It?s true that a great watch does more than just tell the time ? it makes a statement. No company knows this better than the Hamilton Watch Company! The company was founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892 and since then, they have created some of the finest watches in the world. Here?s an overview of the company and their watches:

Origins of the Hamilton Watch Company

The Hamilton Watch Company was founded in 1892 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania after the owners purchased the Keystone Standard Watch Company, which was in bankruptcy. Originally, the new company was to be named ?Columbian? but another watch company already laid claim to the name. After some debate, the new company was named Hamilton.

Making Watches in the United States

From 1892 to the early 1960?s, the company made their watches exclusively in the United States. Their very first watch was a pocket watch that was released in 1893. Since then, however, they created a variety of different watch styles and they switched from pocket watches to standard wrist styles. Their first true series of watches was called Broadway Limited and in their advertising, they said that they were just as accurate as the railroads. As a result of this campaign, they were called the ?railroad watches.? During World War II, the company created a special line of watches to send to American troops overseas.

Hamilton Buys a Swiss Watch Company

The 1950?s were the last full decade where the company made their watches in the United States. In 1966, the company acquired the Buren Watch Company, which was based in Büren an der Aare in Switzerland. When they acquired the company, they also ended up with all their technologies and facilities and for a time, the two companies operated separately but shared elements of their technologies. In 1969, Hamilton closed their Pennsylvania manufacturing facilities and shifted production of all their watches to Switzerland. Shortly after that, the company developed Pulsar, the world?s first digital watch.

Now Hamilton is a Member of the Swatch Group

In 1971, the Omega & Tissot Holding Company Société Suisse pour l’Industrie Horlogère (SSIH) purchased Hamilton. In 1984 SSIH merged with ASUAG. This merger forced Hamilton to become part of the Swatch Group. However, this didn?t prevent Hamilton from continuing to create high quality watches! They still have a reputation for creating some of the best watches on the market.

Notable Hamilton Watches to Enjoy

Hamilton has several main collections, all of which have plenty of watches to choose from. Their main collections are Broadway, which is considered both modern and urban, Jazzmaster, which is known for its classic elegance, American Classic, which combines a fresh American style with classic Swiss watch components, and the Ventura, which is a tribute to the classic model from 1957. There are also Aviation, Navy, and Field watch styles available. As you can see, the Hamilton Watch Company has plenty of experience making high quality watches. When you add these watches to your collection, you know they?ll be built to last!