Gear Patrol

To the casual observer, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with its tidy towns and the waft of manure from plowed fields on the spring breeze, is a far cry from the vaunted watchmaking regions of Europe. But there are similarities between this rolling farmland and the mountain valleys of Switzerland and Germany: a history of rural isolation, strong Puritan work ethic, cold winters, and a history of fine timepieces. Lancaster was home to the Hamilton Watch Company from 1892 until the mid-1980s and was, at one time, producer of some of the finest timepieces in the world. Today it is still a treasure trove of American watchmaking.

The history of maritime exploration and discovery would read a lot differently without the advent of the marine chronometer. Prior to its development, ships hung close to familiar coastlines; when they ventured further out to sea, sailors had to rely on celestial navigation and plain dumb luck to get where they wanted without crashing on…

Just in time for their 120th anniversary, Hamilton has added a new flagship to the Aviation line of Khaki watches, the X-Patrol, and it represents a terrific value in fully-featured mechanical pilot’s watches. To this end, the X-Patrol features a functional computational bezel that allows would-be Lindberghs to calculate on-the-fly metric conversions for miles to…

Reaching down to deploy the cupholder, you glance through your aviators at the chunky pilot’s watch on your wrist. You’re good for an on-time arrival. Suddenly, you spy a minivan bearing down on you at four o’clock so you quickly disable cruise control and switch into manual mode as you approach your exit. This is…

The follow-up to our last Timekeeping feature (The Dive Watch, Deconstructed), Jason Heaton delves into the hallowed world of the Chronograph. There is no other type of watch that requires as much interaction from its wearer as the chronograph. Even at rest a chronograph dutifully waits, its sweep hand standing still, alert and vertical, inviting…

Sometimes retro goes bad. Like Hasselhoff. Then there’s just plain classic. Case in point, the Hamilton Pan-Europ tribute watch. Based on the original watch from 1971, this reiteration carries forward the classic blue chronograph dial and position six date window, and it just plain looks good. Founded in 1892 in Pennsylvania, this now Swiss brand…

The dapper gent behind Sartorially Inclined has brought to our attention Hamilton’s decision to release a collection of 1883 pockets squares. Cut from their high quality made to order material, the unique styles are priced between $35-$45. Unfortunately they aren’t up for sale just yet via their online store, but if the sight of a…

By Brian Huang and Gear Patrol Reader Ty Alley: We at Gear Patrol love watches. There’s no doubt that we have a fascination with timepieces here. While we enjoy talking about and introducing you to all manner of watches, we realize that not everyone understands the terminology involved. Similar to how we introduced you to…

American Design. Swiss Engineering. Killer Price. The Hamilton Jazzmaster Power Reserve, as shown here on my desk at the GP office. Between the double-digit crew here at Gear Patrol, there are tens of thousands of dollars worth of time pieces between us. Yet, lately I find myself appreciating well-priced goods and gear out there. You…