http://www.watchonista.com/2914/watchonista-blog/news/hamilton-ventura-electrical-evolution-%E2%80%93-part-1 HAMILTON VENTURA: THE ELECTRICAL EVOLUTION – PART 1
Sep. 11, 2015 - 916 reads
On January 3 in 1957, Hamilton Watch Company revolutionized the watchmaking sector with the introduction of the Ventura, the world’s first electrical watch. At the time the piece was futuristic, today it is an icon.
Rémy Solnon Watchonista's Contributor An unprecedented technological innovation as a result of ten years of research, the Ventura was the next major evolution after the invention of the mechanical watch. Indeed, it was the first-ever mechanical watch to be fueled by an electrical battery.
Revolutionary mechanism andaesthetics Here it is a button cell battery that supplies energy to the movement, rather than the crown in manual winding pieces or the oscillating mass in automatic watches. The system marked the beginning of a new era for – let’s not forget – only mechanical watches were available at the time. There was no longer need for the tiresome routine of winding watches as the battery supplied the movement with energy for a whole year.
Hamilton pulled this technological feat off after ten years of research, which started in 1946. Named “Project X”, it aimed to develop the first electrical movement and make it reliable. Yet, the Ventura is both technically and aesthetically disruptive; it features a triangular case – a unique shape in watchmaking worldwide at the time.
The Hamilton Ventura
Recollection of the Ventura adventure George Luckey, head of R+D at Hamilton, led the study on a battery-driven mechanical watch in 1946. The introduction of miniature batteries opened the door to miniaturization in several other fields. Two prototypes were designed in 1946 and 1952 respectively. After carrying out multiple tests on them, Hamilton decided to develop the one designed by Phillip E. Biemiller and James H. Reese and named it “Project X”. A team led by John Van Horn was put together to design a wristwatch equipped with a battery that could offer a service life of at least a year.
To develop its electrical caliber, Hamilton produced all the components in-house. At the time, aside from cases, the manufacture produced all the pieces of its watches (movement, dial, hands, and indexes). One of the main difficulties they encountered while developing the electrical caliber was to find an adequate battery for the energy supply of the mechanical movement of a wristwatch. Hamilton found what it was looking for with the help of the National Carbon Company (now Energizer), which created a special battery for the piece. After having produced several prototypes, they released a pre-series model. Electrically driven mechanical movements were born and a reality at last!
Commercial success of the “watch of the future” New York, January 3, 1957. “Watchmaking history’s first electrical watch” is introduced in front of over 120 journalists from the international media at an important press conference at the Savoy Plaza hotel. The “Watch of the Future”, considered as the most important watchmaking innovation in centuries, was the subject of hundreds of articles. At the same time, Hamilton launched the Van Horn, a second electrical model with a more traditional round-shaped case. The advertising campaign of the time focused on the watch’s revolutionary technology and original and futuristic design: “It’s the perfect gift for the man who looks to the future!” Unfortunately, many of the first commercialized watches were returned to Hamilton as they regularly stopped working. The brand had been so eager to commercialize the Ventura after the success of its introduction to the press that it did not take the time to make the H500 movement completely reliable. The introduction of the H505 caliber in 1961 provided a permanent solution to these problems. And despite this, the Ventura was a true commercial hit and more than 11,500 of its models were sold between 1957 and 1963. Just think, a watch that did not need to be wound was state-of-the-art at the time. And wearing such a watch was a sign of trendiness. Hamilton later commercialized other electrical watches such as Pacer, Meteor and Altair. Other Swiss, French, American and Japanese watchmaking brands such as Ebauches SA, Lip, Timex and Tissot, amongst others, also used electrical technology by either developing their own calibers or by producing Hamilton calibers under license.
The Hamilton calibre H500
The arrival of quartz caused a shake up When the Seiko Quartz Astron-35SQ, the first watch with a quartz oscillator, was introduced in 1969, electrical mechanical watches started disappearing. The new-generation watch was battery-driven like the Ventura but was more reliable, precise and robust than a mechanical watch. Hamilton stopped the production of its electrical watches during that year after it had produced over 42,000 pieces. In 1970, the American manufacture, always at the front of innovation, reacted with the launching of the Pulsar that “supersedes the recently revealed electromechanical quartz watch�, as written in the press release published
in the New York Times on May 10, 1970. It was the world’s first watch to be made without any moving component or any hands. But that is another story for another day.
HAMILTON VENTURA: THE ELECTRIC REVOLUTION – PART 2
Sep. 18, 2015 - 820 reads
A revolutionary movement, a conception unprecedented in the annals of horology and featuring in major movies. All the ingredients are there for the history of the first electric watch to have a second life breathed into it.
Rémy Solnon Watchonista's Contributor The Ventura is, before anything else, a revolutionary movement and an unprecedented technical innovation. For the first time in history, a watch was powered by both a mechanical movement and an electric battery.
The Ventura revolution in four movements From 1959, the first electro-mechanical caliber – the H500 – was replaced by the H500A due to some malfunctions. The technology became totally reliable in 1961 with the H505 caliber.
Hamilton H500 Caliber H500 caliber: the first electrical movement. The prototype was slightly improved before being produced in series between 1957 and 1959. It was composed of a button cell supported by a thin metal rod that did not turn out to be solid enough. The battery powered the movement through two metal microscopic threads whose contact points proved to be fragile. H500A caliber: This minor evolution of the H500 caliber appeared in 1959. The improvements only involved the battery fixation, which became more robust, and the addition of rubies to act as shock absorbers. The points of contact between the battery and the movement remained a weakness as they suffered no modifications. H505 caliber: A major progression was made. It was introduced in 1961 and was provisionally named H502. The battery-movement contact points were modified, thus putting an end to the power supply issues of the H500 and the H500A calibers.
H507 calibers: The prototype of this version of the H505 caliber with date display was named H505C. Its production started in 1967, shortly before the Ventura’s production was stopped. Only 25 pieces were produced with this movement.
The Astra Gnome
A daring design inspired from automobiles A revolutionary technique calls for revolutionary design. Unique and futuristic, the design of the first-ever electrical watch is a masterpiece by Richard Arbib, designer at “General Motors” and consultant for Hamilton. He wanted to give a unique appearance to the revolutionary technical watch.
Richard Arbib For the design of the piece he was inspired by the “space-age design” that he had already developed on numerous concept-cars with futuristic lines, typical of the 1950s. These in turn were inspired by the space conquest as well as science fiction movies, in vogue at the time. One of his most impressive prototypes is the “Astra-Gnome” from 1956, which represented his vision of what cars would look like in the year 2000. A clock, specially designed by Hamilton and with the shape of the globe, featured at the center of the dashboard: the “Celestial Time Zone Clock MX-1”. For the Ventura, Richard Arbib adopted the V-shape of the radiator grill of the “AMC Hudson” that he restyled in 1995 to create an asymmetrical case that would become the piece’s visual signature.
Hamilton Ventura Sketch 1956 At first, the case was in 14K yellow gold, with either a silver or black dial and completed by an original dualcolored strap in black leather and a 24K gold applique. This version, however, was only produced during the first four months the Ventura was on the market and is currently the most sought-after piece. Later came other models in yellow gold or white gold (sparsely sold). Versions for export were made in 18K gold to meet the international standards for gold purity.
The 18K yellow gold version was put on the European market from 1958 while the 18K pink gold version (very rare) was commercialized only in the South American market from 1959. The dial was available in white, black or silver. Some versions had diamond indexes (very rare). The center was adorned with a waved line – a symbol of the piece’s electric supply. It displayed hours, minutes and seconds.
The Ventura: a cinema icon Hamilton had bonded solid relationships with the cinema industry since the beginning of the 1950s. Many models had already appeared in successful Hollywood movies. The Ventura watch attained its glory in 1961 when it featured in “Blue Hawaii” on Elvis Presley’s wrist. The movie’s success made the piece a true cinema icon and gave it the nickname “Elvis’ watch”. The piece, worn by “The King” in the movie was bought back in auction by Hamilton in 1999. It is now exhibited in the brand’s museum.
Elvis Presley wearing a Hamilton Ventura The futuristic and unique design of the Ventura is particularly cherished by cinema and TV producers. It appeared notably in the Hit 1960’s series “The Twilight Zone” on the wrist of the presenter of each episode. Its cinema career was revived in 1997 with Barry Sonnenfeld’s “Men in Black” (MIB) in which Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith both wore a Ventura. A quirky designed watch that suited the quirky movie perfectly.
Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith both wore a Ventura in MIB
The Ventura today In 1988, 25 years after production stopped, Hamilton successfully relaunched the Ventura. The new piece was equipped with a “Swiss Made” quartz caliber instead of the electric mechanical movement. Then, over ten years later, in the early 2000s and thanks to the success of “Men in Black”, Hamilton presented a new collection of the iconic Ventura. Its unique design was again well embraced and the watch became once more the brand’s best-selling piece. Numerous versions have been produced since then: automatic and quartz, for gents and ladies, and even with an original chronograph function.
Several commemorative versions have also been created like the “Ventura 50e anniversary” limited edition in 2007, to celebrate the official introduction of the first electrical watch and the “Ventura Elvis Anniversary Edition” in 2010 for Elvis Presley’s 75th birthday. Also, in 2015, the “Ventura Elvis 80” paid tribute again to the King who would have celebrated his 80th birthday on 8th January 2015.
Hamilton Ventura Elvis 80 quartz and automatic Today, the pioneer and revolutionary spirit of the versions produced between 1957 and 1963 make them the most coveted. To have one of the genuine electrical Hamilton Ventura in your collection means possessing a major piece in the vast history of horology. www.hamiltonwatch.com/