Hamilton Introduces the Khaki Field Auto 38mm Call of Duty Special Edition
For as long as I’ve been writing about watches (and in fact much longer) Hamilton has been associated with the silver screen. They are incredibly proud of their long history of popularizing specific watches through their appearances in movies. It’s a tradition that goes back decades, to when Elvis wore a Hamilton Ventura in Blue Hawaii, and has continued through the years with ties to some of the most widely seen films of the recent past, including Oppenheimer, Dune Part II, and more. Lately, however, Hamilton has shifted their focus just slightly by fully embracing what many see as a category that is equal to film in terms of storytelling and visual impact: gaming.
The new Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38mm Call of Duty Special Edition is the brand’s third watch that is specifically tied to a videogame, and follows an ambitious project made to coincide with the latest release in the Death Stranding series. The new version of the Khaki Field seen here is, at least on the surface, a bit easier to digest than the avant-garde Boulton concept seen in Death Stranding. And that certainly makes a great deal of sense for Call of Duty, which is, as these things go, a far more grounded gaming experience. It is, notably, one of those games that has broken through to the popular culture even beyond serious gamers. It’s a title that just about everyone knows, even if they don’t know they know it, a notion that seems to bolster Hamilton’s decision to lean into the video game world.
If you think about how many people play video games, it almost seems like malpractice not to get involved somehow. Reports peg the industry’s value at over $500 billion dollars, with an estimated 3.3 billion people worldwide who play video games. That number, importantly, is growing. How many people see a movie in a theater each year? In terms of revenue, moviegoing still beats gaming (most estimates have worldwide box office grosses somewhere around $5 billion) but the key is the trendline. Movie theater attendance is down worldwide since the pandemic, and while there are always bright spots and movies are big business by any measure, everyone with a smartphone in their pocket is a potential gamer – it just requires a lot more time and effort to see a movie.
So Hamilton’s logic here is certainly sound, and I think there’s little doubt that centering their watches in some of the most widely played games is sure to expose the brand to potential customers that have simply not been tapped before. According to the brand, the new Khaki Field Automatic is worn in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 by the Axel Vermaak character and plays a role (though undefined in the press release) in the storytelling and gameplay.
The limited edition watch (5,000 pieces will be made) is meant to match the tactical tone of the game, and features a 38mm stainless steel case with a black dial. The layout is classic field watch, with an outer hour track with oversized, stark white numerals, and an inner 24 hour track. The watch is mounted to a khaki green textile strap, and has 100 meters of water resistance and a sapphire crystal. It runs on the H-10 automatic movement and has 80 hours of power reserve. This watch also features a case back with a Call of Duty icon engraving.
I’m not much of a gamer beyond idly playing a bit of Sudoku on my phone while I’m waiting for an appointment, a take-out order, or something similar. And I still believe, broadly, in the supremacy of movies as a cultural touchpoint. But the numbers don’t lie, and putting a digital version of a Hamilton on a playable character in a game like Call of Duty is a big moment for the brand. It remains to be seen what kind of real world impact a move like this has, but I have to think that if it gets even a tiny fraction of Call of Duty’s audience thinking about watches, this will have to be seen as a winning strategy. What will be really interesting is if it is a clearly successful ploy, what kinds of downstream impact that has on watch marketing across the industry.
More information about the Khaki Field Auto 38mm Call of Duty Special Edition can be found on Hamilton’s website here. The retail price is $975.
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