hamilton military watch

Hamilton Military Watch - As one of the leading companies in the American watch industry before World War II, and already experienced in supplying the military in World War I, Hamilton was a natural choice to make watches for the armed forces.

To support the war effort, Hamilton halted consumer production to focus on production for the armed forces, producing over a million hours during the war. Hamilton made clocks and other timepieces, as well as timers and other instruments, including precise marine chronographs.

Hamilton Military Watch

Wartime conditions required the brand to be innovative - when access to traditional watch lubricating oils was cut off by the war, Hamilton's chemists developed new, advanced oils as well as a special material that did not expand.

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Before World War II, Hamilton obtained the US rights to Elinvar, a non-magnetic alloy, to use for his hair. Shocked by the differences in the quality of Elinvar, Hamilton developed his own hair spray alloy, Elinvar Extra, which solved these problems. Visiting the Hamilton plant in 1943, Marvin E. Whitney of the United States Naval Observatory said, “I was amazed at the quality control and care taken to produce the new alloy. It was like being in a medical laboratory. "

Navigation on the high seas was a concern for the US Navy. Back then there was no satellite navigation, and ships could not transmit long-range radio, for fear that the enemy would return to the ship's position, so the navy asked for a dead reckoning - the use the sky for navigation.

The government offered all the watch companies to make sea timetables. These chronometers were large, highly accurate pocket watches on gimbals, so they were unaffected by terrain and ship motion. Hamilton was the only company that could produce marine timepieces to exact Navy standards. Hamilton went on to produce over 10,000 timepieces during World War II. These marine timepieces, especially those in their original wooden cases, are prized collectors' items today.

In fact, a plaque accompanying the Hamilton Naval Chronometer on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington states: "These chronometers have worked so well that they are in great demand wherever records go." - time to use. It is a great advantage to the makers to make such a good instrument during the war."

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Hamilton's ability to master the naval timetable was crucial to the Allied victory in World War II. Admiral Arlie Burke, Chief of Staff to Vice Admiral Mark Meacher wrote during the Battle of Leyte Gulf: "The ships of the Third and Seventh Fleets fighting in Leyte Gulf were entirely dependent on Hamilton Naval Chronometers for accurate time of the base. . naval and air operations. This victory for the United States, in one of the greatest naval battles ever fought, marked the beginning of the end of World War II."

Rene Rondeau, Hamilton expert and retired ranger and author, emphasizes Hamilton's strong military heritage. "Hamilton's biggest claim to fame was the sea time trial, which was an amazing achievement," he said. "They weren't the only company that supplied watches to the US military, but they were the by far the most important ones. From talking to many people over the years, there were quite a few veterans who were struggling to keep their Hamilton watches because they were going to be given away. the knowledge of the soldiers for whom Hamilton was a great advantage when they returned to civilian life, because of their experience with the Hamiltons during the war. "They were very grateful to Hamilton."

The auction features some famous Hamiltons that fetched big prices, such as the Ventura bought by Elvis that sold for $12,800 and the Hamilton worn by Robin Williams to Dead Poets Society that realized $32,500. Hamilton military watches sell for anywhere from $60 to $500 on the secondary market, depending on vintage and condition. However, many of the military watches do not say Hamilton on the dial. Hamilton marine timepieces sell for between $1,400 and $4,000, depending on the condition, which seems lower than they are worth, given their historical importance.

Although Hamilton military watches are not highly valued in the secondary market, they are pieces of American history and that can make them meaningful and collectible to you.

This Affordable New Military Watch Is Even Better Than The Vintage Original

The Khaki range has been in the Hamilton collection for some time, and many of its versions are best sellers. The Khaki Field Chronograph worn by John Krasinski in Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime became one of the top sellers, but the 2018 crown goes to the Khaki Field Mechanical 38mm.

The Khaki Field Mechanical 38mm is a tribute to the brand's military heritage and is designed to be the perfect blend of a vintage piece with modern technology. Based on the original military watch, the Khaki Field Mechanical 38mm has everything you need and nothing. Powered by a mechanical handwind and on an attractive NATO strap, this watch is heavy duty, yet light and very comfortable.

"What I like is that Hamilton has two icons," said Sylvain Dolla, president of Hamilton. "We have the Ventura, which was revolutionary in design, and the Khaki range, which was revolutionary in manufacturing." Hamilton had to supply a million watches to the army during World War II, so the company had to rethink how we did everything. I love that the Khaki field hand wound has become our best seller. We are the only brand that manufactures and sells a wristwatch in such sizes, and it works because it is authentic.

"The Khaki range is our heritage product, but it's also very much in style with what young people are wearing today," he continued. “If there's one watch that's reliable with a NATO strap, it's the Khaki Field Mechanic. It is my favorite watch today. "I have both and wear them all the time."

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Unsurprisingly, the Khaki Field Mechanical 38mm was a huge hit for Hamilton, selling out shortly after launch, prompting waiting lists around the world. As a best seller for Hamilton, this Khaki was gold, continuing a tradition that began over 70 years ago.

In 1942, Hamilton halted consumer production to focus on military supplies. This is one of the many watches made at the time. In the early to mid-1940s, Hamilton regularly ran advertisements to inform customers that the company was busy working hard to support the war effort and to assure them that normal service would resume. as soon as the war was over. Pillow stand. Insured value CHF 3,000.

Caliber 987 was Hamilton's best movement, powering millions of military edition watches. When the United States entered World War II, the Pentagon chose one of Hamilton's 987 movements for all members of the armed forces. Soon after, in 1942, Hamilton ceased consumer production of its watches to concentrate on supplying the military with wristwatches, timers, meters and marine chronographs during the years of conflict. The 987A was a slightly later development, with subdial seconds. It was produced for military use until 1948 during which time nearly half a million Model 987A watches were produced. This 1942 model 987A does not have the hack feature.

These custom watches were made for the military. Level II refers to accuracy requirements as specified by the US military. Class I clocks had to move no more than 7 seconds per day, Class II 30 seconds and Class III 60 seconds per day. The grades were not an official specification, but they referred to how and to whom watches could be awarded according to their level of accuracy. For example, a pilot may need to watch more closely than someone working on the ground.

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This military timepiece features a Phase 649 movement with a "hack" or stop second mechanism that allows the watches to be precisely synchronized. Now a standard feature of automatic watches, this was very unusual at the time. Between 1965 and 1983, this movement was used in several Hamilton wristwatches and this particular model is engraved with a US military federal stock number, indicating that it was issued in January 1966. design - dark dial, light white numbers - inspiration for Khaki Field Mechanical 2018. I agree that this website uses cookies and similar technologies to provide me with this website and its features, to gain insight into its use and give it to me. with appropriate notices. You can change your preferences to activate or deactivate each category of cookies at any time. For more information about cookies, please also see our Cookie Notice.

38mm matte stainless steel case, three-hand display, dark dial with clear, luminescent numerals, hour and minute indexes, durable NATO strap: the new Khaki Field Mechanical is a faithful recreation of the original ancestor from the 1960s and is true to Hamilton's military heritage. Inspired by the military, built to last, this is the original military watch. * Played in Sonic the Hedgehog (2020). Worn by Tom Wachowski, who plays James Marsden.

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