Although I took note of its existence, I did not put in on my priority list then. However, much later I started to see that the specifications of the watch does not correspond to the price demanded. In fact, the watch was underpriced in my opinion. Think about it: dive watch with 1,000 meter water rating; automatic HEV system; sapphire crystal; PVD case surface; a strap and a bracelets as options; Swiss made; ETA 2826 Caliber; and a strap replacement tool - all for just RM6,080.00 MSRP in Malaysia.
It so happened that I was browsing at Hang Thai Watch shop in Bangsar Village 1 when I laid my eyes on the watch. After putting it on the wrist, I quickly strike a deal with the dealer and I walked away with this example. I was able to get it for RM4,560.00.
[The watch is written as "BeLOWZERO". I was searching the reasoning behind the name and why it was written that way but could not get anything. If anyone knows anything about this please write in the comment section below. For ease of typing, I will note this watch as 'Belowzero' in the following writeup.]
The reference H78585333 comes in a special display watch box. Inside you will find the various documents as well as a spare black PVD bracelet and a strap replacement tool. Due to the black-out nature of the Belowzero, it looks deceptively normal. In reality, this watch is a giant. It has a diameter of 49 mm (excluding crown) and a lug-to-lug length of 55 mm. Its height is a whopping 17.5 mm thick. To help balance the dimensions, it will require a wider strap. In this case a strap that can fill in 24 mm of lug width. Made out of stainless steel, the casing is painted black PVD which further suppresses the hugeness of the watch.
The Dial
The dial is black-out, military style. Everything in it is either black or various shades of grey. The only thing white is the Arabic numerals on the date wheel.
Starting from the edge is the vertical wall chapter ring painted in black. On the dial itself is two sets of timing scales. The first is the minute markers and the second is the Arabic numeral hour markers. Interestingly, the 12 o’clock marker has been replace by a “0”. The hour markers are painted with Superluminova. There are also four lines of text. Within the upper quadrant is the brand while the rest are in the lower quadrant. The texts are printed on the dial using grey paint.
A large date aperture is located near the 3 o’clock position. It is a good thing that Hamilton decided not to replace the 3 o’clock marker with the aperture. Using a date wheel in negative (white numeral with black background) helps maintain the black-out effect. Despite wanting the black-out effect, Hamilton chose to have a fine white line framing the rectangle aperture window.
The hands on the Belowzero are rather eclectic. The seconds hand is like an arrow; thin with the arrowhead painted with Superluminova. The minutes hand is sword-like and painted with Superluminova. The hours hand is partially sword-like and painted with Superluminova. At the tip is a black arrowhead extension. Honestly, I can’t see the reason why different styles of hands were used. Even with normal light, the black arrowhead extension at the end of the hours hand is close to invisible.
The dial was protected by a thick dome sapphire crystal approximately 5.6 mm tall. The curvature is hidden somewhat by the tall bezel. This bezel can be turned unidirectionally and has a 120-click increments for a complete rotation. It has an pip painted with Superluminova at 12 o’clock as well as hour markers in the form of ‘nubs’. The first three nubs were filled with Superluminova paint. For the first fifteen minutes, Hamilton provided line markers also painted with Superluminova.
I had the opportunity to bath the watch with black light and here is the picture of the illumination on the dial as well as the bezel.
On the four corners of the watch, four eight-sided bolt heads can be seen with the accompanying screw tube blister on the side of the watch casing. These large bolt provides additional load bearing points to hold the case together under maximum pressure.
The large initialed screw-down crown is located at 3 o’clock. It is protected by two huge shoulders. The crown sits flush to the shoulders when screwed down. The crown has a dusk cover design and has the initials “H” on the top surface. Due to the shape of the protective shoulders, it would be best to manipulate the crown with the watch off the wrist. Having the watch on the wrist makes it difficult to manipulate the crown properly especially if you have gloves on.
On the opposite of the watch casing is the automatic HEV mechanism. For saturation diving, the ability to expel accumulated helium in the bloodstream is critical to the wellbeing of a human being. The same can also be said for equipments, especially tools that have a pressure chamber like a dive watch. The automatic HEV mechanism will independently release any buildup of helium gas in the watch.
The lugs on the Belowzero does not have passthrough holes for the spring-bars. I would have preferred it if Hamilton designed it in as it would make strap replacement be done much easier. As it is now, one needs to access the spring-bars by the back. This could cause some scratching on the PVD surface due to the awkward angle to reach the spring-bars with hard tools.
Straight from the box, the paired rubber strap has some nice features. The flat angle of the strap near the bottom lugs is signed with the brand name. The top surface of the strap has a texture of fine lines for grip. Similarly, the underside of the strap has the ‘Hamilton’ brand (top strap) and ‘Khaki’ series (bottom strap) stamped.
The strap tapers from 24 mm at the lugs to 22 mm at the buckle. The black PVD signed buckle has a double hook that joins to together to make the letter “H”, which is also the initials of the brand. The strap is also provided with two rubber strap guides to contain the strap tail from flapping around.
The case-back has a nice diving bell graphic with thin horizontal lines as background. Information about the watch is stamped around this graphic. Instead of a screw-down, Hamilton opted to secure the case-back using six screws. I am actually curious to know whether the screws are strong enough to support 1000 meters of water pressure as the screws used seem rather small. I suppose it has to since Hamilton gave a guarantee of its capabilities. Personally, I would not be able to test the claims as I am not a diver. I guess, I would have to trust Hamilton.
Underneath the case-back is the one of ETA’s workhorse caliber, the ETA2826-2. This is similar to the ETA2824 except that the normal date wheel has been replaced with a big date wheel. This Caliber uses 25 jewels and operate at 4 Hertz or 28,800 BPH. When fully charged, it has a power reserve of 38 hours.
Personally, I would have preferred it if Hamilton added the Powermatic80 movement instead. I suspect the thick casing would be more than sufficient to contain the Powermatic80 Caliber. A power reserve of 38 hours is rather pathetic when there is already an 80 hour movement available for the brand.
The Wearing Experience
Despite the size, the watch wears well on my 7.25 inch circumference wrist. You would need to get used to the weight though. Nevertheless, the strap makes it very wearable. The width and thickness is just perfect for the Belowzero. It is hard to articulate but if you ever had a Seiko Tuna with the rubber strap, you know what I mean. Despite the Seiko Tuna’s impressive specifications, the strap pairing is poor and it does affect the overall wearing experience. For the Belowzero, the strap pairing does not give such negative vibes.
Throughout the review, the only issue I found worth noting is the choice of movement. Hamilton has the 80 hours H-10 Caliber. It would have been better to use this movement in the Belowzero instead of the ETA2826-2.
On a more lighter note, wearing the watch for a length of time would give you a nice imprint of the casebook on your wrist!
Below is a video of the watch on the wrist.
The Buying
I got the watch from Hang Thai Watch shop in Bangsar Village. They threw in a nice branded mug in the mix.
It so happened that I was browsing at Hang Thai Watch shop in Bangsar Village 1 when I laid my eyes on the watch. After putting it on the wrist, I quickly strike a deal with the dealer and I walked away with this example. I was able to get it for RM4,560.00.
[The watch is written as "BeLOWZERO". I was searching the reasoning behind the name and why it was written that way but could not get anything. If anyone knows anything about this please write in the comment section below. For ease of typing, I will note this watch as 'Belowzero' in the following writeup.]
The reference H78585333 comes in a special display watch box. Inside you will find the various documents as well as a spare black PVD bracelet and a strap replacement tool. Due to the black-out nature of the Belowzero, it looks deceptively normal. In reality, this watch is a giant. It has a diameter of 49 mm (excluding crown) and a lug-to-lug length of 55 mm. Its height is a whopping 17.5 mm thick. To help balance the dimensions, it will require a wider strap. In this case a strap that can fill in 24 mm of lug width. Made out of stainless steel, the casing is painted black PVD which further suppresses the hugeness of the watch.
The Dial
The dial is black-out, military style. Everything in it is either black or various shades of grey. The only thing white is the Arabic numerals on the date wheel.
Starting from the edge is the vertical wall chapter ring painted in black. On the dial itself is two sets of timing scales. The first is the minute markers and the second is the Arabic numeral hour markers. Interestingly, the 12 o’clock marker has been replace by a “0”. The hour markers are painted with Superluminova. There are also four lines of text. Within the upper quadrant is the brand while the rest are in the lower quadrant. The texts are printed on the dial using grey paint.
A large date aperture is located near the 3 o’clock position. It is a good thing that Hamilton decided not to replace the 3 o’clock marker with the aperture. Using a date wheel in negative (white numeral with black background) helps maintain the black-out effect. Despite wanting the black-out effect, Hamilton chose to have a fine white line framing the rectangle aperture window.
The hands on the Belowzero are rather eclectic. The seconds hand is like an arrow; thin with the arrowhead painted with Superluminova. The minutes hand is sword-like and painted with Superluminova. The hours hand is partially sword-like and painted with Superluminova. At the tip is a black arrowhead extension. Honestly, I can’t see the reason why different styles of hands were used. Even with normal light, the black arrowhead extension at the end of the hours hand is close to invisible.
The dial was protected by a thick dome sapphire crystal approximately 5.6 mm tall. The curvature is hidden somewhat by the tall bezel. This bezel can be turned unidirectionally and has a 120-click increments for a complete rotation. It has an pip painted with Superluminova at 12 o’clock as well as hour markers in the form of ‘nubs’. The first three nubs were filled with Superluminova paint. For the first fifteen minutes, Hamilton provided line markers also painted with Superluminova.
I had the opportunity to bath the watch with black light and here is the picture of the illumination on the dial as well as the bezel.
On the four corners of the watch, four eight-sided bolt heads can be seen with the accompanying screw tube blister on the side of the watch casing. These large bolt provides additional load bearing points to hold the case together under maximum pressure.
The large initialed screw-down crown is located at 3 o’clock. It is protected by two huge shoulders. The crown sits flush to the shoulders when screwed down. The crown has a dusk cover design and has the initials “H” on the top surface. Due to the shape of the protective shoulders, it would be best to manipulate the crown with the watch off the wrist. Having the watch on the wrist makes it difficult to manipulate the crown properly especially if you have gloves on.
On the opposite of the watch casing is the automatic HEV mechanism. For saturation diving, the ability to expel accumulated helium in the bloodstream is critical to the wellbeing of a human being. The same can also be said for equipments, especially tools that have a pressure chamber like a dive watch. The automatic HEV mechanism will independently release any buildup of helium gas in the watch.
The lugs on the Belowzero does not have passthrough holes for the spring-bars. I would have preferred it if Hamilton designed it in as it would make strap replacement be done much easier. As it is now, one needs to access the spring-bars by the back. This could cause some scratching on the PVD surface due to the awkward angle to reach the spring-bars with hard tools.
Straight from the box, the paired rubber strap has some nice features. The flat angle of the strap near the bottom lugs is signed with the brand name. The top surface of the strap has a texture of fine lines for grip. Similarly, the underside of the strap has the ‘Hamilton’ brand (top strap) and ‘Khaki’ series (bottom strap) stamped.
The strap tapers from 24 mm at the lugs to 22 mm at the buckle. The black PVD signed buckle has a double hook that joins to together to make the letter “H”, which is also the initials of the brand. The strap is also provided with two rubber strap guides to contain the strap tail from flapping around.
The case-back has a nice diving bell graphic with thin horizontal lines as background. Information about the watch is stamped around this graphic. Instead of a screw-down, Hamilton opted to secure the case-back using six screws. I am actually curious to know whether the screws are strong enough to support 1000 meters of water pressure as the screws used seem rather small. I suppose it has to since Hamilton gave a guarantee of its capabilities. Personally, I would not be able to test the claims as I am not a diver. I guess, I would have to trust Hamilton.
Underneath the case-back is the one of ETA’s workhorse caliber, the ETA2826-2. This is similar to the ETA2824 except that the normal date wheel has been replaced with a big date wheel. This Caliber uses 25 jewels and operate at 4 Hertz or 28,800 BPH. When fully charged, it has a power reserve of 38 hours.
Personally, I would have preferred it if Hamilton added the Powermatic80 movement instead. I suspect the thick casing would be more than sufficient to contain the Powermatic80 Caliber. A power reserve of 38 hours is rather pathetic when there is already an 80 hour movement available for the brand.
The Wearing Experience
Despite the size, the watch wears well on my 7.25 inch circumference wrist. You would need to get used to the weight though. Nevertheless, the strap makes it very wearable. The width and thickness is just perfect for the Belowzero. It is hard to articulate but if you ever had a Seiko Tuna with the rubber strap, you know what I mean. Despite the Seiko Tuna’s impressive specifications, the strap pairing is poor and it does affect the overall wearing experience. For the Belowzero, the strap pairing does not give such negative vibes.
Throughout the review, the only issue I found worth noting is the choice of movement. Hamilton has the 80 hours H-10 Caliber. It would have been better to use this movement in the Belowzero instead of the ETA2826-2.
On a more lighter note, wearing the watch for a length of time would give you a nice imprint of the casebook on your wrist!
Below is a video of the watch on the wrist.
The Buying
I got the watch from Hang Thai Watch shop in Bangsar Village. They threw in a nice branded mug in the mix.
The Specifications
Brand: Hamilton
Model: Khaki Navy BeLOWZERO 1000m Auto
Reference: H78585333
Diameter: 49 mm
Lug Length: 55 mm
Lug Width: 24 mm
Height: 17.5 mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Crystal: Domed sapphire 5.6 mm thick
Dial Color: Black
Indexes: Arabic numbering, black-out grey
Luminous: Superluminova
Water Resistance: 100 bar (1000 meters) /1,450 PSI (3280.8 ft)
Band: (1) Rubber strap with pin buckle; (2) Stainless steel bracelet PVD in black
Caliber: ETA 2826
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds and big quickset date
Power Reserve: 38 hours
Winding: Automatic bidirectional winding
Frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 BPH)
Jewels: 25
Additional Details:
- Automatic HEV
MSRP Malaysia: RM6,080.00
Availability: 2015
Reviews of Hamilton Watches in the Collection
- Hamilton Khaki Aviation Takeoff Chronograph
- Hamilton Khaki Field King Automatic
- Hamilton khaki Field Officer Auto
- Hamilton Khaki Navy BeLOWZERO
 Hamilton Khaki Navy BeLOWZERO |
Photo Gallery
Good article! Thank you for sharing!And I really love your watch...By the way you can visit these cheap watches ,Check out average ratings of all popular watches and filter them to fit your style.
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