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Here’s my Hamilton, but the Hamilton that made this is not the same Hamilton making watches today.
[​IMG]Check any watch forum and you will see a near unanimous verdict as to the quality and value of a Hamilton. I like the classic esthetics of almost all of their watches, especially the Mid Century modern Ventura. They may be owned by the Swiss now but they in many ways the sole remaining classic American watch brand.
It is the start of a slippery slope into watch addiction!
I like hamiltons, great value for the price point and they wear so nice.
Hamilton watches look really good. However, in common many established brand names, the original Hamilton company no longer exists. It could be thought of as a hammer that has had several shaft and head replacements.
I own several Hammies. It’s the brand I recommend to first time watch guys. They’re made like tanks and run forever. So, no, I can’t talk you out of one.
In light of the (thankfully brief) mudslinging on the first page, I’ll throw in my 2 cents on luxury items.
In short, buy what makes you happy. I like to use cologne as an example. Some gentlemen are perfectly happy with their $6 Pinaud Clubman, while others think that any cologne costing less than $100 will always smell terrible. Same thing with everything else in life. We here on the forum are exposed to brands, terms, thoughts and nuances that comparatively few people even know exist- we have largely come to expect luxury, precision, excellent fit and finish, etc., but most people are perfectly happy with comparatively basic, even crude in some cases versions of the gear. Knives, flashlights, watches, the list goes on. Neither party is wrong. Both sides of the issue are opinions- and therefore they cannot be wrong. Opinions cannot be right or wrong. Does one need to spend $200 on an automatic watch when a cell phone can do it for no extra money? No, but the watch makes the wearer happy. Plain and simple. Not understanding why someone wants something is no reason to be condescending, it’s a matter of a difference in opinion.With that out of the way, I haven’t owned a Hamilton so I can’t speak for their quality either way. I have been wanting a turn of the century to 1920s Hamilton pocket watch of some sort, but I don’t own one, and at any rate it’s not the same Hamilton as made the watch you’re looking at.
I won’t talk you into it or out of it (though I could almost certainly do the former). I’m going to do as much as I can to skirt the earlier luxury arguments, I’m a watch guy and have a collection and I know that after about a $30 casio watches cease being rational. I’m also about as close to an expert on modern Hammy’s as you can get. Here’s what you need to know:
You are looking at the “Pilot Quartz” from the Khaki Aviation line. It is 42mm which is sort of just becoming large, but not unwieldy, wrist size dependent (and the lug-to-lug measure is generally considered more important). Especially if you have a smaller wrist try one on.
They do make the same watch in an Auto, but only in a 38mm (small by modern standards) or a 46mm which is large for most. Try one on.
Nothing wrong with a Hamilton Quartz movement, but a larger part of your purchase price is for the Hamilton name then when buying a Hamilton automatic. I.e. Hamilton mechanicals are a better “value” in as much as you can assign value to what is, essentially, jewelry. Hamilton mechanicals also generally resell more easily and at higher percentage of your purchase price than quartz do. This is fairly true across the watch world, though there are plenty of exceptions. That being said, a Hamilton quartz starts at a much lower price.
You should never pay retail for a Hamilton. The lower the MSRP, the less someone will discount, but you should target 25% or so on a quartz. I deal mostly in mechanicals and was almost exclusively Hamilton for some years and I target a 30% discount for them. Be aware of taxes and shipping, if dealing remotely.
To again mention “value”, remember that a quartz watch will be more accurate over time than a higher priced mechanical. As William Gibson wrote, “Mechanical watches [are] pointless yet needful, comforting precisely because they require tending.”
So you are now, hopefully, somewhat better informed and better able to make a decision. Think about it, and if you have any questions I might be able to help with PM me.
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