The Hamilton Watch Company began to diversify their designs to fit various market segments. Some of these watches are popularly priced like the Morley, Lawrence and Watson with 10 karat cases and the new 987F movements. The Company produced watches like the Bentley, Heyward and Elliott to fit the younger and more affluent buyers. The Ardmore is one of the most popular watches ever produced regardless of brand; we don’t see many for sale; people tend to keep them. Conservatives went for the Boone, Calvin, Bartley and Custer.
By 1937, Hamilton had owned the railroad watch sector for 40 years with 56% of the market. Their goal after purchasing the Illinois Watch Company in 1927 was to become the premiere wristwatch manufacturer too. It took ten years, but Hamilton accomplished their vision in the wristwatch arena. In the face of the global economic relapse of 1937, a watch company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania became a bright spot in an otherwise anxious time.
Jewelers began selling watches in inexpensive cases with the words “Hamilton Movement” on the dial. While custom casing was the tradition in pocket watch sales, Hamilton wanted their wristwatches to achieve brand recognition and discontinued selling wristwatch movements to third parties. The company wanted the world to see expertise in design.
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Life in America – 1937
The Federal Reserve created a shortage in the money supply by raising banks reserve requirements. The tight credit and inability of banks to lend money sent the Gross Domestic Product into negative territory – it stopped the economy from growing. The country slipped back into the depression.
People looked for inexpensive forms of entertainment. Parlor and board games became popular and people would normally gather around the radio to listen to the Yankees baseball games.
In 1937, new technologies began to emerge. For example, asbestos became a common building insulation. At the time, people considered it a marvel of science. In our time it is associated with mesothelioma cancer.
Imagine a gasoline powered washing machine with a Briggs and Stratton engine. Their advertisements read, “Stop Scrubbing Clothes”.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate was reported as 14.3% – a drop of 6.7% from the previous year. And the Engineering feat of the Golden Gate bridge opening gave Americans great pride. A new air record was set when a commercial flight from Los Angeles to New York came in at 7 hours 28 seconds.
After a number of strikes in the Auto industry forced General Motors to recognize the UAW United Auto Workers Union.
A major flood along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers caused millions to lose their homes in Ohio , Kentucky and Illinois.
The pride of Germany the flying ship Hindenburg exploded while attempting to hook itself to a mooring post and signaled the end of the flying ship in 1937 as a major form of transport, and the immortal words of reporter Herb Morrison who was filming the Hindenburg ” Oh The Humanity! The Humanity ” were shown and heard around the world.
One of the unsolved mysteries of modern times the disappearance of Amelia Earhart also occurred in this year.
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