Hamilton Watch Company

Hamilton pocketwatch, ca. 1904

The Rare Swiss Hamilton/Buren 666 Caliber Microrotor Movement

The Hamilton Watch Company was an American manufacturer of high quality pocketwatches and wristwatches. The Hamilton brand still exists in name as a Swiss assembler of low to mid-level quartz and automatic wristwatches.

History of Hamilton America

Hamilton was founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892 by the merger of the Keystone Standard Watch Co (formerly the Lancaster Watch Company)and Aurora Watch Company of Aurora, IL.

Its first series of pocket watches, the Broadway Limited, was known as the "Watch of Railroad Accuracy," and Hamilton became popular by making accurate railroad watches. Hamilton introduced its first wristwatch in 1917. This watch was designed to appeal to men entering World War I and contained the 0-sized 17-jewel 983 movement originally designed for women's pendent watches. The introduction of the 0-sized wristwatch was the start of a line of wristwatches that included some of the finest American wristwatches made. In 1928 Hamilton purchased the Illinois Watch Company. Some of the most collectible early Hamilton wristwatches include: The Oval, The Tonneau, The Rectangular, The Square Enamel, The Coronado, The Piping Rock, The Spur, The Glendale, The Pinehurst, The Langley, The Byrd, The Cambridge, and The Flintridge. Many models came in solid gold and gold filled cases.

During World War II, consumer production of watches was stopped, with all watches manufactured being shipped to troops, and more than one-million watches were sent overseas. The company however was extremely successful in producing marine chronometers and deck watches in huge numbers to fill the needs of the US Navy. This achievement was a milestone in industrial history, and represents the only time a true precision timekeeper was produced on an industrial mass production scale.

In 1951, Hamilton rebuffed a hostile takeover bid by the Benrus watch company. The fallout from the failed takeover action culminated in Hamilton Watch Co. v. Benrus Watch Co (206 F.2d 738, 740 (2d Cir. 1953), a Federal proceeding that is considered to be landmark in the realm of Federal anti-trust case law. [1]

In 1957, Hamilton introduced the world's first battery-powered watch. [2]

In 1962, Hamilton entered into a joint venture (60% owned by Hamilton) with the Japanese watchmaking firm Ricoh to produce electric watches meant primarily for the Japanese market. The electronic components were produced at Hamiltons Lancaster, PA factory while production of the mechanical works and final assembly was undertaken in Japan. Although production levels of Hamilton-Ricoh watches was high (over 1000 per month), demand was low and consequently, the Hamilton-Ricoh partnership was unable to compete with the substantial market presence of Seiko. The partnership was dissolved in 1965, with the remaining Hamilton-Ricoh electronic movements (marked "Ricoh 555E") re-cased as "Vantage" and sold in the US. [3]

In 1969, the Hamilton Watch Company ceased it's American manufacturing operations with the closure of its factory in Lancaster, PA, shifting the balance of its manufacturing operations to the Hamilton owned Buren Watch Company in Switzerland. From 1969 to 1972, Hamilton watches were produced by the Buren Watch Company, which had been an independent subsidiary Hamilton since 1966. In 1972, the Buren-Hamilton factory was liquidated, due to decreased interest and sales of the new Hamilton-Buren product. [4]

Hamilton Modern Day

File:Nicolas Ivanoff.PNG

Ivanoff's Hamilton-designed plane racing in Berlin

The Hamilton name brand is currently owned by The Swatch Group Ltd.. Swatch Group Hamilton brand watches have grown increasingly popular, with several of its watches being product-placed in movies like Blue Hawaii (Ventura model), Men in Black, Lethal Weapon, Into the Blue, Fantasic Four, The Pink Panther, The Producers. Modern Hamilton watches no longer use proprietary "in house" movements, instead using subcontracted movements made by other well known movement manufacturers, namely ETA.

Hamilton currently sponsors Red Bull Air Race World Series pilot Nicolas Ivanoff. His Extra 300S is painted with a distinctive orange background.

References

• Hamilton Watch Co. - America's Finest Watch by Will Roseman - Comprehensive Early Hamilton Reference Guide
• American Pocket Watches Identification and Price Guide Beginning to End ... 1830 - 1999 by Roy Ehrhardt and William "Bill" Meggers
• The Watch of the Future by René Rondeau
• Hamilton Wristwatches, a Collector's Guide by René Rondeau

External links

• Official site
• Mechanical Wristwatch Information covering 1917 -1936 website
• Electric Wristwatch Information website
• Electronic version (pdf) of Watch Factories of America Past and Present: A complete history of watchmaking in America, from 1809 to 1888. By Henry G. Abbott Illustrated with 50 engravings. Chicago: Geo. K. Hazlitt & Co., Publishers 1888.