What do rubber, titanium, portholes and blockbuster movies have in common? All are elements of the exciting 2016 relaunch of the Khaki Navy Frogman watch. This revival is a tribute to a piece of real and onscreen diving history: the iconic submersible watch created for the US naval frogmen teams and featured in the 1951 movie The Frogmen and the brand’s very first on-screen appearance. This first appearance in the film industry, in which the company has become a leader, has its roots in military reputation that dates back to World War I and II when Hamilton, founded in 1892, equipped the U.S. military.
Fast forward to 2016 and the sportier, more rugged Khaki Navy Frogman collection contains an edgey style with function in an appealing choice of variations. Fronted by world-renowned free diver Pierre Frolla, each model is equipped with a stunning crown-protection device, inspired by its 1951 ancestor with its inimitable military canteen design.
In keeping with its double billing as a super-sporty watch and stylish accessory, the 2016 standout 46 mm titanium model is clearly built to meet the high demands of its underwater vocation. Large surfaces ensure easy readability and high-tech specs include an edgy, red unidirectional rotating bezel. The latter frames a black dial with luminescent triple-facetted hands. The red-trimmed tip of the seconds hand highlights its role as an operating indicator and a vital feature of diver’s model.
Other key features from the diver’s watch are a tough and sturdy titanium case, water-resistance to 1,000 meters and a helium valve to equal out internal and external pressures in saturation diving conditions. The rubber strap features an unexpected tone-on-tone central section and ribbed exterior that creates pleasing texture and color contrasts. The solid case-back bearing a scuba diver motif is a nod to this model’s maritime mission. And last but not least, the H-10 caliber with its 80-hour power reserve proves just as useful on land as below the sea.
About Hamilton
Hamilton has an aviation heritage dating back to 1919. That was the year in which a Hamilton aeronautical watch accompanied the very first American airmail postal service between Washington and New York. This in-flight activity continued to strengthen and grow and by the 1930s Hamilton was the official watch of the commercial airlines, TWA, Eastern, United and Northwest. A major highlight of the era was the selection of Hamilton as timekeeper for the United Air Lines inauguration of the first coast-to-coast service – a 15-hour, 20-minute trip between New York and San Francisco. Discover more about Hamilton here.