Being a watch enthusiast and hoarder takes quite a toll on one’s pocket, but fortunately, there are certain brands, which are not just affordable but possess supreme quality as well. In our opinion, Hamilton is one of the best options in this regard.

Hamilton watches are mid-priced Swiss-made watches that are superior in quality and design as compared to their counterparts within the same price range. However, since most of their component parts are mass-produced from the Far East, they are ranked lower in the Swatch group hierarchy.

Hamilton watches are a constant presence in the aviation industry because of their supreme accuracy. Furthermore, they have been the railroad workers’ and servicemen’s favorite acquaintances throughout history. They have also graced the silver screen on numerous occasions, including movies such as Interstellar and Men in Black 3.

Who Owns the Hamilton Watch Company?

Hamilton Watch Company is owned by the Swatch Group Limited, a Swiss brand famous for its luxury watches and jewelry. Its headquarters are based in Bienne, Switzerland. Following are the major brands under this company’s ownership:

• Balmain Swiss Watches
• Blancpain
• Breguet
• Calvin Klein
• Union Glashütte
• Tissot
• Swatch
• Rado
• Omega
• Mido
• Longines
• Léon Hatot
• Jaquet Droz
• Harry Winston
• Hamilton
• Glashütte Original
• Flik Flak.
• Certina

There is a common misconception among less watch-savvy people that Hamilton is an American brand. This is because their style is quite similar to the American ones.

This assumption isn’t completely wrong, because the Hamilton Watch Company started off in 1892 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the United States on a complex spread over an area of 13 acres. Initially, it manufactured pocket watches, and then switched to wristwatches in 1917.

Let’s have a look at a brief timeline of this brand’s evolution from an American brand to a Swiss one:

• Its foundation was laid in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Hamilton in 1892.
• In 1912, the first series of Hamilton pocket watches, titled “The Watch of Railroad Accuracy” was released.
• In 1914, the US Army’s servicemen became their major customers alongside the railroad workers.
• In 1918, Hamilton watches entered the aviation industry. It was on board the first American airmail service.
• In 1927, these watches accompanied pilots on the first-ever flight from California to Hawaii.
• In 1942, Hamilton Watch Company halted its supply to the general public to cater to the needs of the Armed Forces in World War II.
• In 1957, Hamilton produced the world’s first electrical battery-powered watch, known as Ventura.
• In 1972, Hamilton manufactured the world’s first digital electronic watch, known as Pulsar.
• In 1974, Société Suisse pour l’Industrie Horlogère (SSIH), currently known as the Swatch Group, bought the Hamilton Watch Company.
• In 2003, the Hamilton Watch Company shifted its headquarters and manufacturing facilities from Pennsylvania, the United States to Bienne, Switzerland.

Hamilton Watch Company proudly mentions on its website that these watches are a perfect blend of Swiss accuracy and the American spirit.

Are Hamilton watches Swiss made?

Hamilton watches are Swiss made and the company comes under the Swatch Group, a Swiss luxury watches and jewelry company, which indicates its Swiss production. Most of the Hamilton watches have either ETA or Valjoux movements, which are a Swiss specialty.

In addition to this, they have “Swiss Made” written on their movements,  at the bottom of the dial and on the back of the cases.

If you have restrained yourselves from getting a timeless wristwatch from this brand just because you weren’t sure about its production country, then we hope this cleared your confusion.

There are certain parameters that you need to know before spending your hard-earned dollars on getting your dream wristwatch. What are these? Continue reading to find out.

Although the Hamilton Watch Company takes pride in maintaining their American heritage by including a touch of US-specific style in the watches’ design, they are manufactured in Switzerland.

However, there are certain watches whose components are manufactured by the automated processes in the Far East in China and Thailand; but, the movements are always produced with high precision in Switzerland.

Hamilton watches are highly reputed amongst their competitors having a similar price tag. It was also named among the top 10 best Swiss brands next to the likes of watch giants such as Omega, Alpina, Longines, Rolex, TAG Heuer and multiple others.

Is Hamilton watch worth it?

Although Hamilton watches aren’t luxury, they have superior quality Swiss ETA automatic movements, which is generally not found in watches at their price range. They have the Swatch Group affiliation, a watch-giant, well-known for its superior quality watches, which makes it worth buying.

They are highly-reputed throughout the world and history for their precision, which further adds to their charm. Hamilton Watch Company was also named among the 10 best Swiss watch brands.

Most of their watches retail below $500, which is an exceptional price for a watch with Swiss ETA automatic movement. In addition to this, if you buy it from their website, you’ll get free ground shipping and an official 2-year warranty.

Hamilton watches are mid-priced, which means, they are neither too expensive nor something that one would buy on a regular basis. Due to this, many of us think twice before getting our hands onto them, and often wonder, what are their major pros and cons. Below, we have compiled a list of the advantages and disadvantages of this precision-loving watch brand.

Pros of Hamilton Watches:

Following are the major pros of Hamilton watches:

• They offer a vast range of models.
• You can choose from a wide variety of dial colors.
• They offer numerous strap materials in multiple colors.
• They have the Swiss ETA Automatic Movement.
• Most of the watches have a water resistance of up to 50 meters. The pressure at this depth is around 5 bars.
• A few Hamilton watches can survive a water depth of up to 1,000 meters.
• The company offers a 2-year warranty and free ground shipping.
• They have a buyer-friendly return policy.
• Each watch comes with a comprehensive manual for the buyer’s convenience.

Cons of Hamilton Watches

A few cons of Hamilton watches are listed below:

• Hamilton Watch Company is yet to join the other brands in the smartwatch industry.
• They offer limited shipping options.
• A few customers complained about the strap’s material.

Now, since you are aware of the pros and cons, let’s have a look at the features that you’ll get in low, medium and high priced Hamilton watches.

Low-Priced Hamilton Watches

Low-priced Hamilton watches are generally around $400. They have water resistance up to 165 feet and a quartz movement. They come in a stainless steel case and are made of sapphire glass or scratch-resistant material.

Mid-Priced Hamilton Watches

Mid-priced Hamilton watches lie in the range of $400 to $1000. They are usually manual or automatic. Most of them are made from sapphire glass. They have a higher water resistance as compared to the low-priced ones.

High-Priced Hamilton Watches

High-priced Hamilton watches can be bought for a few thousand dollars. The most expensive watch costs $6,125. Watches in this price-range have very high water-resistance of up to 1,000 meters. All of them are made from sapphire glass and have high-tech features such as tachymeters.

Are Hamilton watches luxury?

Although Hamilton watches are owned by the Swatch Group, they are not considered as premium or luxury watches. This is because most of them cost under $500, which is below the standard prices of luxury watch brands such as Omega and Rolex.

However, their Swiss ETA Automatic Movement and precision qualify them to be a good quality watch at their price level.

Hamilton is extremely popular among the watch enthusiasts, and most of them consider it an underrated brand. You can find all kinds of styles from different decades in their multiple series. Throughout history, Hamilton has been regarded for its exceptional precision. It is the most popular watch brand in the aviation industry. It was also highly regarded by the railroad workers.

Hamilton watches are also popular in the entertainment industry. They have appeared in blockbuster movies on the world’s highest-paid actors and actresses’ wrists. Below is the list of the famous movies that featured Hamilton watches:

• In 1932, two Hamilton watches, Boulton and Flintridge, appeared as the major plot drivers in “Shanghai Express”.
• In 1961, Ventura appeared on Ricky King’s wrist in a romantic comedy musical titled “Blue Hawaii”.
• In 1986, custom-made Hamilton watches appeared on each cast members’ wrist in a sci-fi movie titled “2001: The Space Odyssey”.
• In 2001, George Clooney wore the Hamilton Linwood Viewmatic in “Ocean’s Eleven”.
• In 2012, three watches from the Ventura series, Ventura Chrono, Ventura Black Dial, and Ventura Silver, appeared in Men in Black 3. It is the most successful movie in the MIB series.
• In 2012, the antagonist of “The Dark Knight Rises” choose the Khaki Field Titanium to accompany him in his attempt to destroy Gotham City.
• In 2013, the Jazzmaster Viewmatic Auto accompanied Bruce Willis and Jai Courtney in an action thriller titled “A Good Day to Die Hard”.
• In 2014, the Khaki Pilot Day Date and another Hamilton custom-made watch explored the galaxy alongside Matthew McConaughey, Mackenzie Foy and Jessica Chastain in the blockbuster sci-fi movie “Interstellar”.

Currently, Hamilton has collaborated with Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) to showcase its rich watchmaking history via a movie. The main purpose of this collaboration is to support and empower the emerging moviemakers of the industry.

Does Hamilton still make watches?

Hamilton Watch Company believes in innovation; therefore, they are always either releasing new designs or improving their previous models. In recent times, the company had numerous additions and enhancements in their seven different highly-regarded watch series.

Before delving into the new releases, let’s have a look at their diverse watch collection that contains seven series.

• Ventura
• Khaki Field
• Khaki Aviation
• Jazzmaster
• American Classic
• Khaki Navy
• Broadway

There have been multiple additions to the aforementioned series. Below, we have listed five recent releases and their main features:

• Khaki Navy Scuba Auto: It has H-10 movement and high water resistance. It is specifically designed for snorkelers, surfers, mariners and beach lovers. Its case size is 40 mm.

• Khaki Aviation X-Wind Day Date Auto: It has H-30 movement, and is made from sapphire crystal. It has very high readability, which makes it a great choice for pilots. Its case size is 45 mm.

• American Classic Spirit of Liberty Auto: Having own this piece of elegant beauty personally, I can’t help but show off how exquisite this watch is. This watch is a blend of American style and Swiss precision. It targets buyers who prefer American style over Swiss. It has H-10 movement and is made from sapphire crystal. Its case size is 42 mm.

• Jazzmaster Chrono Quartz: The new edition in the Jazzmaster series has a sporty feel to it. As the name suggests, it has a quartz movement. It is made from sapphire crystal and comes in a stainless steel case. If you prefer the classic watch style, then this is, no doubt, a great option. Its case size is 42 mm.

• Jazzmaster Power Reserve Auto: This addition in the Jazzmaster series is the perfect blend of tradition and innovation. It has H-30 movement and water resistance of up to 5 bar, which is around 73 pounds per inch. This means it can survive up to a water depth of 164 feet. Its case size is 42 mm.

Apart from these, there are multiple other new releases, which are getting appreciation from the watch enthusiasts for their precision and innovative designs.

Hamilton Watch Company has emerged as one of the best brands for mid-priced Swiss watches.

Swatch Group introduced its specialty, the Swiss ETA Automatic Movement, to this brand, but also kept its American spirit alive. It is highly regarded for its services in the aviation industry. This watch, for sure, is a great choice at its price range, both in terms of quality and design.