Hamilton

Brand history

Founded 1892 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as the Hamilton Watch Company; the brand made the railroad pocket-watches that timed the American rail network, then the MIL-W-3818 and MIL-W-46374 field watches issued to US troops in WWII and Vietnam. Acquired by SSIH (now Swatch Group) in 1971 and consolidated into Switzerland in 2003. The modern Khaki Field Mechanical (H-50) and Auto (H-10) are the trade’s most-recommended sub-$1K everyday-mechanical references; the Intra-Matic Chronograph H carries the 1960s Hamilton-Buren chronograph aesthetic forward.