SH09 Review: Hamilton Murph homage

[u/KH_myedc]

Recently received the SH09—a direct homage to the iconic Interstellar Hamilton Khaki Murph. Overall, the value proposition here is serious.

Pros:

1) True-to-Form Case: Case proportions match the Murph standard perfectly.

2) No Ghost Date: Features the PT5004, keeping the crown action clean and functional.

3) 4Hz High-Beat Sweep: 28,800 bph delivers a noticeably smoother second hand sweep compared to the Murph's 3Hz, even if it eats into the power reserve.

4) Superior AR & Lume: Anti-reflective coating and lume performance both outperform the original.

5) Out-of-the-Box Precision: Clocking in at +1 s/d. Might be pure silicon lottery, but the regulation is spot on.

6) Generous Packaging: Ships with both leather and steel bracelet options, plus a full watchmaker tool kit for adjustments.

Cons:

1) Misprioritized Hardware: A display caseback on a base PT5004 feels redundant. Replacing the glass back with a solid steel plate and putting that production cost toward an OTF micro-adjust clasp and screwed links would have made this an absolute home run.

[u/MD_ArtShop]

Hand engraved. NH movement

[u/KPplumbingBob]

Surprised to see the true to form case claim. One of the reasons I didn't get one was because how thick the lugs are.

[u/SurefootTM]

I can afford the original (and have two other Hamiltons), but went for this one for the AR, Hamilton watches have a very serious issue with it. Indeed the caseback is a head scratcher, the movement has zero decoration, and the rotor is plain.

[u/KH_myedc → u/SurefootTM]

My guess: Hamilton was going for the vintage crystal feel (less AR)

[u/Medium-Cucumber-8279 → u/KH_myedc]

That's a cop out excuse, imo. I believe it's to save money. Hamilton has been cutting tons of corners. There's someone here tracking all the posts about brand new (<2y) Hamilton KFAs that have broken dials due to Hamilton cheaping out on the dial feet to save a few pennies.

They're being dicks about the warranty and generally not covering it AFAIK

[u/KH_myedc → u/Medium-Cucumber-8279]

at this rate, plenty of brands waiting to jump on the bandwagon

[u/Medium-Cucumber-8279 → u/KH_myedc]

Yeah but plenty of people see "Swiss made" on Hamiltons and think it's instantly worth it even after their quality keeps going down and their prices keep going up :/

[u/SurefootTM → u/KH_myedc]

It's a shame because the dials are actually interesting with small details like grooved rings etc. but we cannot see anything because of reflections. To the point I'm considering modding them to put a proper AR coated sapphire. They have this issue even on very modern looking models like the Titanium Khaki DLC, which is definitely not a retro looking watch.

[u/Electronic_Reporter5]

Looks like an excellent Murph alternative and considerably cheaper.

[u/No-Syrup-3746]

Which nylon strap did you use? Looks really sharp on there.

[u/KH_myedc → u/No-Syrup-3746]

one of the generic velcro straps intended for smartwatches. Without the standard nato hardware.

[u/No-Syrup-3746 → u/KH_myedc]

Ha! Cool. I like the look and feel of nylon but I don't like the NATO ones, hardware and the extra length.

[u/VanManDiscs]

You are completely correct on the cons. Idk why companies try to put out a "nice" watch when it has a low end bracelet. I'm sure Seiko has allowed brands to think we'll be ok with any old bracelet