Great things often have small, even inauspicious beginnings. The Keystone Standard Watch Company was only in business for five years, and in that time they produced a relatively small number of timepieces. The company was finally forced to file for bankruptcy in 1891 and was later sold at a sheriff's sale to a group of investors from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. These experienced entrepreneurs wanted to build high-quality timepieces in America. Before this time, almost all of the top watchmaking firms were located in Europe.
They shrewdly named their new company after James Hamilton, a local developer who owned much of Lancaster County. Not surprisingly, he gave them a cut-rate deal on their watch factory in Lancaster. The new firm had an ambitious goal: they wanted to make "America's Finest Watch." They succeeded.
In only their first few years, the Hamilton Watch Company earned a reputation for precision and quality. Their pocket watches were unmatched on their side of the Atlantic. But the company was not satisfied with simply being number one in America. They wanted to be the world's best watchmaker.
Their first line of popular pocket watches was called the Broadway Limited. It was marketed as the "Watch of Railroad Accuracy," and it actually was used by railroad workers. Because conductors had to keep a tight schedule, they all carried pocket watches. Hamilton became the brand of choice for American railroad workers. But the times they were a changin.'
Shortly after the outbreak of World War One, the popularity of the pocket watch declined precipitously. There were, of course, very good reasons for this. The model simply was not designed to survive in the trenches of the Western Front. If they were not crushed or damaged in pockets, they were often lost in the mud and the muck. But since officers needed timepieces to coordinate troop movements, the wristwatch became a sine qua non.
The Hamilton Watch Company introduced their first line of wristwatches in 1917, and they were widely regarded as the finest American timepieces of their day. Most of these early models are considered treasures today and they are highly collectible. A partial list of their most popular watches includes The Coronado, The Spur, The Oval, The Rectangular, The Tonneau, the Pinehurst, The Byrd, The Cambridge, The Flintridge, the Glendale, and the Langley. Most of these models were handcrafted using only the finest, most expensive materials, like silver and gold.
Like many old-world watchmakers, Hamilton suffered mightily during the Quartz Revolution, when a new digital technology all but replaced the old mechanical one. The company limped on for several years before they were acquired by the Swatch Group Ltd. in 1984. Their brand was little more than a small subsidiary of the giant watchmaker, until electronic watches wore out their welcome in the late 1980s. Suddenly, luxury models were back in style again. Vintage designs were all the rage, and Hamilton had an extensive collection of retro designs from their century of watchmaking. Let us take a moment to review a few of their most popular models.
Khaki Field Black Dial Watch
As a company that was established long before the advent of the digital watch, Hamilton prefers mechanical or automatic movements. These timepieces are powered by the natural movement of the wearer's arm. They need not be wound to keep good time. Because they are powered by cogs and gears instead of batteries, they also last a lot longer. Most of the timepieces that are passed from generation to generation are mechanical.
The Khaki Field Black Dial is an accessory that toes the line between a casual and a dress watch. The black dial is bold and attractive with white Arabic numerals at every hour marker, save the three o'clock position, which contains a handsome date display. Hour and minute hands are luminescent, thick, and white, as is the second hand that has a bold red tip. A sapphire, scratch-resistant watch cover protects the timepiece in up to 100 meters (330 feet) of water. The watch case is a silver-toned, brushed and polished stainless steel. Last but not least, there is genuine leather watchband that features hand-stitching around the boarders.
Jazzmaster Silver Dial Watch
With an appealing admixture of contemporary design and old-world craftsmanship, watches in the Jazzmaster collection are bestsellers. This particular model has a stainless steel case and bezel and a brown leather watchband. The silver dial has a single Arabic numeral at the twelve o'clock hour and a handsome date display over the six o'clock hour marker. A scratch-resistant sapphire crystal cover protects the timepiece in up to 165 feet (50 meters) of water. There is even a partial skeleton case back, which lets owners observe all of the little cogs and gears that power this inimitable watch.
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