Teddy Baldassarre
Hamilton Watches and the American Century: A History of Horological In
Even though it has been making its watches in Switzerland for more than 50 years, there are few watchmakers more ingrained in Americana than Hamilton Watch Company, which was founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892. One of the most important and inventive watchmaking firms in an era when the United States was a world leader in timepiece production, Hamilton has played a vital role in building and growing the nation — from timing the railroads that knitted it together, to supplying the troops that kept it free, to outfitting the entertainment icons that made it the pop culture capital of the world. Today, Hamilton has become respected the world over for its timepieces, while somehow managing never to lose sight of its humble origins and its distinctly American spirit. Here is the story of how Hamilton achieved its unique spot in both U.S. and horological history. Lancaster's historic Central Market First, a bit about Lancaster: It’s one of the oldest inland cities in the United States, originally called Hickory Town and renamed for the English city of Lancaster by John Wright, an English quaker who emigrated to the colonies in 1724. The original town was part of the Penn’s Woods Charter established in 1681 by William Penn that was the foundation for the original Province of Pennsylvania. Along with the modern city of Lancashire, in England, Lancaster continues to use a red rose, the heraldic badge of the House of Lancaster, as a symbol. Lancaster was the capit...
