Review: One Month With The White-Dial Hamilton Murph 38

The Hamilton Murph is a watch with which I am very familiar, and a model that I have spent quite a bit of time with. In fact, I even wrote a story on this very site about my exploits for nearly two years with my personal Hamilton Khaki Murph 38. But this year, Hamilton went and surprised us all by delivering a watch nobody saw coming: The Murph 38 with a white dial.

What makes this watch controversial? Well, everything — and I don't mean that pejoratively. The thing is, the OG Murph was, truly, a film prop – a movie watch that didn't actually exist within the brand's collection. It wasn’t until the fans demanded Hamilton make it real that that the watch was made manifest at its true 42mm size. And then, a couple years later, Hamilton heard the cries for a 38mm version and delivered. So you could say that the Murph has always been a watch in response to demand, first by director Christopher Nolan for the film Interstellar, and then by us, the watch nerds. The black dials, in either size were true to the movie Murph. It’s this new white dial that deviates... considerably.

As a fan of the watch and the movie, I had to get the white Murph, and so I did. So this is an owner’s review from an owner who's had just over one month with the thing. My first sort of high-level observation is the idea that the Murph 38 White takes the collection into a new place. It was launched alongside another version with a black dial on bracelet, and both releases signify a shift from mere movie watch to a collection all its own. And maybe that’s a good thing.

In fact, maybe that doesn’t matter at all. Maybe all that matters is what it’s like to own one. That’s kind of all that really plays into whether or not a watch “works.” Truth be told, my initial, visceral response to this watch was “whoa.” The white dial is very different, even if its just a mere dial-color change. If you have ever seen the elusive albino-dial Rolex Explorer, you know what I am talking about. There is a bit of uncanny valley at first blush.

I can tell you that valley gets cannier as time goes by. I have been wearing the watch fairly consistently of late and the more I wear it, the more I connect with it. I mean, who doesn’t like a simple, time-only, white-dial watch on a strap? It’s a recipe that has worked in this industry since the dawn of time…keepers.

And that’s the experience with the white Murph. It has become this very normal, very comfortable chameleon of a watch that works in a variety of scenarios and doesn’t have to be connected to a certain science fiction movie. 

There are real differences between this and its sibling worth noting as well. The first is the dial surface. One hallmark of the original was this smooth, aged black color. Here, the white has an aggressively rugged texture that ratchets up the tool-watch aesthetic to 11. The "fauxtina" on the hands is also more pronounced  and feels very much like aged tritium in the best way possible.

The way that the white hands work against the white dial adds a bit of levity to what could have been a very heavy design if done otherwise. It’s very demure, very mindful. The only other real difference is the fact that – due to the white dial – the numerals are printed in black, as is the Hamilton logo and other text.

Otherwise, you get the exact same movement — the ETA C07.611-based H10 automatic — the same large crown, and the same strap… sort of. Actually it was with the strap that I picked up on a bit of a downgrade from the original Murph 38. Granted, I have had my Murph for two years, but this new strap is a bit stiff and it is very shiny in comparison to the matte texture of the former. In all, I think this gripe will be addressed by time. Time heals all wounds and breaks in all leathers.

So where do I net out on the new watch after about a month? Well, I intend to keep wearing the white Murph, and that is a good sign if you ask me. This may not be the last you hear from me on this topic.