Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Hamilton W10 Military Field Watch, Original Military Markings, 1973
- Maker / attribution
- Hamilton (maker)
- Date
- 1973
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 36 mm
- Stock no.
- VWS2862cs
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (VWS2862cs)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Hamilton W10 Military Field Watch - Original Military Markings - 1973 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number VWS2862cs), this is a wristwatch by Hamilton, made in Switzerland, dated 1973. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 36 mm. 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 — Vintage Watch Specialist
1970s Hamilton Field Watch with Case Back Engravings 523-8290 W10-6645-99 21372/73 Manual wound 36mm Stainless Steel Case Hamilton Watch Company has a rich history that dates back to its founding in 1892 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. The company was originally established as the Lancaster Watch Company in 1892. In 1893, it became the Hamilton Watch Company after it was purchased by a group of investors. Hamilton quickly gained a reputation for producing high-quality pocket watches, which were highly sought after in the industry. During World War I, Hamilton played a crucial role by providing precision timepieces to the military. The company transitioned from pocket watches to wristwatches during this period. In World War II, Hamilton became a primary supplier of timepieces to the U.S. military, producing the iconic Hamilton Marine Chronometer and various military watches. What's on Offer This is a super original example of the W10 and in nice condition with a rich black dial, bold Arabic numerals and the very much sought-after pumpkin-coloured lume on the hour plots. The dial is signed Hamilton and marked T for tritium. The military arrow is also present at 6 o'clock which denotes the watch as property of the MoD. The watch bears its original military markings on the caseback which read 523-8290 W10-6645-99 2 1372/73.
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
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.
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