Hamilton H3 Military with Provenance Letter — view 1 of 6 — View 1 of 6 · Image: Collectors Corner NY · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 6 · Image: Collectors Corner NY · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Hamilton H3 Military with Provenance Letter

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.

Maker / attribution: Hamilton (maker)
Date: c. 1980s
Historical period: Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Country of origin: Switzerland
Object type: Wristwatch
Dealer: Collectors Corner NY (dealer), New York
Stock no.: Product 9679470002452
Credit line: Dealer listing, Collectors Corner NY (product 9679470002452)
Catalogue title (original): Hamilton H3 Military w/Provenance Letter (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Collectors Corner NY (dealer), New York (stock number Product 9679470002452), this is a wristwatch by Hamilton, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1980s. 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 — Collectors Corner NY

Hamilton was founded in 1892 in Lancaster, PA and today remains one of the most important watch brands with American roots. Many collectors would consider their military contracts a crucial aspect of their success and relevance having provided "GI" (general issue) models for the U.S. and other countries, notably for the Vietnam and Gulf War. This "Type B" example, circa 1980s is one of their best known variants and comes from an Army veteran. This piece saw time in action in multiple countries and even comes with a letter of provenance from its owner. Of course military time is displayed on the dial but this model is memorable for its "H3" and radiation symbol. This is commonly mistaken for the use of radium lume, however it was simply denoting tritium which has an extremely faint hint of radiation. The military showed this on the dial as well as on their issued boxes for disposal. This piece remains in excellent vintage condition with a nicely patina'd dial/hands. It is rare for us to come across military watches with proven provenance such as this and we believe this is an excellent value offering great history and character.

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 timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

Atlas type guide

Military, pilot and travel watches

The wristwatch owes much of its adoption by men to warfare and aviation. Wristlets — small pocket watches soldered with lugs and worn on a strap — were used in colonial campaigns and became standard equipment in the First World War, with protective grilles over the crystal ('shrapnel guards'). Louis Cartier's Santos (1904), designed for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, is often cited as an early purpose-made pilot's watch.

In the Second World War governments specified watches in detail: the German B-Uhr observation watches, the American A-11, and the British 'W.W.W.' (the 'Dirty Dozen' set of 1945). After the war, jet travel brought GMT and world-time watches, which show two or more time zones at once — Louis Cottier's world-time mechanism and the Rolex GMT-Master (1955) are examples.

What to look for

Military markings on the case back: broad arrow, issue numbers, 'W.W.W.', 'A.T.P.'
High-legibility black dials with luminous Arabic numerals; oversized crowns for gloved hands.
24-hour hands and rotating 24-hour bezels or city rings on GMT/world-time watches.
Wire lugs on early wristlets converted from pocket watches.

Dating clues

Wire-lug wristlets: c. 1900–1925.
Military specifications of the Second World War: 1939–1945.
GMT and world-time wristwatches: mainly after 1950.

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.

Mechanisms mentioned

No escapement or complication is named in the source record. See the encyclopedia for how such pieces work.

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryRecorded
MaterialsNot in source
DimensionsNot in source
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

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Sources & image rights

Record source: Collectors Corner NY (dealer), New York (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Collectors Corner NY — dealer photographs; permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"Hamilton H3 Military with Provenance Letter." Collectors Corner NY (dealer), New York, Product 9679470002452. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/hamilton-h3-military-with-provenance-letter-3c8114.