Given a choice between $2000 and a Hamilton, I’ll go for the cash any day than the Hamilton. Sounds kinda weird, isn’t it? A watch freak not opting for his object of desire; instead, he’s thinking like any other material-minded person? But well, building a worthwhile collection is not all about getting emotional; you need some hardcore practical sense. My question is: Why must I take the one you are offering? There are a ton of other models to choose from, some even better than the one on offer.

However, going back a couple of years down the line, my choice would have been the Hamilton on offer. Those times I didn’t know something like Creation watches even exist and I was a bit of an impatient guy living for the moment. All that I loved to see (and own) is mechanical innovations from the most affordable price range and with an attractive design. I blew up a considerable chunk of money on those, which, now, seems sheer wastage.

So, this year, I sold some of them (actually, most of them) and recovered around 40% of the total cost, planning to save up some more and invest on a Hamilton to treasure for the rest of my life. With the brand pushing the envelope the farthest in 2013, the flame was fanned even higher. The trouble began when it came to discriminate between chronographs, GMTs, skeletons and an uber-cool regulator. There are also a few more but for brevities sake, I focused on the Khaki series. Further down the line, I narrowed it down to the auto chronos. I picked one of these for the time being though my future target is fixed on the Khaki Pilot Pioneer auto-chrono.

“Why not now?” – You ask. Well, the first reason is obviously that you need time to get used to the feel of donning something this expensive; secondly, it’s the price factor. I still need another year to save up for it. Till then, the Hamilton auto chrono will suffice.

It will be unfair if I do not tell you the duende behind it. I got hots for things from the ‘70s and this RAF-issued Hamilton derivative borrows heavily from the ‘70s pilots’ watches. A cult-classic that embraces military purposefulness within a vintage charm, I got knocked-off by its asymmetrically-blasted case-design and its integrated crown-guards. And above all, I always wanted a watch with a movement better than the Valjoux 7753; the caliber H-31 movement is just that.

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