The Hamilton RailRoad Pocket Watch hands-on

Decades before celebrating the show-biz (movie making) and the military, Hamilton’s connection with North American industrial development was prominent. Despite its current Swiss ownership, the brand is the most American-rooted watch brand, and its timepieces have fostered US growth like no other. Since 1892, when it was founded, the workshops in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, have built respected pocket watches adopted from 1912 as official timekeepers by the United States of America’s railway company.

The Hamilton RailRoad Watch’s foothold

Back then, the brand’s commitment was so intense to have deserved the “The Watch of Railroad Accuracy” moniker. From a sales volume perspective, pocket watches’ production stopped after WWII’s end; among the tons of products delivered, the Hamilton-caliber-992-equipped pocket watches earned centre stage and much appreciation: the hand-wound calibre-equipped watches were often sold in a bizarre yet incredible cigarette-package-looking box, a clever accessory to pack it in a travel bag as into a jacket.

Accuracy was as essential as standard and had to undergo frequent product certification; railway-oriented pocket watches became popular when the number of collisions between trains began to skyrocket due to poor accuracy. Hence, the railway management decided to introduce a new process based on pocket watches built under stringent project requirements.

Pictured above is quite a sought-after model housing Hamilton calibre 992B, a follow-up to the original 992 movements, equipped with an Elinvar hairspring (patented by Hamilton in 1932), sold by auction house Invaluable in 2018 (at a fair price, too). After officially joining the business, Hamilton has steadily increased production to become a market leader in a strong-growing pocket watches market.

As a result, final consumers could access reliable and precise watches whose specification sheet was demanding: each movement had, for example, to be adjusted in six positions and house no less than 17 jewels. The industry standard also required a screwed-in case back to prevent dust from entering the case. As long as the history of watchmaking is concerned, these tool watches have paved the way for modern watchmaking and precise timekeeping.

The 2022 Hamilton RailRoad Pocket Watch

The introduction allows thus to further appreciate a growing business (as exemplified by the recently introduced Tissot pocket watch too) and to acknowledge where the new Hamilton RailRoad Pocket Watch draws inspiration from; its railroad-oriented pedigree is unquestionable and we’ll see next how the new one pays homage to its forerunners.

Arabic numerals and Montgomery dial

The white enamel-looking dial is the first reference point and pairs with signature black large Arabic numerals and the Montgomery dial, i.e. with the minutes in Arabic numerals topping the minute chapter ring; this dial design was popular between 1890 and 1920, and the reissued Hamilton RailRoad Pocket Watch thus refers to that specific period.

The layout offered an at-a-glance reading of hours and minutes without making any unwanted calculations, hence the “Safety Dial” title at that time. Another nod to vintage American pocket watches is the hands’ design: they’re big and bold, in the shape of a sword and a whip for hours and minutes, respectively.

Case (case back) and calibre

The Hamilton RailRoad Pocket Watch measures 50 millimetres across; you hardly find small-sized pocket watches as you did in the past, whose average size was 49.5 millimetres area. Big hand-wound movements save on thickness; therefore, the RailRoad measures a delicious 11.95 mm from glass to back cover, the latter being screwed in like any original model. Such a choice explains why the brand’s designers didn’t opt for a “hunter case”, thus making the calibre visible on request.

The case back design reproduces the front-view silhouette of a 1900 wood-burning (and coal-converted later) train equipped with a large “cowcatcher” in front. Pictured here is an excellent example of this category, in the shape of a Tahoe model train, in service across the US until 1926.

You can spot the number out of the 917 pieces limited series, quite an odd number, right? That number pays homage to the original Hamilton Watch Co. headquarters’ address – 917 Columbia Avenue, Lancaster, Pennsylvania – while the watch celebrates the brand’s 130th anniversary.

Under the solid case back lies a well-known hand-wound calibre, the Unitas 6497-1 movement (the company is under ETA’s ownership), whose power reserve totals approximately 50 hours when fully wound with balance wheel oscillating at 2.5 Hz and the running seconds placed at six. What a pity the brand didn’t opt for a specced-up 6497-2 variant, whose working frequency is higher (3Hz).

Final thoughts

Crafted in 917 pieces as stated above, the new Hamilton RailRoad Pocket Watch retails for € 1,495 and comes with a commemorative package including a branded home showcase and a leather pouch plus a chain in steel to secure it to your jacket or trousers and easily safely check it once on the go.

I like the project and believe that reissuing a pocket watch with such pedigree is attractive; here is a true homage to the golden American pocket watch era. I hope this is not a one-off project but the kick-off of a new product range.

From the product’s engineering perspective, I’d opt for the “top grade” Unitas movement and accessorize the pocket watch with a modern reissue of the original cigarette-package-shaped box to further add value to the proposition.

(Photo credit: Horbiter®)

Giovanni Di Biase @Horbiter®