Hamilton’s first advertisement was in the popular magazine, National Geographic, and was so successful that Hamilton continued its relationship with the magazine and modeled it advertisement campaign around explorers, adventurers and other “exciting professions.” It was a new experience for Geographic Magazine too as Hamilton was its first advertiser as well.Īs the years passed, Hamilton broadened the scope of its advertising efforts. Prior to 1908, Hamilton advertised its pocket watches in early railroad magazines. While Hamilton was not a pioneer in introducing new styles or models, they were however on the vanguard of the introduction of an advertisement program. The market demand for smaller watches for men and women continued through the 1920’s and the 1930’s and Hamilton always responded with “quality first.” Women’s wrist watches of larger sizes were popular first, but men followed soon thereafter. Soon after that date, however, began the conversion of Hamilton to a completely cased line and broadening of that line to include in addition to the standard Hamilton railroad watch, dress watches for men and women. Prior to 1909, the Hamilton Company sold uncased watch movements only. Miller, Hamilton entered the field not as a pioneer, but then became a trend that was more than just a passing fad. Watch trends began to lean towards smaller movements and Hamilton spent a great deal of time evaluating this opportunity. Miller, Hamilton decided to expand its movement offerings. With the election of a new president in 1907, Mr. During Hamilton’s first fifteen years, only two size movements were produced – the 18-size and the smaller 16-size. Within the next six years, Hamilton had developed a reputation for creating pocket watches whose quality and accuracy exceeded the stringent “railroad pocket watch” requirements. The first watch made under the Hamilton name was an 18-size 17-jewel pocket watch in 1893.
With quality being Hamilton’s primary goal, the company set out to manufacture “America’s Finest Watch,” and indeed they did. Hamilton Watch Company was housed on a thirteen acre campus and Aurora’s machinery was shipped to the Lancaster plant shortly after incorporation. The new company would be known as The Hamilton Watch Company. The Hamilton Watch Company was established when the Keystone Standard Watch Company was forced into bankruptcy in 1892 and sold at a sheriff’s sale to a group of Lancaster businessmen whose objective was to “build only watches of the highest quality.” During this same year, a merger was effected with the Aurora Watch Company of Illinois and a decision was made to name the new company after James Hamilton, owner of a large tract of land which was granted to him from William Penn and included what is now the city of Lancaster.
It is not meant to be comprehensive, but to offer the reader a historical background on Hamilton and the production of their wristwatches. This brief history covers Hamilton from its inception in 1892 until 1936, the years highlighted in this site. However arguable this statement may be, there is no denying that Hamilton watches demand a premium amongst collectors and are without question, the most collectable of all American made watches. Amongst collectors of American horology, Hamilton stands out as the finest American watch made.
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