The History of the Hamilton Watch
Posted On Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 By admin
Established in 1892, the Hamilton watch company set out to manufacture “America’s Finest Watch” with quality as its primary goal. In 1893 Hamilton manufactured its first watch-an 18-size 17-jewel pocket watch. Then in the following years, Hamilton had developed a reputation for creating pocket watches of the highest caliber of quality. In 1917 it switched into making wristwatch which was designed to appeal to men entering World War.
During World Warâ…¡, Hamilton mainly manufactured watches for the troops instead of for common consumers. To meet the needs of the US Navy, Hamilton spared great effort in manufacturing marine chronometers and deck watches in large quantities, which was a great achievement in the watch manufacturing industry and represented the time when a true precision timekeeper was produced on a mass scale. In 1951, Hamilton manufactured the world’s first electric watch, the Hamilton Electric 500. It was the first battery operated electric wristwatch, which needs winding.
In 1966, Hamilton began to combine the advance Buren Microto movement into certain upper tier watches since it acquired the Buren Watch company in Switzerland. One prominent feature that distinguished the Buren Microtor wristwatch from others was that it utilized a much smaller weight entirely integrated into the movement, eliminating the sizable external oscillating weight. In 1983 and the years that followed, Hamilton enjoyed great success again when it reintroduced some of its most prestigious and noteworthy designs. In 2007, Hamilton began to introduce diverse versions of watches for special regions.
Stainless steel quartz and automatic versions were specially design for the US market, while yellow and rose gold plated Ventura versions were produced for the Asian market. Now the Hamilton is owned by the Swatch Group Ltd.. Its watches have gained increasingly popularity over the years. Their unique American appeal, design and quality make them desirable for most people and thus achieved a substantial market share in the luxury goods industry.