Hamilton Watch Company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Hamilton Watch Company was founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892 by the purchase of the Lancaster Watch Company .
Its first series of pocketwatches, the Broadway Limited, was known as the "Watch of Railroad Accuracy," and Hamilton became popular by making accurate railroad watches. Hamilton introduced its first wristwatch in 1917. This watch was designed to appeal to men entering World War I and contained the 0-sized 17-jewel 983 movement originally designed for women's pendent watches. The introduction of the 0-sized wristwatch was the start of a line of wristwatches that included some of the finest American wristwatches made.
During World War II, consumer production of watches was stopped, with all watches manufactured being shipped to troops, and more than one-million watches were sent overseas. In 1957, Hamilton introduced the world's first battery-powered watch, and on May 6, 1970, the world's first digital watch. Since then, Hamilton has grown increasingly popular, with several of its watches being featured in movies like Men in Black and Into the Blue.
The original factory closed in 1969. The Hamilton brand is currently owned by The Swatch Group Ltd. Rene Rondeau and Will Roseman are generally considered as the leading historians on The Hamilton Watch Company.
Hamilton currently sponsors Red Bull Air Race World Series pilot Nicolas Ivanoff. His Extra 300S is painted with a distinctive orange background and watches.
