Hamilton became well known for their highly accurate Railroad watches. They were, and still are known for their design work, and avant garde look of the watches. And the Face to Face II come from the Hamilton Jazzmaster family.

The original Hamilton Jazzmaster Face to Face was introduced in Baselworld 2013, and comprised of a watch with two dials, with one can flip with a mechanism to show either side. One one side the watch has a chronograph, and on the other, it is a time only watch. The original Face to Face used two movements to achieve this. An ETA2094  powers the chronograph, and a ETA2671 movement for the time-only side. With hindsight, the design was clumsy at best, and very simple. The large oval case is a result of the need to place two movements side by side. One facing each side.  And viola, the Face 2 Face. But even in that 2013 incarnation, the genius was in the flipping mechanism of the case, and even then, it caught our eye, but only for that alone. For Baselworld 2016, the same, quite ingenious flip mechanism is used, but the watch is now powered by one single movement. A much more technical and elegant solution! And the dials show the chronographs, front and back dials have hands which indicate some rather interesting metrics which can be measured by a chronograph. As a design concept this fascinating. Below is a drawing showing the thinking process.

The design is fascinating. Here is a watch with two dials, one on each side of the case. Two dials can provide the space to de-clutter the displays because of the large amount of information it is to convey. The front displays 30-minute and 12-hour chronograph counters as well as a day-date window at 3 o’clock, the back continues with the chronometer, but showing rather unusual metrics on its scales.The dials are very well made. The twin faces framed by the slightly elongated, rotating oval case. We marvel at its construction for a bit, as although this is a modestly priced watch, Hamilton has obviously drawn on the resources of the giant parent Swatch Group. The design is beautiful and harmonious. The selected use of an electric blue to highlight some elements is particularly commendable. Not only is this blue used on the chronograph hand on the back dial, but also on the stitching on the strap, as well as the inside of the strap. Nice touch.

The front dial is multi-level dials in luminous, silvery grey with a partially transparent smoky disc and a skeleton-worked casing ring. We find this to be quite appealing as the peek-a-boo tease somehow works on a watch like this.

And the other side is a striking contrast with the technical, anthracite movement. A pulsometer, directly printed on the back of the crystal, enables the more fitness-minded to keep track of their own or someone else’s pulse. A tachymeter provides an accurate mechanical measurement of speed, while a telemeter can be used to calculate distances to a remote event, such as a lightning bolt.If all the metrics were to be crammed on one dial, it would look very cluttered and messy. but with two dials, there is space to show the metrics in style. Since in the 2016 version, there is only one movement, the technical solution is to extend the chronograph seconds counter hand to the back and have another one on the back dial. This required some tricky engineering on the movement.

The case reversing mechanism is rather clever. The entire case pivots around the center of the case, about where the winding crown sits. A light click releases the case, which can then be rotated to show the other side. The action is bi-directional, and the dial is locked on either side by a set of ball bearings sprung within its sockets. When locked it is secure, and yet a light push releases it. The mechanism works smoothly, and the clicks when locking and unlocking is very reassuring and satisfying.The movement is is named Hamilon H-41. Not much information is provided by Hamilton on the movement, and the plates are not visible. Hamilton only communicates the power reserve of 60 hours. Not even the movement size or the beat rate is provided as part of the technical specifications. From the sub-dial layout, we can make some educated guesses. The minute totalizer (0-30) is at 12 o’clock, hours (0-12) at 6 o’clock and a continuous running second hand at 9 o’clock, is a tell tale sign that the base movement is a Valjoux 7750. The position of the day and date apertures are also affirms this guess that the base is a Valjoux 7750 Standard Version B. At press time, we are awaiting confirmation from Hamilton HQ in Biel, and will update this paragraph with the official communication.

We find this unusual Hamilton to be quite beautiful. For sure, it is an acquired taste. Not everyone likes an oval shaped watch.

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