Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Hamilton GI Watch - May 1985
- Maker / attribution
- Hamilton (maker)
- Date
- 1985
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Stock no.
- Product 1058223169
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (product 1058223169)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Hamilton GI Watch - May 1985 (English)
Editor's note
The dealer's brand field named another maker; the dealer's own listing title identifies the watch as Hamilton.View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number Product 1058223169), this is a wristwatch by Hamilton, made in Switzerland, dated 1985. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Analog/Shift
You can't get much more iconic than the General Issue, or "GI" wristwatch. Produced since the 1960s, these simple spec. watches were fashioned by a handful of American manufacturers for American servicemen. Many of these timepieces were used extensively - forged in the infernos by the heroes that wore them. Sometimes, a like-new version surfaces, pulled from a footlocker or a forgotten cache, and is brought back into action. That is exactly what we have here. This watch, from 1985, features luminous paints on the dial and hands, and fixed spring bars. While Timex was producing these same MIL-W watches in plastic cases, Hamilton, who had been among the first to win the military contract in 1964, continued to fashion theirs from corrosion-resistant steel. With a simple 17-jewel manual-wind movement and the spartan military styling, these timekeepers are the perfect companions for everything from everyday wear to fighting battles in dank jungles.
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
Related records
Pocket Watches · c. 1943
Hamilton 4992B, GCT Navigation U.S Air Force, c. 1943
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1940s
Hamilton Bomb Timer, c. 1940s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · originally sold in February 2025 (per the lot record)
Hamilton wristwatch, ref. H51606640, American Classic Chrono-Matic 50 Limited Edition, originally sold in February 2025 (per the lot record)
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1940s
Hamilton wristwatch, Bomb Timer Watch, circa 1940's
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · 1970
Wristwatch by Heno, Switzerland, 1970
Museum Rotterdam
Wristwatches · 1960–1986
'Tri-Compax' calendar chronograph wristwatch in gold case, by Universal, Geneva, Switzerland, 1960–1986.
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · 1969–1970
Beta 21 Quartz wristwatch movement, made in Switzerland, 1970.
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · c. 1969
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, ref. 145022-69st, c. 1969
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva