If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you’ll remember that I’ve quickly become a fan of the Hamilton Jazzmaster line. More recently, I’ve taken an interest in open-heart watches that allow you to see the movement at work, without resorting to an exhibition caseback. Well, it seems fortune has smiled, as Hamilton has seen fit to open up the dial.
That’s right! Much like what I wrote up with Archer utilizing vintage Hamilton movements. This time around it’s Wilson Watch Works, which is based out of North Carolina. And before I get too far into the review – W3 does offer a variety of models that can be custom built to your specifications (more info can be found here).
W3 is a new company, having coming into existence in 2008. Read more…
If you recall from my prior post on the Archer Aero II, you’ll know that I quickly became a fan of the watch, and the service that the owner, Al, offers. And, at first glance, you might wonder why I’m featuring this pilot watch, as it’s not displaying any of the uniqueness that Iwas so fond of with the Aero II.
In yesterday’s post, I presented a watch that I thought was well suited for formal occasions. Today, I thought I’d continue along that same path, but bring to light a piece from a (likely) more well-known brand; namely, Hamilton’s Jazzmaster Slim.
Let’s have another look at an American watch brand, shall we? (Please note, Hamilton is owned by Swatch now). Today, I’m going to focus in on the 
Team Earth Auto (ref H60455533). As should be no surprise to the readers of this blog, I’m enamored by watches that have a vintage look to them – and this one is no exception.
Hamilton is well known in railroad circles as one of the watches that kept the trains running in the 20th century. Now they’ve gone back to that illustrious past with their Railroad Evolution, a big fat chrono with an auto movement.
No pricing yet, but it’s a cool move back towards traditional watchmaking values for the brand. Compared to some of the stuff they’ve been putting out, this is a breath of fresh air.
Hamilton has a very specific price range. This comes from being part of the crowded Swatch Group. Hamilton watches must fit in a price category just bellow Longines, but above Tissot. This has had the positive effect of the brand being positioned very strongly at the entry price level for luxury timepieces. Last year the company released the Slim, which demonstrates the reason why Hamilton is such a strong player in the “democratic luxury” sector today. It is well designed, contemporary, runs on the highly reputable 2892 calibre manufactured by ETA in Switzerland, and is tagged with a starting retail price under $1,000.
Hamilton added two variations to the Slim collection this year and I got to play and film one at Hamilton headquarters in Biel/Bienne. The models in the Slim collection are perfect examples of how pictures never do watches justice. Images make the Slim watches seem plain and flat when in reality the 43mm width coupled with the low profile and classic design make for a striking piece that is very enjoyable to wear.
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A few years ago Hamilton commemorated the Ventura with an automatic-winding reproduction of the original. This is ironic, because one of the distinguishing features of the original Ventura was that it was the world’s first electric, battery-run watch. This year a second of Hamilton’s world firsts is being celebrated at Baselworld. Hamilton’s Pulsar was the world’s first working digital watch and this year marks its 40th anniversary. Once again an automatic movement will replace the original electric one, but it will nonetheless display the time as its original did. Mix Pulsar and “automatic” and you get the 2010 Hamilton Pulsomatic.
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