Hamilton Watches

Hamilton watches are one of the most popular luxury watch brands in the world. For many years Hamilton was a proud American watchmaker but the brand currently resides in Bienne, Switzerland. The Swiss watchmakers have been popular with many celebrities over the years, with a Hamilton wristwatch being one of Elvis Presley's prized possessions. Today's Hamilton watches are a great choice for people who appreciate beautiful traditional watch design. The History of Hamilton Watches The Hamilton Watch Company was founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892. The company was named after Andrew Hamilton, the founder of the Lancaster Watch Company and original owner of the factory Hamilton was based in. The company started by producing pocket watches and they were immensely successful, gaining 56% of the market during the expansion of the railroads. After World War 1, the company moved from the production of pocket watches to the production of wrist watches – which were becoming more popular. Hamilton watches were produced exclusively for the military during World War 2, only returning to producing consumer products once the war was over. In the 1960's Hamilton purchased the Buren Watch Company and started incorporating their Swiss movements into their American watches. This Swiss-American partnership lasted until 1972 when Buren returned to Swiss ownership and 2 years later the Hamilton brand was purchased by SSIH, which later became the Swatch Group. Today, Hamilton are a subsidiary of the Swatch Group, producing watches with a perfect mix of American spirit and Swiss precision. American Spirit and Swiss Precision Hamilton watches have been popular for many years for a variety of different reasons. The brand has recognition for watches such as the distinctive Hamilton Ventura , worn by Elvis Presley in the movie Blue Hawaii. The brand is renowned for producing watches which are both beautifully designed and highly functional. But most of all, the mix of American spirit of Swiss precision is what defines the brand today. With fantastic Swiss movements inside the watches which keep them impeccably precise, but also a wide range of distinctively designed watches which display the proud American heritage of Hamilton watches. Collections such as the Hamilton American Classic and Hamilton Broadway are great examples of Hamilton's ability to produce traditional watches for a modern world.