In the early ’70s, the company still produced watches made in Switzerland for various military contracts, and this Hamilton is one produced for Britain’s Royal Air Force.
Steel, waterproof, two-register chronograph issued in 1970. The watch has a heavy, asymmetric case with recessed winder, fixed bars, heavy screw back, and round waterproof pushers. The rear of the case has the British broad arrow and the issue numbers, showing it was issued in 1970.
The watch features a gloss black dial with outer minute track and two subsidiary dials at three and nine, with the continuous seconds at nine and the thirty-minute register at three. There are large Arabic sic and twelve numerals in heavy luminous, while the rest of the numbers are smaller Arabic in white paint. The hands are white paint pencil style with large luminous inserts, and the sweep center seconds is also painted white. The dial is signed “Hamilton” and has the broad arrow (UK government property) mark and the circled “T” (signifying the use ot tritium) on the dial. The watch is powered by a seventeen-jewel ETA 7733 movement with Incabloc shock protection; the movement is signed “Hamilton” on the main bridge. The watch was a product of the Swiss Hamilton company after its purchase by SMH and is not an American Hamilton. Several makers who produced chronographs for the British and Commonwealth Armed Forces have used this style of case, but the Hamilton is by far the most desirable of them. (Other makes include Newmark, CWC, and Precista.)
Alistar Gibbons Book – Chasing Time
