This is the trademark registered by Hamilton Watch Company in 1939:
Hamilton Pocket Watches
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Of course, Hamilton used this slogan for thirty years before they filed for trademark protection. It’s always been part of the company’s advertising. Even today and without a trademark, the company uses the railroad slogan. Hamilton abandoned or canceled the trademark in 2001.
Without a trademark, the current owners have provided the following description of watches in their current, on-line catalog:
The new Hamilton RailRoad series takes the American brand right back to its proud roots, to the end of the nineteenth century. That was the time when Hamilton earned the title of “The Watch of Railroad Accuracy” – providing railroad staff and passengers across North America with accurate and reliable pocket watches
If you look at the watch at this link on their site, you have to wonder, who could have possibly considered a generic ETA A07.221 Valgranges movement (16 1/2 Lignes or 37 mm) a Hamilton railroad watch. A 37mm movement means a big case – ( 44mm as in Invicta).
Do you question the statement. “takes the American brand right back to its proud roots, to the end of the nineteenth century”? I do.
A 20 yer old, modified Valjoux 7750 generic movement does not resemble the “American brand or its 19th century roots.”
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Hamilton also canceled or abandon the famous “H” logo. Maybe we should refer to it as the infamous logo thought up by the Swiss. They’ve certainly improved it since 1999, when they canceled this one also.
Hamilton does make a Pocket Watch or it did. I found a picture of it on their on-line university, but it’s not in their current catalog. This is from a screen shot.
The one shown on the web site has an ETA 6498 movement. It’s hand wound originally made by Unitas, which ETA owns. It’s a 17 jewel, 30 year old product – considered a beginners watch. It has a 38mm footprint. You can buy it retail for $181.
The 6498 isn’t a particularly accurate watch movement. It runs at 18,000 bps – not horrible, but not great.
Does any of this resemble the “Watch of Railroad Accuracy”?
Perhaps not, but as a friend of mine in the Chinese watch industry says, perception is reality.
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