The New Hamilton Murph Has Arrived…
Friday - 20 September 2024
Join me as I turn into “Interstellar” excitement mode as Hamilton releases two new iterations of the Murph.
This year marks an entire decade since Interstellar hit the cinemas. Matthew McConaughey delivered a coded message through the hands of the iconic Hamilton Murph watch, and the rest is history. Well, not quite. Because when the movie was released, the Murph remained just that – a movie watch. It stayed a non-commercial product right up to 2019 when specialists at Hamilton eventually released a film-faithful iteration. A 42mm in the form of a special edition, complete with morse coding etched into the surface of the seconds hand. Suffice it to say, the release proved to be a cinematically-inclined horological success and even came complete inside a Tesseract presentation box. Many collectors, however, felt that once the novelty wore off, the Murph was proving to be a little too large on the wrist. In 2022, Hamilton answered the call of the more slender-wristed collector, releasing a 38mm Murph.
Today, the Murph breaks out of potential typecast purgatory with two new editions. While some watches are relegated to an eternity of association with a famous racing car driver, a movie, or a certain secret spy to name just a few examples - I have to say that it looks unlikely that the Hamilton Murph will remain confined to the restraints of its original identity. Yes, there will always be a strong fan base for this watch and its famous black dial, but aside from that, Hamilton is tapping into a whole new audience, even giving it a collection of its very own! Proving to the world that it’s not scared to step outside of what the watch-collecting society has always demanded it stay inside, Hamilton’s boundary-pushing borders are widening. The new releases include a model with a faithful black dial but also a new white one. In this surprising twist to the saga, the new 2024 Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38mm watch marks a definite departure from the true Murph we all knew. From now on, it will no longer be the “Interstellar Watch”. It will now live in a sub-category of the Khaki Field series as its own entity.
The shift in the dial colour of the new Hamilton Khaki Murph comes in the compact 38mm size and now comes with the option of a steel bracelet. Before now, the famous black dial had always completed its look on the wrist with a black leather strap. This raises the question: Are these new releases really Murphs? And I personally have pondered the question and can now categorically confirm, having weighed all things up, that yes, this is still a Murph in every sense of the word.
The New Hamilton Murph Watches of 2024
The addition of the steel bracelet offered in the black model certainly makes the new release all the more compelling. For the most part, the watch remains unchanged from the original. But the bracelet itself is not just a design feature that injects a dressier element into the Murph. Moreover, the band secures to the wrist using Hamilton’s twin-trigger deployant system, engraved with the Hamilton logo, proving to be incredibly practical. A closer look at the white dial variant tells you that there is more than just a colour change going on here. The numerals take on a dark khaki colour that melds in perfectly with the values of the faithful Khaki Field Watch collection. The watch has stylized numerals and cathedral hands that add a whole lot of character to the display. The stylish black alligator leather band is casual but can also double up as a more formal accompaniment when paired with a shirt and tie if needs be.
Jumping back over to the black iteration, and the surface of the display is of a smooth matte finish. The movie-inspired watch has these sand-coloured Arabic numerals and a faux patina lume that take the wearer right back to yesteryear with the usual retro vibes synonymous with the Khaki Field Watch itself. Measuring 11.1mm thickness, these models sit nicely on the wrist, promising to slide under the cuff of a jacket or a shirt sleeve when needed.
Inside the new black and white Hamilton Khaki Murph watches for 2024 is the powerful H-10 movement. It beats impressively, distributing a performance of 28 800 vibrations per hour across its arrangement. Stored in its barrel are 80 hours of power reserve for those occasions where you may want to alternate it with something more fun at the weekend. Anyone who loves the Hamilton Murph is going to have a hard time choosing a favourite out of these two designs. The Murph, after today, becomes a personality and design of its own. For most die-hard fans it always was. I’m personally leaning more towards the black dial with the steel bracelet. The brushed and polished links of the metal band certainly make this model more of an everyday watch and inject another layer of “classic” into this design.
The watch comes with a sapphire crystal glass top, complete with anti-reflective treatment that rids the dial of any undesirable glare. The back of the case also benefits from a hard glass, this time as an exhibition feature, showing off all the finest elements of this movement. Here, you can admire features like matte boasted bridge and a custom brushed cutout rotor.
If you’d like to add this new Hamilton Khaki Field Murph watch to your collection, you can purchase the watch from our online store here at Jura Watches or drop us an email us today. Alternatively, you can give us a call on 01335 453453.
