Hamilton Gold Filled Open Faced

Creator: Hamilton
Place of Origin: Switzerland
Period: 1910-1919
Date of Manufacture: 1916
Condition: Excellent Wear consistent with age and use. It is important to recognize that this watch only had a 12-month warranty when it was new. However, we are so confident of our workmanship and team that we offer an 18-month warranty on all our watches, even those over 100 years old.


FACTORY / HOUSE: Hamilton Watch Company
STYLE / REFERENCE: Open Faced Pocket Watch
METAL / MATERIAL: Yellow Gold Filled / Hand Engraved Case
CIRCA / YEAR: 1916
DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Diameter 57mm
MOVEMENT / CALIBER: Manual Winding / 17 Jewels / Caliber 956
DIAL / HANDS: Flawless Kiln Fired Enamel Dial / Blued Steel Hands
ATTACHMENT / LENGTH: Supplied with Gold Filled Pocket Watch Chain
WARRANTY: 18 months on the movement
This is a "vault find" watch, it has been locked up for nearly 50 years, which means it needs a service. We will service it for you as part of the purchase price before it is shipped out to you. This will delay shipping for a few days of course.
The wrong train, on the wrong track, at the wrong time at the end of the 19th century frequently resulted in disastrous train wrecks. In response to the critical need for accuracy on the nation?s railroads, laws were passed in 1891 establishing set standards of accuracy. All engineers and railroad workers were required to purchase and maintain their watches to keep accurate time based on set standards, about 30 seconds per week was the tolerance. This was the inspiration for The Hamilton Watch Company which was founded in 1892 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The company was started by a group of investors who were looking to create a high-quality, American-made watch. Hamilton quickly became a leading manufacturer of pocket watches, and by the early 1900s, the company was supplying watches to the US military.
In 1917, due to W.W. 1 Hamilton introduced its first wristwatch for service men entering the War. The wristwatch quickly became popular with both soldiers and civilians recognizing how practical they were. Hamilton continued to grow throughout the 1920s and 1930s, and by the 1940s, the company was one of the largest watchmakers in the world.
Hamilton had exceptional engineers and designers and their watches were elegantly styled as well as dependable. As a watchmaker myself I consider Hamilton to be one of the worlds ?best? watches. It was mass produced perfection. Even today, you can take 100 old Hamilton?s of the same model apart and shake them up in a bag and reassemble 100 watches that will work perfectly with almost no adjustment. This is an achievement.
During World War II, Hamilton supplied watches to the US military again. In addition, with contracts for the Navy, they produced the world?s most accurate navigational chronometers. The company also developed several new technologies for use in military watches. After the war, Hamilton continued to innovate, and the company introduced several new watch designs for the future.
Unfortunately, they made one very poor executive decision in the 1950?s. Having invented the first ?electric? or battery watch they decided to launch it before all the ?bugs? were worked out. Too many of them failed and at the same time, Bulova launched their version of the electric, or battery watch called the Accutron. It did not fail and that was the demise of one of Americas most successful and influential companies.
Their watches however, still live on and parts are available and the average Hamilton, with only average care, will last hundreds of years. Their commitment to excellence has never been surpassed by any watch company

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