World War II left many casualties among them, the Hamilton Watch Company. The Lancaster based company went from a member of the defense industry back to normal operations again in 1946. By 1952, management changed the direction of the company. Hamilton Watch Company became a conglomerate and the watch business became a division.
The 1946 annual report discusses the American Watch Industry’s fear of becoming extinct. During the war, Switzerland took advantage of its reciprocal trade agreement with the US to take-over the watch industry.
US watch companies had to dedicate all of their resources to production of timepieces for the military. Civilian production did not exist. That left an open door to the Swiss and they used it to clog the marketing channels used by companies like Hamilton.
An appeal went out to Congress, but nothing happened until 1962. By that time, US watch companies either folded or were bought by the Swiss.
1946 Hamilton Watch Company Annual Report
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