[mjhollerich]

A K-410 should be an easy fix. Sending a watch to the Netherlands sounds super strange. The parts for a K-410 are readily available and any experience watchmaker should be able to fix it in an hour or two. (Not a hobbyist, but a professional watchmaker).

Next, your new watch should not lose or gain any time at all --- period. Maybe a fraction of a second a year. Find a pro watchmaker (not me) and have him or her write Hamilton. Your watchmaker can probably supply a graphic of the timing. Then phone calls to Hamilton should follow.

Frankly, this timing thing is absurd. I watch people get the kind of timing of which I'm speaking on 50 year old and older watches on a bench behind me in school. These guys aren't professionals - they're students.

Good luck.

Many thanks for your reply -- I was at a conference in England last week and only today discovered your post.
On the K-410: I brought it to two reputable local jewelers, as well as sending it to the Swatch group, and got the same "no available parts" answer each time. I think at this point that if I want to restore the watch to service, I may have to buy another movement, if I'm using the right terminology.

 

[SeanO]

heya,

there are plenty of parts out there to fix the 64/661 series Hamilton automatics. There are a number of reputable guys here on the forum Omega564, Rikthewatchmaker and others who can easily deal with these watches.

the problem with buying replacement movements to scavenge for parts is the eternal one. Most of the problems you find on these auto's are found on all of them. You can buy 3 or 4 movements to canibalise for parts only to find that they all have the same problems.

the Kurth autos are robust and easily fixed.

cheers,

Sean

 

[mjhollerich]

heya,

there are plenty of parts out there to fix the 64/661 series Hamilton automatics. There are a number of reputable guys here on the forum Omega564, Rikthewatchmaker and others who can easily deal with these watches.

the problem with buying replacement movements to scavenge for parts is the eternal one. Most of the problems you find on these auto's are found on all of them. You can buy 3 or 4 movements to canibalise for parts only to find that they all have the same problems.

the Kurth autos are robust and easily fixed.

cheers,

Sean

I take it the "K" in K-410 stands for Kurth? And what, exactly, does "64/661 series" represent? You're talking to a total neophyte here. I've read enough posts on this forum to realize that the regulars are highly knowledgeable, and I have enjoyed what I've been able to glean from them.

If are people in this forum, or another one, who are willing to take on the repair work on my dad's Hamilton, I'm interested in getting in touch with them at some point. I take it you're referring me to someone in particular on the Omega564 forum. I am in no position to do the work myself, that's for sure.

Thanks for your reply!

Mike Hollerich (St. Paul, Minnesota)

 

[HandyDan]

The 661 is the type of automatic movement. The Omega564, etc reference are members of the forum in the watch repair trade. You could also google watch repair, etc and find other, perhaps local watch makers to service your watch.

 

[mls2k3]

Titanium Khaki Field watch fogged after factory repair

I own the titanium khaki field watch. Purchased in December 2010. I am curious if anyone has any experience with this watch. I am finding the finish is very poor quality. The watch is titanium but for some reason Hamilton applies a cheap lacquer-like coating to the case and bracelet. The coating wears off easily with normal use. This is apparent between the links of the bracelet where the links touch and rub each other. Furthermore the movement of the watch is not reliable. In the summer it suddenly stopped working and had to be returned to Swatch in New Jersey for warranty repair. Well that was a big disappointment. They kept the watch for almost a month and returned it to me in August. I wore it a few times it suddenly fogged up with moisture on the inside. Apparently the Swatch repairman botched the gasket while doing the warranty repair. For a watch that costs almost $1000 I would expect better quality, craftsmanship and professional customer service. I am an experienced watch owner with a fondness for true mechanical watches. I caution anyone considering the Hamilton Titanium Khaki Field model to reconsider their choice. The movement is poor quality and titanium case and bracelet are painted with a cheap finish that wears off with normal use. I will post photos and copies of Swatch correspondence for those interested. Let me know.

 

[limepetro]

Dial great looking in matte black with silver numbers .. 6.9 and 12 are great and they play very well with large numbers on the bezel style team gear. The crown gear is gear look like to bring forward. The movement is ETA-2897. Accuracy is -2 sec / day, which is Preety good. On the reserve, I go to sleep with the indicator shows full and in the morning is about 75-80%. After I put about 2 hours going over the top.

 

[SeanO]

welcome Limepetro,

thanks for posting on your experience with your Hamilton.

perhaps you'd like to post some photographs of it along with a brief description of how you've found it?

cheers,

Sean

 

[matt92617]

Now look at this watch. Going from left to right there is just about 1mm space in between number 45 another 1mm and you got number 9 and another 1mm and you have 21 number. If you do the same from right to left, between the date and hour 15, there is no space. But if you go between the date and 15 seconds mark there is a huge empty space....Seriously... why? The 38mm version doesn't have this issue. This made me wonder whether 42mm khaki field is simply a 38mm movement with a 42 mm dial. This was probably done to cut down costs. But now, if I'm spending anything over $300 on a watch it better have a consistent design and not some cheap dial. I've noticed that there are a lot of other Hamilton watches out there that have the same problem - date not spaced consistently with the hour/second numbers. So I opted out and khaki field and khaki officer and went for Hamilton Khaki Pilot 46mm, which as you can see has its dial designed from ground up, with no spacing issues and clearly visible numbers.

So this is my purchase after about a month of research and going back and forth between different models. First of all this watch is not as big as some people claim it to be, it feels just right on my wrist (I have average wrist size). The brown leather strap, simple design with black dial makes it look professional and good enough for my rotations at local hospital. The big seconds hand lets me easilly count down 15 seconds in a dim room and without straining my already poor eyes. Finally from design perspective the date/day window is placed proportionally the hour/min numbers. There is no awkward extra or too little space like found in khaki field automatic. On the other hand the triangle at the 12 o'clock position is facing the wrong way. This makes me wonder whether Hamilton designer had any knowledge of how WWII Pilot watches looked like. Going away from the design aesthetics, the strap seems to be not of a $500 watch quality. It is not falling apart yet but it doesn't look like it is going to last more than 6 months. Besides that, everything else seems to be of solid quality. Having day and date window at the correct position is a blessing. The watch also gains exactly 13 seconds per day, and this happens to be my lucky number. So I'm looking forward for this piece to serve me for years to come.

 

[michaelreidak]

Just got my Hamilton Clinton back from it's first service. I bought it in the New Orleans flea market from a gentleman who specialized in old watches...NIB in a blue box with a dried out unused grey leather band.

 

[Widows Son]

Good Lord!!!!!! Great reviews guys, some of them belong in a watch magazine (because of their thoroughness).