Air Zermatt: a decade of partnership - Hamilton Khaki Aviation Converter Auto Chrono

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Founded in 1968, Air Zermatt is one of the most high-level aerial rescue operations in the world, with a team of 75 pilots, paramedics, technicians and support staff, a fleet of 11 helicopters, and a training school. The Hamilton Khaki Aviation Converter Automatic Chronograph is a watch designed for both the thrill and the skill of flying.

At Hamilton, where equipping aviators with the most capable wristwatches is part of our DNA, we’ve long celebrated Air Zermatt’s pilots as among the most skilled in the world. Like us, they share a passion for extending the boundaries of what’s possible in their field, and for putting precision at the heart of what they do.

We’re proud to mark 10 years of collaboration with Air Zermatt with a thrilling new limited edition based on one of our most technically capable aviation watches.

“The easy going and extremely personal nature of our relationship with Hamilton has remained since our first contact 10 years ago. It is these characteristics that ensure respect and trust can be built in the long term, and from which friendships then arise. Air Zermatt is proud of the partnership with Hamilton,” says Pilot and Air Zermatt CEO Gerold Biner.

Khaki Aviation Converter Automatic Chronograph

The Hamilton Khaki Aviation Converter Auto Chrono is a watch designed for both the thrill and the skill of flying. Its logarithmic ‘slide-rule’ bezel enables pilots to perform crucial calculations while in flight, for critical factors like airspeed, distance, fuel consumption and flight time. Combined with chronograph functions, it’s a watch that plays directly to the knowledge and aptitude of the professional flyer.

The new Air Zermatt limited edition draws its colours from the rescue team’s famous livery of red helicopters stamped with the glacier-blue Air Zermatt logo. Against a black dial, the all-important chronograph elements are highlighted with subdials in a blue gradient, and the second’s hand stands out in bright red. Markings on the bezel calculator are also in glacier blue.

Turning the watch over you discover the famous Air Zermatt logo printed upon the open case back. Underneath, our exclusive H-21-Si chronograph movement is on full display. This is an engine to rely on even amid the turbulence and fast-changing conditions of mountain rescue flying – the silicon balance spring resists any magnetic fields from cockpit instrumentation while ensuring temperature stability and precise timekeeping in the most perilous rescues.

Only 988 pieces of this limited edition Hamilton Khaki Aviation Converter Auto Chrono for Air Zermatt will be produced – one for every Air Zermatt mission flown to the Matterhorn as of January 2021. Available worldwide, they will be delivered in unique packaging inspired by the Emergency Location Transmitter (ELT) device carried aboard Air Zermatt’s helicopters.

An exhilarating watch for pilots, adventurers, aviation enthusiasts and fans of mountain life, the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Converter Automatic Chronograph for Air Zermatt is a watch born from our deep understanding of the needs of aviators. It reflects our commitment to a partnership we’re proud to continue into a new decade.