It seems sci-fi movie directors want you to believe that our future only has enough space for one watch brand: Hamilton. Interstellar, The Martian, and most recently Independence Day: Resurgence, all feature watches from the Swiss company on the wrist of their protagonists. While I find that storyline a little hard to believe, it is however, the most plausible part of the Independence Day: Resurgence script. The film has no fewer than four Hamilton watches featured: the Pilot Auto Chrono (on James Ritter, as Lt. Whitmore) the Jazzmaster GMT (on Jeff Goldblum, returning from the first film as David Levinson, Director of Earth Space Defense) a Thin-O-Matic (on Bill Pullman, returning as now-former President Whitmore) and the X-Wind Automatic Chronograph on Liam Hemsworth. Maybe there's a scene on the cutting room floor from the first film, showing a devastating attack on Switzerland with only Hamilton surviving?
The latest blockbuster is the sequel to Independence Day, which fans of the original demanded in the 1990s, hoped to see in the 2000s, and were surprised by when it was announced in 2014. It’s finally out in cinemas, and while it fails to capture the magic of the first film, I have to admit I found it thoroughly entertaining in a shut-your-brain-off kind of way. In terms of scale, the new movie is definitely bigger than the first, but bigger does not mean more exciting.
But where does the Khaki X-Wind Auto Chrono fit in all of it? The watch makes a few cameos, all more subtle than the one made by the Hamilton “Murph Watch” in Interstellar, though the same cannot be said about the timepiece itself.
It measures a whopping 45mm - crowns and pushers included - and there are quite a few of few of them. In fact, if you placed a finger on every crown and pusher on the watch, you wouldn’t have any left to adjust any of its functions.
The Hamilton Automatic X-Wind features three screw-down crowns which control the time, day, date and drift function (more on that later), and two pushers which control the chronograph function. Strangely though, these are on the left hand side, and the bottom pusher starts and stops the chrono, while the top pusher resets it. Why? Because the watch is powered by a modified Valjoux 7750 which has been flipped around, in order for pilots to access the drift function crowns with ease, on the right-hand side. As a non-pilot, I found that quite awkward (though many may find operating the chronograph with the thumb more natural than I did) though the greater power reserve is a definite plus (60 hours, vs. about 46 for a standard 7750).
The position of those two crowns is essential in order to make quick calculations of crosswinds. This involves setting the interior and exterior bezels, and quite a bit of math. I’m not terribly sure how useful the function is to pilots - I’ll leave it up to them to tell us in the comment section - but I fear this is one of those watches that tells watch guys who have never flown, what cockpit instruments already tell the professionals. Breva's Genie 01 was guilty of this a few years ago (though the Genie 01 wasn't really intended as a pilot's watch per se). However, the calculation of drift due to cross-winds is a crucial one in aerial navigation, especially in dead reckoning, where position is calculated based on compass heading, speed, time elapsed from the last position, and critically, lateral drift due to cross winds, so this is a legitimately critical function. Crosswind calculations can be looked up on a table in the standard pilot's E6B manual flight computer and miniaturizing some E6B functions in a watch – particularly fuel consumption calculations – has been going on for many years, with the Navitimer probably the best known example, so the X-Wind is at least in good company.
Where the Hamilton Khaki X-Wind will really impress non-pilots is in terms of build quality. It also has a great workhorse movement, and lots of functionality for the money. Clearly a lot of though has gone into the finer details of the design, though I’m sure some will look at them and see branding overkill. The company’s signature is engraved on the winding rotor, while the H logo also makes a guest appearance on the crown and the buckle. But it’s hard to find a wristwatch that is packed with so many features for as little as $1,595.
The thing is, it’s not particularly futuristic, is it? Not at all in terms of materials. And not as much as The Martian's Khaki Navy BeLOWZERO when it comes to aesthetics. Just like Resurgence, the watch is definitely larger than life. Like the film, with its alien invasions, Earth-shattering kabooms, and slightly dated perspective, the X-Wind is kind of anachronistic – but like the movie, that's part of its appeal.
For more information, visit the official Hamilton website.
The Hamilton Khaki X-Wind Auto Chrono; Case: Stainless Steel; diameter: 44 mm, height:15.55 mm; Functions: time, day, date, chronograph, crosswind calculator; Movement: Automatic chronograph with date function; Calibre H-21; 60-Hour power reserve; Brown leather strap; Price: $1,595.
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