The most American of Swiss watch brands retains a strong sense of its own history, through collections redolent of the Jazz Age, railways, aviation and the US Army. The company founded in 1892 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was appointed official supplier to the US Armed Forces in 1920, and made almost a million chronographs for soldiers who fought in the Second World War. The Jazzmaster, Khaki and RailRoad collections are still going strong today, as we will no doubt see from the new models Hamilton is due to present at Baselworld next week. The company nevertheless continues to innovate, and a new collection, inspired once again by the United States, will be introduced this year: the Broadway.
Broadway
The three Broadway models in steel all feature a black dial bisected by a vertical line from 12 to 6 o’clock, with parallel fine lines across the rest of the surface. The motif clearly draws its inspiration from Manhattan’s famous avenue, the only road that traverses the entire island from north to south, but there is another nod to New York in the skyscraper-style hands that sweep across the applied indices. The 40 mm Day Date version houses a quartz movement and displays hours, minutes and seconds, along with the day and date at 3 o’clock. The Day Date Auto offers the same functions, this time driven by the H-30 calibre with its 80-hour power reserve, in a 42 mm case. A 43 mm chronograph equipped with the H-21 automatic calibre completes the new Broadway collection, all of whose models are available with black leather strap or steel bracelet. Prices start at CHF 550 for the quartz model, rising to CHF 945 for the automatic and CHF 1850 for the Auto Chrono.
diving watches
The Khaki Navy Frogman is presented by brand ambassador Pierre Frolla, the free diver from Monaco who in 2004 set the world record for variable weight free diving, with a dive of 123 metres. It has all the features required for a dive watch: large-sized titanium case (46 mm), helium valve, high-visibility unidirectional bezel in red, faceted hands coated with SuperLuminova, water resistance to 1000 metres and a rubber strap. Driven by the H-10 calibre launched by Hamilton last year, the model is also available in a 42 mm steel case (without helium value), in black or blue. The prices are CHF 1,395 and CHF 1,050 respectively.
For ladies
The new Jazzmaster Open Heart Lady also has an affinity for water, but here it is purely aesthetic. Its dial features an open lotus flower in mother-of-pearl, three of whose open-worked petals reveal the specially decorated H-10 calibre within, driving the hours and minutes. The silvered drop-shaped markers at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock continue the aquatic metaphor and reflect the iridescence of the dial. The satin-brushed and polished steel case is fitted with either a metallic bracelet or pale green or white leather strap. It can be yours for CHF 1,050.
Hamilton is unveiling two more women’s models this year in the RailRoad and Khaki Navy collections, despite their decidedly unfeminine names! Nevertheless, with their champagne-coloured dials, 32 mm (for the automatic version) or 28 mm (quartz) diameter and twelve square-cut diamonds set into the slim sunburst index markers, the four new RailRoad Lady watches are undeniably feminine, an aesthetic that carries over to the metal bracelet or leather strap, at a very reasonable CHF 595 for the quartz model or CHF 1,075 for the automatic.
The Khaki Navy Pioneer Lady, in steel or pink PVD, boasts a deliciously retro look, with its bracket-shaped lugs, Arabic numerals, blued hands and silvered opaline dial. The sapphire caseback provides a clear view of the circular-grained and snailed bridges of the H-10 calibre. It is priced at CHF 945.
gold is back
Finally, Hamilton will be unveiling a new Jazzmaster that combines two highly topical trends: pink gold and ultra-slim. The classically styled Hamilton Jazzmaster Thinline Gold, with an 18K rose gold 40 mm case, has a convex silvered dial with applied index markers and dauphine style hands. A date window at 6 o’clock completes the vintage-inspired dial, beneath which beats an automatic movement. Only 1,892 pieces will be produced, in reference to the date Hamilton was founded, priced at CHF 5,195 each.
Click on the large image at the top of the page to discover all the new watches.
