Khaki Field

The Morse seconds hand is the check, and it must read EUREKA

The lacquer dots and dashes along the seconds hand spell EUREKA. They are small, raised, evenly spaced and correctly proportioned on genuine production. Counterfeits reproduce the idea rather than the message: sequences that decode to nothing, flat printing instead of raised lacquer, or uneven spacing along the hand. Decode it — the pattern is short enough to read with a loupe and it is the one feature that cannot be approximated.

The exhibition back exposes the caliber, so use it

Unlike the Khaki Field Mechanical, this reference has a display back. Expect an H-10 — an ETA C07.111 architecture with a full rotor, a Nivachron hairspring and a 21,600 vph beat. A visibly different bridge layout, or a rotor carrying generic decoration, settles the question without further work.