June 2012

The 1927 dated watches, pictured here, may have come into the Hamilton catalogs as late as the 1930’s. As you can see from the earlier dated selection, the design team from Illinois impacted the style, look and feel of  Hamilton wristwatches. The production information, herein, is approximate and may vary widely depending on the issue of the […]

Hamilton moved into the wristwatch market with some unattractive models. These are the base models. Just below you can see the Hamilton catalog ads.  Variations included: Cushion Round – EngravedCushion Form – PlainCushion Form – EngravedSquare – EngravedSquare – Enamel (Fancy case) [NOTE: I put a couple examples of Illinois wristwatches below and you can

I’m not sure what to say about these ugly watches. I obviously must have some affinity for them. I’m a Hamilton guy, after all. The management team in Lowell, Mass had some serious prejudice about anything that didn’t say “pocket”. Even the advertising implies a complete dislike of the wristwatch. Meanwhile Elgin ran the score up

Model A  A certain mystery surrounds the Hamilton “Model A” wristwatch. Not that it came in solid 14K yellow gold, or that it was possibly a prototype. Hamilton was only making military watches in 1943. This watch was listed among special models in Hamilton production records, but never in a dealer’s catalog. The only consumer

You might find some irony in the advertisement to your right. Hamilton had a rough 1932. They had to close down the $5 million Illinois Watch Company and move the assets to Lancaster, PA. Hamilton purchased the Company in 1928 and continued operating it until 1932. The folks in Lancaster were not hiring graduates or