New: Hamilton Intramatic Chronograph In Green- Brown- And Blue

June 21, 2013

This seems to be the week of the reverse pandas at the Swatch Group. You probably already saw the two Speedmaster Professional Moonwatches with glossy black and white dials that Omega launched earlier this week. Now, Hamilton also introduces three new chronograph references. They are all inspired by the vintage racing culture of the 50s and 60s and come either with a green, brown, or blue dial with silver sub-dials. Also, they all house a hand-wound mechanical movement and come with both a perforated leather strap and a steel mesh bracelet.I m a fan of Hamilton s Intramatic Chronographs. I featured the automatic olive-green reverse panda as one of the options to buy when you start your watch collection. The Intramatic packs attractive vintage styling and great mechanics in a very wearable 40mm case. Let s take a quick look at these three new hand-wound models.The Hamilton American Classic Intramatic Chronograph HThe latest Hamilton American Classic Intramatic Chronograph H variants also share a polished stainless steel 40mm case. It s characterized by its simple, round shape and straightforward beveled bezel. The lugs are also polished and angular, and they accommodate 20mm-wide straps. Topping the case is a box-type sapphire crystal with an antireflective coating on both sides. The simple screw-in case back is polished stainless steel and indicates that the watch is water resistant to 10 bar.Underneath that case back is Hamilton s H-51 hand-wound chronograph movement. This 27-jewel caliber is based on the ETA 7753. It runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour, features 27 jewels, and holds a comfortable 60-hour power reserve. You operate it with the crown and pushers on the right side of the case.Do you go for gradient green or brown, or do you pick an even blue?The real novelty of this release is the dial colors. You can choose between hunter green, warm brown, or blue. The first two options feature a slight gradient, making them slightly darker around the edges, while the blue dial has an even tone. All three dials have a matte finish, while the silver sub-dials are shinier and feature a concentric-grained texture. They also all come with applied hour markers. While the brown and green versions have faux-patina lume on the dial and hands, the lume on the blue version is greener. Finally, the blue dial features funky orange chronograph and sub-dial hands, instead of the white and black hands on the other two versions.Each watch comes on a perforated nubuck leather strap with a stainless steel pin buckle. For the green and brown versions, the strap matches the dial color. However, the blue version comes with a contrasting light brown leather strap. In the box, there s also a complementary stainless steel mesh bracelet with a folding clasp. Initial impressionsThe new Hamilton American Classic Intramatic Chronograph H series surely takes you back a good 60 years. The warm brown version almost looks like a proper vintage example with a tropical dial. The green one leans a bit more into the British-racing-green vibes, while the blue variant is a bit cleaner. However, the orange hands certainly give it a sporty character. My favorite is the blue version, as it lacks the gradient, and I love how it looks on the light brown leather strap.The new Hamilton American Classic Intramatic Chronograph H models are available now and cost $2,295 / US$2,445 / $1,980 each. As said, in addition to the perforated nubuck leather strap, the watches also come with a stainless steel mesh bracelet.Let me know in the comments below what you think of Hamilton s new American Classic Intramatic Chronograph H modelsWatch specifications Brand Hamilton Model American Classic Intramatic Chronograph HReference H38429861 (green) / H38429591 (brown) / H38429541 (blue)Dial Hunter green fume, warm brown fume, or flat blue with silver sub-dials and applied indexes with Super-LumiNovaCase Material Stainless steel with polished finishCase Dimensions 40mm (diameter) 14.35 (thickness)Crystal Box-shaped sapphire Case Back Stainless steel, screw-in Movement Hamilton H-51 (ETA 7753 base): manual winding, 28,800vph (4Hz frequency), 60-hour power reserve, 27 jewels, Nivachron balance springWater Resistance 10 bar (100 meters)Strap Perforated nubuck leather (20mm width) in green, brown, or light brown with stainless steel pin buckleFunctions Time (hours, minutes, small seconds), chronograph (30-minute counter, central seconds), and tachymeterPrice $2,295 / US$2,445 / $1,980