Hamilton Khaki X-Wind Auto Chrono LE: Malaysia Price and Review

Hamilton celebrates a century of timing the skies.

Tracing its aviation heritage back to 1918 when pilots of the first US airmail service between Washington, Philadelphia and New York would wear Hamilton watches, the Pennsylvanian-born brand then became the official watch for four major US airlines in the 1930s and has been involved in aviation history throughout the decades.

This year, the brand celebrates a hundred years of flight time with the very cool Hamilton Khaki X-Wind Auto Chrono LE, unveiled at Baselworld 2018.

Based on the original Khaki X-Wind Auto Chrono, the watch features a hefty 45mm stainless steel case and the original model’s groundbreaking crosswind calculator on the turning bezel. This function allows the user to quickly calculate the effect that wind speed might have on their flight—something a pilot would appreciate, but the average wearer would still find very cool.

Featuring a black dial, the watch’s readability is enhanced via newly shaped hands and Super-LumiNova numerals in a sandy hue that glows neon green. Like most chronographs, the dial features three counters, a day date window at 9 o’clock and turning inner bezels.
The crown on the left side of the dial functions like a typical crown and allows you to set the time, date, and month, while the other two crowns on the right are for adjusting the upper and lower interior rotating bezels with the two pushers on the left side for activating the chronograph.

Crosswind calculators aside, what also makes this watch unique is the Calibre H-21-Si, a modified Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement, and Hamilton’s first chronograph to feature a silicon hairspring. This, of course, makes the watch much more accurate and precise as silicon is non-magnetic and less sensitive to shocks, an important feature to have as many pilots often find themselves in environments with high magnetic fields such as airports and airplanes.

While the watch might look like a chunky, complicated affair, the uniquely specific functions add a tool watch quality to the aesthetics of the Khaki X-Wind Auto Chrono LE. Limited to 1,918 pieces worldwide, and with an attractive price tag, we’re pretty sure this will be snapped up quite quickly once it hits our shores, or skies.