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Excited.....Over A Hamilton?
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Author:  sharkman [ Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Excited.....Over A Hamilton?
Well, I’m not supposed to get this excited about a watch I picked up on discount for just under a grand. Certainly not over a watch that retails for just under $1,400. And not for a Hamilton, right? But this relatively new offering by Hamilton, the Jazzmaster GMT World Traveler just may be the nicest, best suited to me, watch I have worn. Really? For a grand?!

It turns out that the fit & finish, including the bracelet is as good as anything I’ve worn, which is saying a lot mind you. So it only sports an ETA 2893-2, but it is running balls on accurate so far. The case is 42mm with fairly short, down-sloping lugs and at just 11mm in height it sits down on my “highly-evolved” wrists like a tailor made it for me. Only the bezel and the middle third of each case side is polished. The bracelet is as high a quality as any I’ve had the pleasure of trying out. Frankly it is similar in quality to the JLC bracelet for the MCC2, without the micro-adjusting feature. That bracelet cost me 2.5X what this watch and bracelet cost. It’s nicely brushed with beveled and polished link edges. The feel on the wrist is incredible. The entire kit has real heft to it, unlike other Hamilton’s I’ve had. The dial is gloss black with striations and everything is painted, not printed. The crystal is domed. Overall the profile is low, but not unassuming.

I know the only reason Hamilton can offer bang for the buck is due to Swatch Group, but this is ridiculous. Since I have been unable to capture with my iPhone what it looks like to the naked eye, first is a stock pic that accurately reflects what I’m looking at. Then a bunch of crappy cell pics.


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Author:  TomP [ Thu Jan 30, 2014 4:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Excited.....Over A Hamilton?
Very nice indeed; I've always thought that bang-per-buck Hamilton takes an awful lot of beating. The dial is very nicely balanced.
Author:  P51 [ Thu Jan 30, 2014 4:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Excited.....Over A Hamilton?
Congratulations Sharkman. That looks really nice, an elegant watch with really beautiful dial and sharp detailing.

Hamilton are a nice watch and I enjoy wearing mine. Had it on at dinner Saturday with a few friends over. I have a Khaki X Wind with yellow face (Affectionately known round these parts as custard face). They are well made, attractively designed and fairly reasonably priced.

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Author:  Roffensian [ Thu Jan 30, 2014 4:55 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Excited.....Over A Hamilton?
Congrats Tom - Hamilton is fast replacing Oris as the 'go to' recommendation at the lower end of the price spectrum - that's a very nice piece.
Author:  sharkman [ Thu Jan 30, 2014 5:52 am ]
Post subject:  Excited.....Over A Hamilton?
P51 I had that same X Wind a few years back. Roff, Oris is still a great value but Hamilton is raising the stakes. I saw this GMT when I was in getting a Pan Europ. The brand still has many flaws IMO, especially in the Chronos - too many wildly unbalanced dials and a seeming love affair with 4:00 date windows. And if you buy one on an "alligator" strap, assume you will be replacing it with a proper one. There are several Oris I have always liked - especially some of the dive/sport watches, but they are too big for me.

I did have one Oris a ways back - Big Crown Chrono. I do remember being very distressed by the poor quality of the bracelet. That's the systemic problem with lower end brands, or micro-brands, they typically suffer greatly with poor, catalog quality bracelets. But the two bracelet based Hamiltons I have - a simple Day/Date 3 hand and this GMT have terrific bracelets.

My contact at a local AD in Scottsdale where I had previously bought G.O. And Zenith was really talking up Hamilton when I bopped in a couple weeks ago. The Pan Europ, while not for everyone, is priced right about where is ought to be. The simple Day/Date model I would have bought even if list was twice what it is, which is certainly also true for the GMT in this thread.

OMG! I just realized I am sitting here with one Hammy on the wrist and two on the winders.

On the down side - the lume sucks. I can live with that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Author:  Kodiak [ Thu Jan 30, 2014 11:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Excited.....Over A Hamilton?
Congrats Tom. I've always kept my eye on Hamilton, like a lot of their sporty designs. I don't have an AD close to me that carries much of the line so hard to see them in person. I even like their quartz pieces, :shock: , but don't tell anyone, :) .

Also, I do have an Oris diver (Aquis) and they are a great value for the money, runs great and is well finished.
Enjoy!
Author:  Novacastrian [ Thu Jan 30, 2014 5:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Excited.....Over A Hamilton?
Great pickup mate. I like both of your Hamiltons. This one would look great on a black calf too.
Author:  MattC [ Thu Jan 30, 2014 6:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Excited.....Over A Hamilton?
I am a big Oris fan, even though I do not own one this moment I have owned a few in the past. I really like this Hamilton, it looks tough.
Author:  sharkman [ Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Excited.....Over A Hamilton?
Novacastrian wrote:
Great pickup mate. I like both of your Hamiltons. This one would look great on a black calf too.


I have a nice 22mm black Alligator waiting for me to change it out. And for that matter a black calf Breitling Or burgandy or brown Croco.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Author:  boogiebot [ Sat Feb 01, 2014 7:49 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Excited.....Over A Hamilton?
Shark congrats on the new pickup. You have owned a ton of pieces so if this one has captured your heart that's one special piece.
Author:  dempsey [ Sat Feb 01, 2014 9:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Excited.....Over A Hamilton?
Great looking watch and congrats.

A Hamilton may not be the first watch many more seasoned watch enthusiast think to buy, but it is definitely one that you should not over look. Like Oris and Tissot, they are extremely versatile pieces that can be stylish and has some historical and note worthy models. They have been introducing a lot a models that are becoming popular.
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