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Description Notes
The Hamilton Wrist Watch
for Men
The 983 Hamilton Wrist
Watch for Men did not appear in any Hamilton catalogs.
There are however, Hamilton archives that describe the
sales and marketing of this wristwatch and it is in
fact, Hamilton's very first men's wristwatch made.
Production Info |
Comments
_____________________________
Production
Date: 1917 - 1919
Price When New: $35.00
Case: Silver
Case Manufacturer: Fahys
Production for this Variation:
652
Movement:
983 - 17-jewel
Movement
(981
0-Sized Cushion in 14K Yellow Gold)
___________________________
Comments:
This "wire lugged" 0-sized Wristwatch is the first of three distinct
"cushion" designs - the second being the "Round Form" cushion
introduced in 1922 and the third being the "Form Opening" cushion
introduced in 1926.
Of the three cushion shaped designs,
this "wire lugged" example is Hamilton's first wristwatch
manufactured specifically for men.
When introduced in 1917, the wearing
of wrist watches by women was significantly more common than the
wearing of wrist watches by men - proper men wore pocket watches as
watches worn on the wrist were considered to be feminine. In an
effort to promote the masculinity of wearing a watch on the wrist,
Hamilton specifically marketed the No. 983 Cushion to "soldiers"
entering the war.
The 983 “Gents Wrist Watch” model was
cased at the Hamilton factory in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in sterling
silver 0-size cases. Hamilton produced a total of 652 silver Cushion
examples of the 17-jewel grade 983 “Gents Wrist Watch."
The 983 0-sized wristwatch was the first
"wrist watch for men" that was advertised in a Hamilton Catalog and
is a rare and historically significant timepiece.
This model was one of six
geometrically shaped wristwatches that were popular up
until the late 1920's. Hamilton's
"Geometric" offerings
spanned ten years - beginning in 1917 with the
0-sized Cushion and ending in 1927 with the Oval.
Included in the geometric models are the Cushion
(0-sized, Cushion Round and Cushion Form Opening), the
Square, Barrel, Tonneau, Rectangular, and Oval.
