Fortunately for Hamilton, they could continue making military watches under the Khaki label. They also had freedom to add features and customize the basic wristwatch.

The Khaki Action Series

If you read the advertising copy associated with manufacturer’s products, you will find little detail. The Khaki Action series seems about the same as previous products. You find the following:

Hamilton Action watches are a sporty series of mens watches with a masculine and casual aura. These Hamilton watches are unique in design and are a bold statement of modernity. These watches are constructed in solid stainless steel, and are powered by sophisticated self winding automatic chronograph mechanisms. Suitable for any special occasion and for daily wear, this series of Hamilton watches is classy and tasteful in any setting.

The Action Series evolved from the original field watch with several enhancements.

• Improved overall fit and finish
• A crown guard adds significant protection of the setting and winding mechanism
• It wears larger than its 38mm size with a lug-to-lug length shorter for a comfortable fit
• Easy to grip bezel
• A high-grade  stainless steel case wears better
• Sapphire crystal protects against scratches
• Sufficient luminescent hands and dial markets
• Improved strap for comfort
• As stated above, Hamilton made slight changes to the shape for a contemporary look

Please visit our sponsors including my eBay store.