Hamilton Celebrates America’s 250th Anniversary with a Special Khaki Field Mechanical

Hamilton is marking the United States’ 250th anniversary with a new limited release tied to both the brand’s American roots and its ties to military history. The Khaki Field Mechanical America 250 Anniversary US Edition is a U.S.-exclusive model limited to 1,776 pieces, referencing, of course, the year the Declaration of Independence was signed.

Founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892, Hamilton is using this release to revisit one of its lesser-known military references. The watch takes inspiration from the FAPD 5101 navigator’s watch, developed in the early 1970s for U.S. Air Force navigators during the Vietnam era. Produced for only a short period, the original model has since become one of the rarer Hamilton military watches. It featured a 36mm parkerized steel case, slightly larger than many field watches of its era, and was powered by the 17-jewel Hamilton caliber 684 (a movement developed specifically for that watch and not used elsewhere in the brand’s catalogue).

Several of those defining details carry into this new iteration to celebrate the U.S.’s semiquincentennial anniversary (keep that word in your back pocket for trivia night). The case remains 36mm, preserving the footprint of the original reference, while fixed bars are used to keep the strap securely in place. Hamilton has also fitted the watch with an acrylic box-shaped crystal and a protective dust cover, furthering the vintage elements of the original reference point of this model.

The dial stays clean and functional, with a black base and luminous hands and markers using Super-LumiNova Grade X2, chosen to recreate the warmer tone of vintage lume material.

Inside, this model runs on an H-50 hand-wound movement, equipped with a Nivachron balance spring and promising an 80-hour power reserve. The watch comes fitted on a textile NATO strap, but also comes with an additional calf leather strap. 

The Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical America 250 Anniversary US Edition is available now, with a price tag of $725. Hamilton