by Tom Adelstein
During World War II, the Hamilton Watch Company became flush with cash. All lines of business profited from war time demand, but the real money maker turned out to be the Marine Chronometer. At the beginning of American involvement in the war, the US Navy had no providers of chronometers. During normal times, the US bought their equipment from Switzerland, Germany and Britain. Before the war, those countries together produced about 300-400 annually. The US Military needed at least 400 per month.
Hamilton got the Navy’s contract, built its chronometer from scratch and sold close to 11,000 during the war years. In 2014 dollars, Hamilton grossed close to one billion dollars on the Marine Chronometer alone. The company had a literal monopoly in that business sector.
At the end of 1946, the Hamilton Watch Company remained an important contractor to the military, but new orders were down. Like all US watch companies, Hamilton lost its place in the consumer market to foreign manufacturers. With no “Marshall Plan” for our own economy, all US watch companies failed within a few short years after the war.
Hamilton’s watch business faced an uphill battle for non-military customers. The Swiss had no opposition between 1941 and 1946. Their watches and clocks filled traditional jewelry store showcases as the war ended.
With Hamilton’s traditional business stymied, the company had to diversify.
Still flush with cash, Hamilton reorganized. First, they turned the original business into a division. Next, they went on the acquisition path, entered new lines of business and became a post-war conglomerate. Watches no longer had management’s sole attention.
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| 1960’s Hamilton Arnold |
In 1948, Hamilton ceased production of the model 987 wristwatch movement and began producing slightly smaller models with an 8/0 footprint – the models 747 and 748. They began production of the 750 in 1949, the 752 and 753 in 1951 and the 754 in 1952. By 1954, Hamilton began using Swiss movements made by Buren and Huguenin. For example, the Hamilton 666 is a Buren 1000a. The design of the Buren is similar to the A Shild 1182.
In the 750 series Hamilton adopted a Swiss design. In 1955, the company began importing their parts from Switzerland and assembling movements in Lancaster. That continued until 1969 when the company shut down the Lancaster facility and moved all production to Biel, Switzerland.
How Do You Decide Which Hamilton Watches Are Vintage?
Let’s start with the 1950’s. Hamilton stopped making pure American watches in 1954. With a lack of emphasis on timepieces, a person could only wonder if anything beside the Electrics weres vintage.
Next, you would have to give some consideration to the war years. Many of the timepieces used by the military have collector value. Would you strap one on and take it to the symphony with your date? Probably not.
Hamilton’s popularly priced watches from 1937 to 1941 have nice movements. You can make a strong argument for including solid gold watches with a high-end 982 or 982 Medallion movement in the category of a vintage watch.
Pre-1936 Hamilton watches with 987, 987E, 987F 989, 989A and 401 movements are Hamilton’s vintage class wristwatches.
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| 1929 Coronado |
You might collect other models – later models, but that doesn’t make them vintage.
Are Hamilton Wristwatches Really Vintage?
Yes. Some. The term vintage is part of winemakers jargon. People say that a wine is vintage depending on the year or place in which wine, esp. wine of high quality, was produced. Vintage Hamilton watches would differ from antiques. If you can still use the watch then it’s really vintage.
I see a lot of watches listed on eBay as “Vintage”. What if you don’t know the date or the place?
Many sources of information exist to establish a date range and the place of manufacture for Hamilton watches. For example, until 1969, we knew Hamilton Watch Company assembled their watches in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Long before that, they began importing their movements from Switzerland. All records of serial numbers end in 1954.
Hamilton’s catalogs from 1910 to 1939 will give you a good idea where and when the company made a specific model. The movement number can also provide a date range. Also, it can establish the quality of the watch.
I don’t consider Hamilton 987A watches as vintage. Hamilton put them in cheap 10K gold-filled cases and sold them as “popular priced” watches. You can just consider them old, used watches. I don’t see much difference between Hamilton’s popularly priced watches and Elgins. I also don’t consider Elgins watches in the vintage class.
eBay defines antique watches as those produced before 1920. From 1920 to 1970, they classify them as vintage. Is that fair?
Definitions do not qualify as rules.Grammar and meaning in any language depends on common usage. I don’t disagree with eBay’s time related classification. I believe a person has to look at the individual watch.
With Hamilton, I think it’s unfortunate the company put 987A movements in cheap cases. Styles change and people like larger, round watches. Look at the catalogs of watch companies now.
I classify the Cushion, Round and Barrel Hamilton models as vintage rather than antique. I consider Hamilton watches after 1936 as old. I think that’s a fair appraisal.
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