Hamilton
The Hamilton Company has its roots far away from Europe: it was founded in the United States, however, the company moved its headquarters and production to Biel, Switzerland at the beginning of the new millennium. Hamilton watches are now Swiss Made and synonymous with excellent quality at an affordable price and have remained known for both their undaunted American spirit combined with the famous Swiss attention to detail. Hamilton watches come in many versions and will attract the eye of all those searching for a watch with an original design. There is also something for afficionados of the movie industry and aviation, and anyone looking for a high-quality timepiece with a fascinating story.
Pilot watches
Hamilton has been synonymous with the world of aviation since 1919 when the pilots of the newly established American airmail service began using Hamilton watches to keep time during flights between Washington and New York.
By the 1930s the entire American airmail service relied on Hamilton watches and was gradually joined by major airline companies. Pilot watches can now be found in the Khaki Aviation collection which includes mechanical watches, both automatic and hand wound, as well as quartz models with numerous additional functions.
Army watches
Hamilton has strong ties to the military that go back decades: the brand was chosen to supply watches to the American Navy and during the First World War it produced wristwatches for the army.
During the Second World War Hamilton supplied naval chronometers for aircraft carriers and other vessels. Its precise naval chronometers, the Model 21 and 22, are a legend to this day. Army style is referenced in contemporary Hamilton watch collections, such as the Khaki Field collection.
Movie heritage
In addition to its military background, Hamilton has a strong heritage in film too. This is related to its love affair with the highly popular American movie industry. Hamilton watches have starred in hundreds of scenes of some of the most famous Hollywood blockbusters.
Hamilton watches have appeared in hundreds of major feature films, including the recent series of sci-fi comedies Men in Black. The Hamilton Ventura watch became famous way back in 1961 when it appeared on the wrist of the King of Rock and Roll: yes, Elvis Presley himself sported one in his musical comedy Blue Hawaii.
For him and for her
Hamilton offers collections that are perfectly balanced with an extensive selection of models. Women’s watches have their firm place in the brand’s portfolio, attracting the attention of customers with their elegant skeletonised dials and stunningly original designs.
Importer to the Czech Republic
We import the brand to the Czech Republic and then distribute it to our partner stores. Wholesale representation brings a number of advantages...
You can order limited editions and special pieces from us. Ask about models that are not in stock and we will inform you when they will be available.
More about Hamilton
The Hamilton Watch Company is quite rightly proud of its American roots reaching all the way back to 1892. A year later, the Hamilton company started production in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The very first items to bear the company name were pocket watches. The name of the brand references the City of Lancaster, founded in 1729 by lawyer and coloniser Andrew Hamilton and his son James. The company was established by merging together several watch manufactures and soon went down in history for producing reliable pocket watches, precise naval chronometers and the first digital watches. In addition, the company was very much involved in the development of the automatic Calibre 11 chronograph. Nowadays, Hamilton watches are manufactured in Switzerland and are appreciated for their excellent quality and original design.
The brand’s history
In the late 19th century, the United States were undergoing a period of very dynamic development and the construction of the railways was a key element for the country’s infrastructure. Hamilton became a supplier of precise timepieces that helped synchronise rail traffic and thus reduced the accident rate.
The First World War brought about a change in watch manufacturing with wristwatches replacing pocket watches; the first wristwatch was manufactured in 1917. In the Roaring Twenties and the Tumultuous Thirties Hamilton kept its finger on the pulse of the times becoming famous for its interesting case shapes ranging from rectangular to barrel-shaped and from oval to cushion designs. These unconventional cases reached their peak in 1957 with the triangle-shaped Ventura watch, so popular it is still produced to this day.
The 1930s brought about great developments in aviation. American airmail aircraft were flying between the East and the West Coast and its pilots relied on Hamilton watches. The Second World War meant there was less interest in wristwatches, countered by a much higher demand for the precise equipment used in military devices.
The post-war period brought major developments in new technologies. Hamilton was the first watch producer to present a digital, battery powered wristwatch, the Electric, worn in public and private by the megastar singer and actor Elvis Presley. He also brought fame to the triangle-shaped Ventura watch, which he wore in one of his films – this interesting history and its original design has made the Ventura a modern-day icon.
The launch of the Pulsar watch in 1970 was another milestone in Hamilton’s history. Pulsar was the first LED digital watch and while the company had been testing the technology for years by then, production was by no means cheap and demand was low in the 1960s and 70s. Yet the Pulsar watch has become a phenomenon and quite rightly so considering it was worn by agent 007 in the 1973 James Bond movie ‘Live and Let Die’. In 2020 Hamilton presented a re-edition of the watch: a limited edition in a stainless steel and gold-plated case.
In 1969 Hamilton participated in the development of an automatic chronograph: the production of the Calibre 11 movement pushed it ahead of the Japanese and Swiss competition who were working on a similar mechanism.
Hamilton has also been known as the Movie Brand, having enduring ties to film and Hollywood. Hamilton watches first appeared on the silver screen in 1932 when Marlene Dietrich wore them in the movie ‘Shanghai Express’. In 1951 Hamilton watches starred in the war film ‘The Frogmen’. Ten years later, the Ventura appeared on the wrist of the iconic Elvis Presley in his musical comedy ‘Blue Hawaii’. Hamilton watches have since appeared in almost five hundred feature films.
The Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards began in 2006 and honour important contemporary filmmakers. Since 1974 Hamilton has been part of the Swatch Group and has successfully kept its head high among strong competition from other bold brands.