The Hamilton Khaki Aviation Takeoff Automatic Chronograph celebrates racing pilot Dario Costa’s latest jaw-dropping feat
D.C. HannayNerves of hardened titanium. Glacial water in his veins. What would cause the rest of us mortals to cry, lose control of bodily functions, and then pass out from sheer, white-knuckled terror is just another average commute to the office for record-breaking aerobatic and racing pilot Dario Costa. And he’s just done the incredible, again.
The backstory: The veteran Italian pilot first soloed in an aircraft at 16. Sixteen. I don’t know about you, but at sixteen, I was probably playing video games, or something even less ambitious, if that’s possible.
Costa then studied physics at university, became a teacher and flight instructor and, after seeing a Red Bull air race, devoted himself to becoming an aerobatic pilot. So he worked. And worked. And in a textbook case of fulfilling one’s own destiny, a few years later, he became a member of the Red Bull Flying Bulls Team. For an encore? The following year, he took a podium in his second air race ever. Slacker.
Fast forward to September, 2021. After more than a year of preparation and training, the morning of his latest challenge had arrived. Flying less than a metre from the hard, unforgiving earth outside of Istanbul, Turkey, Costa did the unimaginable: he flew his specially modified Zivko Edge 540 V2 plane through a tunnel. An automobile tunnel. Where even the merest wrong move could send you careening into the unyielding concrete that surrounds you. The margin of error? Less than 100 centimetres. It’s akin to threading a needle, but doing it strapped into a howling, fire-spitting, whiplash-inducing hypercar of an aircraft.
Not only did he fly through a 1,730 metre-long tunnel meant for cars, Costa took off from another, different tunnel, and in the process, broke several world records, including the record for barely raising his resting heart rate when by all rights, it should have exploded on the spot.
I mean, just look at this:
To commemorate the occasion, Hamilton (Costa is a brand ambassador) has released a special 100 piece limited edition of their Khaki Aviation Takeoff Automatic Chronograph, co-designed by Costa. First released in 2014, the Takeoff has one distinctive feature that separates it from other big, pilot-centric watches: the ability to remove the case from the rest of the watch while it’s still strapped to your wrist, and mount it on the dash of a cockpit. The watch actually becomes a part of the plane’s instrument panel. Likely, you’ll be the only one at your next watch meetup wearing something that can pull off that trick.
The bullhead case design further emphasises the utilitarian look, with the crown at 12, and oversized chrono pushers at 11 and 1. And at 46mm in diameter and a depth of almost 16mm, you’re definitely seeing the “tool” part of “tool watch” with the Takeoff, and I’m here for it.
The tale of the tape:
Case 46mm stainless steel case with black PVD coating
Thickness 15.95mm
Lug width 22mm
Dial Black dial with 15-minute counter at 12 and 60- second counter at 6
Hands Nickeled hour and minute hands, aluminum seconds hand with Super-LumiNova®
Movement H-31 automatic chronograph movement with 60-hour power reserve
Bracelet Black leather strap with stainless steel pin buckle
Glass Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance 5 bar (50 m)
With the basic specs out of the way, what are some of the special features that distinguish this limited edition? For starters, the black and yellow colourway, besides recalling the look of aviation instruments, reflects the dark, dangerous environment of the Tunnel Pass. And speaking of the dark: in a fun Easter egg, the Swiss Super-Luminova is only applied to the seconds hand and the first 43 seconds of the dial markers, the exact length of the record-breaking flight. Finally, the packaging itself can be used as a stand to utilise the Takeoff as a super-cool table clock that displays the watch among a cluster of cockpit instrumentation.
I’ve been a fan of flying since I was young. My father used to take me to airshows as a kid, and I was always mesmerised by the aerobatics teams and their amazing displays of technical prowess (and apparent lack of fear). The Flying Bulls team is one of the world’s best. Dario Costa is the real deal, and if you have the chance to actually see him fly in person, it’ll leave you absolutely slack-jawed. And it’s a perfect bit of synergy that he’s an ambassador for Hamilton.
Hamilton’s history in aviation is long and storied, and the latest iteration of the Khaki Aviation Takeoff Automatic Chronograph continues that tradition in a uniquely bold fashion. It’s a statement piece for sure, and it says adventure in no uncertain terms.
Pricing and availability:
The Hamilton Khaki Aviation Takeoff Automatic Chronograph is EUR 2835/ $3295USD https://www.hamiltonwatch.com/ .