Hamilton Platinum Art Deco Diamond Baguette Dial Manual Wind Watch circa 1940's
View Similar Items
Hamilton Platinum Art Deco Diamond Baguette Dial Manual Wind Watch circa 1940's
About the Item
- Creator:
- Case Material:
- Style:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940's
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Long Beach, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: 1500 V1stDibs: LU42233667293
Hamilton
In an era when the safety of America’s bustling railroads absolutely depended on accurate timepieces for its conductors, watchmaker Hamilton pioneered cutting-edge, impossibly precise watches in a complex that spanned one square city block of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, during the late 19th century.
As railroad tracks were laid across the United States and steam locomotives began traversing vast distances, the American railroad system ran into a problem. Back then, time was not standardized across the country. Therefore, in 1883, the railroad companies established the four time zones as we know them today. But, despite setting these zones, train conductors were not always synchronized, leading to deadly accidents on the railroads.
Enter watchmaker Hamilton, founded in 1892. Railway workers would be required to wear a pocket watch, as the timepieces were responsible for keeping conductors on schedule, and the watchmaking industry — and early American pocket-watch manufacturers such as Hamilton, Elgin National Watch Company and the Waltham Watch Company — benefitted. Hamilton’s pocket watches were extremely alluring to train conductors, who began buying them en masse. The East Coast company’s timepieces eventually earned the moniker “The Watch of Railroad Accuracy.”
Hamilton transitioned from pocket watches to wristwatches in 1914, as it supplied timepieces to American troops fighting in World War I. Wristwatches, naturally, were more convenient to wear and use in battle. The new style of watch was also appealing to aviators, and Hamilton aeronautical watches became all the rage among pilots, specifically those flying for the new U.S. Airmail service.
The general public’s interest in Hamilton watches grew rapidly in the 1920s. Legendary polar explorer Admiral Richard E. Byrd timed his historic flights over glaciers and chunks of sea ice with a Hamilton pocket watch in the late 1920s, and a Hamilton timepiece used by Byrd during these expeditions went on display in 2018 at the National Watch & Clock Museum.
Hamilton’s Piping Rock watch, an Art Deco–inspired design that featured elegant Roman numerals set in black for the hour markers, made its debut in 1928 and was gifted to the New York Yankees to celebrate their World Series win that year. The model was also featured in the film Shanghai Express alongside the brand’s Flintridge watch, further expanding Hamilton’s popularity. (Hamilton watches can also be seen in the films The Frogmen, Blue Hawaii, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Men in Black.)
In the second half of the 20th century, Hamilton became well known for several innovations: It developed the first-ever battery-operated electric watch, the Ventura, in 1957, as well as the first-ever digital wristwatch, the Hamilton Pulsar Time Computer, in 1970. Three years later, superspy and watch enthusiast James Bond donned a Pulsar in Live and Let Die.
Today, the company is part of the Swatch Group, and its headquarters and production facilities relocated from Pennsylvania to Switzerland in 2003.
Find vintage Hamilton watches and pocket watches on 1stDibs.
- Eterna Yellow Gold Art Deco Original Dial Manual Wind Watch, circa 1940sLocated in Long Beach, CAFACTORY / HOUSE: Eterna Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Round / Art Deco METAL / MATERIAL: 14Kt. Solid Gold CIRCA: 1940's DIMENSIONS: Length 35mm X Diame...Category
Mid-20th Century Swiss Art Deco Wrist Watches
- Hamilton Platinum Ladies Art Deco Styled Diamond Dress Watch, circa 1940sLocated in Long Beach, CAFACTORY / HOUSE: Hamilton Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Art Deco / Bracelet Watch METAL / MATERIAL: Platinum CIRCA / YEAR: 1940's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 32mm X Width 14mm MOVEM...Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Wrist Watches
MaterialsPlatinum
- Hamilton Ladies Platinum Art Deco Evening Watch Gold Diamond Bracelet 1940'sBy HamiltonLocated in Long Beach, CAFACTORY / HOUSE: Hamilton Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Art Deco / Evening Dress Watch METAL / MATERIAL: Platinum & 14Kt. Gold Bracelet CIRCA / YEAR: 1940's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 50mm X Diameter 14mm MOVEMENT / CALIBER: Manual Winding / 22 Jewels / Caliber 757 DIAL / HANDS: White Dial with Silver Markers / Silver Hands ATTACHMENT / LENGTH: Gold Diamond Bracelet / 5 7/8 Inches or 15cm WARRANTY: 18 months on the movement LIFETIME SERVICE COMMITMENT This great looking all original Art Deco Watch is all original and produced by the legendary American House of Hamilton. The watch has just been given a factory quality service by our finest watchmaker and keeps dependable time. We seldom see diamond dress watches in this condition. This one is very elegant and in exceptional condition. If you are looking for a spectacular watch for special evenings 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, Hamilton introduced its first wristwatch for service men entering the first World 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. In the early 1930’s our family store in Los Angeles was the a “Hamilton” Store. Even during the depression though Hamilton did not allow you to discount the price to sell a watch. Also, in the neighborhood was another Hamilton store and one day the owner sent in a “shill” to buy a Hamilton from us. Someone gave them a slight discount. Well, that was all it took for Hamilton to “pull the line” from us. In those days the local jewelry supply houses sold you the watches and they were all told not to sell to us. We simply contacted Gruen, and they were very excited to have a new account...Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Wrist Watches
- Gubelin Platinum and Diamond Art Deco Manual Winding Dress Watch, circa 1930sBy GubelinLocated in Long Beach, CAFACTORY / HOUSE: Gubelin Jewelers STYLE / REFERENCE: Art Deco METAL / MATERIAL: Platinum DIMENSIONS: Length 36mm X Width 13mm CIRCA: 1930's MOVEMENT / CALIBER: Manual Winding / 18 J...Category
Vintage 1930s Swiss Art Deco Wrist Watches
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- Zenith Stainless Steel Original Dial Manual Wind Watch, circa 1950sBy Zenith Watch CompanyLocated in Long Beach, CAFACTORY / HOUSE: Zenith Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Mid Century Round METAL / MATERIAL: Steel CIRCA: 1950's DIMENSIONS: Length 39mm X Diameter 34mm MOVEMENT / CALIBER: Manual W...Category
Mid-20th Century Swiss Art Deco Wrist Watches
- Bulova Yellow Gold Art Deco Style Manual Wind WatchBy BulovaLocated in Long Beach, CAFACTORY / HOUSE: Bulova Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Art Deco / "Curvex" METAL / MATERIAL: 14Kt. Solid Gold DIMENSIONS: Length 42mm X Width 21mm CIRCA: 1940's MOVEMENT / CALIBER...Category
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Wrist Watches
- Hamilton Cocktail Platinum Silver dial Manual watchBy HamiltonLocated in Surfside, FLVintage Hamilton Cocktail watch in platinum diamond case and 14k white gold diamond bracelet. Manual wind Fine Pre-owned Hamilton Watch. Fits up to 7 inches wrist. Comes with a secur...Category
Antique 16th Century Wrist Watches
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- Art Deco Diamond Onyx Platinum Cocktail Watch by Hamilton, Circa 1940By HamiltonLocated in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon TyneAn impressive vintage Art Deco 0.95 carat diamond and black onyx, platinum cocktail watch by 'Hamilton'; part of our diverse antique jewelry and estate jewelry collections. This impressive vintage Art Deco diamond watch has been crafted in platinum. The watch has a rectangular dial with plain black Arabic hour numerals displayed within rectangular designs, the outer one marked as the chapter ring. The Art Deco watch is fitted with shaped, blued steel hands, and the face clearly displays the text 'Hamilton'. The crown/winder of this manual wind watch is plain and unembellished. The watch bezel and lugs are embellished with thirty-six pavé set eight-cut diamonds, and ornamented with two shaped black onyx panels. This fine vintage diamond cocktail watch is fitted with a platinum gold bootlace style strap which secures to the reverse with a plain flip clasp. The watch is fitted with a Swiss 17 jewels...Category
Vintage 1940s Unknown Art Deco Wrist Watches
MaterialsDiamond, Onyx, Platinum
- Hamilton Cocktail in Platinum with a Ivory dial 14.5mm Manual watchBy HamiltonLocated in Surfside, FLHamilton diamond Cocktail watch in platinum with approximately 3 carats in G-H color, VS clarity in round and baguette diamonds on gold...Category
Vintage 1950s Wrist Watches
MaterialsPlatinum
- Van Cleef & Arpels Ladies Art Deco Wristwatch Platinum Diamond Manual WindBy Van Cleef & ArpelsLocated in Beverly Hills, CAElegant and timeless jeweled Art Deco lady's watch created by Van Cleef & Arpels in the 1930s. The watch is made of platinum (tested & hallmarked) and encrusted with Old European cut...Category
Vintage 1930s French Wrist Watches
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- Fine Art Deco Hamilton 4.8 Carat Diamond Platinum Dress WatchBy HamiltonLocated in New York, NYElegant Art Deco period Hamilton platinum, 4.8 TCW diamond dress watch with a wide double row platinum and diamond bracelet band, high style X-form diamond details and substantial baguette and round cut diamond accents. For nearly a century, Hamilton watches have been associated with the glamour of Hollywood. In 1932, the inimitable Marlene Deitrich was the first to wear a Hamilton watch on-screen in the film Shanghai Express. Elvis Presley wore the iconic Hamilton Ventura...Category
20th Century American Art Deco Wrist Watches
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- Art Deco Diamond and Platinum Cocktail Manual Wristwatch, circa 1930Located in London, GBAn Art Deco diamond and platinum cocktail wristwatch, with a white, round dial, with black Arabic hand painted numerals, within a ring of minute markers, with blue steel hands, with ...Category
Vintage 1930s British Art Deco Wrist Watches
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum