Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces

Hong Kong, May 10, 2020

LOT 331

Hamilton - “Electric” “Pacer”; 14K yellow gold

HKD 7,800 - 9,400

USD 1,000 - 1,200 / EUR 950 - 1,100 / CHF 1,000 - 1,200

TO BE SOLD WITHOUT RESERVE

Sold: HKD 11,375

14K yellow gold, asymmetrical triangular-shaped, wristwatch, stylized stepped lugs, with electrically-driven balance and centre-seconds. Case-back engraved “Presented to / H. E. Rennecker / by the / Armstrong Cork Company / Honoring his Attendance / at / Twenty Conventions of / Armstrong Wholesalers / December 7, 1965”.


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Grading System
Grade: A

Good
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3 *
Dial: 3-6-8-01

Good

Slightly oxidized

Slightly scratched

HANDS Original

Brand Hampden Watch Co., Lancaster, Pennsylvania (U.S.A.)

Model “Electric” “Pacer”

Year circa 1960-1965

Case No. R 458 142 (by Star Watch Case Co., Ludington, Michigan, U.S.A.)

Material 14K yellow gold

Bracelet 10K gold filled expansible “Fixo-Flex” or “Twist-O-Flex”-type patented bracelet (by Spiedel, East Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A.)

Length 190 mm. (approx.)

Caliber 505, 12 ½ ‘’’, 12 jewels, 18 000 half-swings of the electrodynamically-driven balance per hour; energy source by battery

Dimensions 45 mm.

Weight 31.8 mm.

Signature dial, case and movement

Accessories copy of invention patent

Notes

Hamilton “Electric” wristwatches
The production of this type of watches start in 1957, with an electrical system patented by Hamilton in the U.S.A. in 1954 and in England in 1955.
The “World’s First Battery Powered Watch” exists in different asymmetrical shaped, square, triangular or round, including the famous “Ventura”, “Pacer”, “Polaris, “Spectra”, “Pegasus”, “Altair”, “Van Horn”, etc., models.
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On January 3, 1957, at the Savoy Plaza Hotel in New York City, Hamilton held an elaborate press conference where there were over 120 reporters in attendance to launch the watch. The press release was published in over 500 newspapers across the country. Radio and magazine advertisements followed with futuristic themes, and specialized displays were sent to Hamilton retailers to tout the new invention. The future was here, and Hamilton wanted to stake it's claim in ushering it in.The Electric team realized that the exterior housing this revolutionary movement should look as modern and futuristic as the movement. They hired a well-known automotive designer, Richard Arbib, to design cases that would reflect Hamilton's forward-thinking vision.
Source
Rondeau, René, The Watch of the Future, The Story of the Hamilton Electric Watch, 4th revised edition (256 pp.).

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Bracelet based on the American invention patent No. 2 689 450, delivered on September 21, 1954, to Karl Emil Stiegele, Huchenfeld, near Pforzheim, Baden (Germany), for a “Expansible bracelet”.