Founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1892, the Hamilton watch company has a history that parallels American history itself. Hamilton crafted watches for the railroad industry at the turn of the century, for the major airlines during the commercial aviation boom of the 1930s, and for American soldiers during both world wars. Ever since Elvis Presley sported a Hamilton Ventura in his film Blue Hawaii, Hamilton has been closely tied with Hollywood. Hamilton created the futuristic timepieces for Stanley Kubrick's classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey, and its watches have been featured in more recent blockbusters, including Men In Black and Lethal Weapon. The Hamilton brand consists of two distinct lines. The American Classics collection combines elegance with a dash of nostalgia for the golden age of Hollywood, while the sporty Khaki collection, inspired by the original wartime watches, is technical, adventurous and tough. All Hamilton watches are expertly crafted, using precision Swiss watch movements.
1890
The Hamilton Watch Company was founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892. Its first series of pocket watches, Broadway Limited, became known as the “Watch of Railroad Accuracy”. The unrivalled precision and reliability of the Hamilton railroad watches put a stop to an epidemic of serious accidents and marked the beginning of a long and continuing journey of successful timekeeping.
1910
During the second decade of the 20th century Hamilton gained the prestigious rank of supplier to the US Armed Forces. The first of the wrist-watches provided was used by General “Black Jack” Pershing and his troops who were fighting in the European trenches.
1920
In the 1920s the winning formula of accuracy and durability gained an extra dimension. The introduction of the Piping Rock and Yankee watch in 1928 confirmed the Hamilton leadership in American style.
1940
During World War II, Hamilton stopped production of watches for consumers to concentrate on the huge task of providing the forces with a total of one million timepieces. The Hamilton marine chrono-meter was the first to be produced by modern manufacturing methods and around 10,000 Hamilton marine chronometers experienced World War II action first hand.
1950 & 1960
The secret assignment, “Project X”, lasted three years and in 1957 resulted in the introduction of the Ventura, the world’s first electric (battery-powered) watch. In 1961 Elvis Presley wore his Ventura in the film “Blue Hawaii”.
1970
At 12.01 New York Time, on May 6, 1970, the world’s first digital watch started measuring time – made by Hamilton.
1980
A revival in the 80s saw the reintroduction of classic Hamilton designs from the 1920s through to the 1960s. Old favourites like the Boulton, Ardmore and Ventura fuelled and led an industry-wide trend of classic watches.
1990
The special Hamilton/Hollywood relationship continued with roles in such films as Men in Black, Lethal Weapon 4, Fight Club, Independence Day, The Talented Mr. Ripley and You’ve Got Mail. Costume designers and stylists remained drawn to the eye-catching shapes and styles of the Hamilton timepieces for bringing a huge spectrum of characters to life.
