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By Joel Pynson and Sebastien Chaulmontet
The American brand's flagship model was then called Fontainebleau. A beautiful château well worth another visit.
Today's collector's Hamilton chronographs are undoubtedly paying the price for less effective communication at the time of their launch. Whereas Jack Heuer successfully associated his brand and models with the world of motor racing, and Willy Breitling his with the world of aeronautics, Hamilton was unable, or unwilling, to associate his with a particular universe.
Today, Hamilton chronographs, and the Fontainebleau in particular, have only their design and technical qualities to offer. And the Fontainebleau's technical qualities are no mean feat.
First and foremost, its caliber. Equipped at launch with the Chronomatic 11 caliber, the Fontainebleau was one of the very first models presented at the Chronomatic launch in March 1969.
Patent for the Fontainebleau model case, filed by Hamilton on March 9, 1966
Secondly, its water-resistant “square-camber” (carré-cambré) case, which links it to the legendary Monaco by Heuer, whose square-shaped case was produced by Piquerez S.A. in Bassecourt, making it the second water-resistant chronograph with such a case.
The Fontainebleau's distinctive case was an original Hamilton creation, patented in 1968 by Ulrich Nydegger.
Hamilton Fontainebleau chronograph, circa 1970. Chronomatic 11 caliber
The dial, which is of the “panda” type (grey or white dial and black counters), has retained the sobriety of the dials of the early 60s. Unlike many chronographs equipped with the Chronomatic caliber, which prefigured the 70s design, there's nothing flashy or exuberant about it. Three colors suffice for the dial and hands: black (actually deep blue for the hands), gray and white. This sobriety contrasts with the avant-garde shape of the case, allowing it to express itself fully.
In addition to the usual round dial, this shape gives the watch an asymmetrical flange with large applied hour-markers to great effect.
Advertisement for the 1969 Hamilton Fontainebleau chronograph. The hands shown on this model are not those of the final model.
A mystery remains, however, concerning the hands of the Fontainebleau chronograph. When it was presented to the press in March 1969, the prototype featured fine hands decorated with a luminescent rectangle (also known as “paddle hands”). Today's models, however, all have fairly large, finely-ribbed, blue-black hands. Did models with thin hands ever exist? Or were they prototype hands that were ultimately not selected, as was the case with the first El Primero presented in January 1969?
The final hands of the Fontainebleau model have a typical striated appearance.
The Fontainebleau's generous dimensions and quality craftsmanship predestine it for everyday wear. Examples in good condition are not rare, and prices have remained very reasonable.
Maintenance is fairly easy, and Chronomatic caliber parts are fairly frequent. The only problematic point is the replacement of the hesalite crystal, whose unique shape only allows the use of an original crystal. A brief search on eBay, however, reveals a number of Fontainebleau cases for sale. This will delight the enthusiast looking for spare parts, but unfortunately also demonstrates the “destruction” to which the Fontainebleau is often subjected due to its Chronomatic caliber.
Over the years, the Fontainebleau has become a much sought-after “movement donor” due to its attractive price. However, this beautiful watch deserves better than to be dissected by counterfeiters in search of easy money.
Fontainebleau chronograph marketed by Jaquet+Girard, circa 1972. Courtesy Marcel Reiter.
It should be noted that the Fontainebleau model was also marketed under other brands, including Jaquet-Girard and Lanco. It is not clear why other brands were able to sell this model under their own names. Probably the Hamilton debacle and the model's very short effective time on the market left behind a vast stock of unsold components that had to be disposed of. Any third-party buyer was therefore welcome. This would also explain why so many Hamilton Fontainebleau models in NOS condition are still on the market today. It's a safe bet that they weren't assembled and sold until well after the model's official marketing had come to an end.
Finally, for those who are attracted by the Fontainebleau's design but don't necessarily wish to wear an imposing chronograph, you should know that, unlike Heuer's Monaco, the Fontainebleau model has also been available in various versions with three single hands, for both men and women.
Hamilton and Europe: the fall of an American giant
Founded in Lancaster in 1892, at the height of railroad watch glory, and owner of the Illinois Watch Co. since 1927, Hamilton Watch Co. was a flagship of American watchmaking. The quality and precision of Hamilton watches were widely recognized in the United States, including and especially by the U.S. Army, which placed considerable orders during the 2nd World War: during this period, Hamilton manufactured up to 500 marine chronometers per day!
After 10 years of research, Hamilton launched the first electric wristwatch in 1957. Presented as the watch of the future, its launch was accompanied by a vast expansion program for Hamilton, which decided to go beyond American borders to conquer the world. The first target was Europe, and what could be more significant for a foreign watch manufacturer than to set up shop in Switzerland? This was achieved in 1959 with the purchase of the venerable A. Huguenin Fils SA watch factory in Bienne. This company, which had celebrated its centenary in 1957, had excellent industrial facilities and a sales network in Europe, the United States and South America.
In 1962, Hamilton opened branches in England, Belgium and Japan, and launched models combining Swiss technology and American design: the Elipsa in 1962, the Pan-Europ and Estoril in 1963, two names that signaled the brand's European ambitions. Finally, in 1966, it took over the famous Büren Watch Co. in Bienne. Unlike Huguenin, Büren is a manufacture, producing its own movements and specializing in automatic watches. In particular, it was Hans Kocher at Büren who invented the automatic watch with a micro-rotor housed in the movement, launched in 1957, enabling the production of ultra-slim automatic watches. The patent was licensed to prestigious brands such as Universal and Piaget. And at the time of the takeover, Büren was working with Dubois Dépraz on a closely guarded project: the Chronomatic caliber.
Calibre Chronomatic 11. The lower part, comprising the automatic movement, was manufactured by Büren/Hamilton. The upper part, the modular chronograph, was manufactured by Dubois, Dépraz. The whole unit was assembled by Dubois, Dépraz at Le Lieu in the Vallée de Joux.
And so it was that Hamilton helped launch the first automatic micro-rotor chronograph. It's sometimes forgotten, but in March 1969, alongside Willy Breitling and Jack Heuer was Robert Kocher, Vice President of Hamilton International.
Three Chronomatic models were offered by Hamilton at the launch: two with classic round cases (one with a blue dial and one with a panda dial) and a chronograph with a unique case: the Fontainebleau, named after a collection of automatic watches that Hamilton had launched in 1968.
Hamilton's creativity then accelerated sharply to the point of frenzy: a new line of avant-garde watches in 1970, Odyssée 2001, quartz watches with digital displays the same year, the Pulsar, in collaboration with Dallas-based Electro-Data Co., priced at an astronomical $1,500 for the time, and a superb GMT version of the Chronomatic in 1971, the famous Count-Down.
Hamilton Count-Down Chronograph with GMT function, circa 1971. Chronomatic 14 caliber
But the financial situation became brutally catastrophic: from $42.5 million in 1969, sales fell to just $26.7 million the following year. The U.S. Army reduced its orders, the economic recession didn't help matters, and investments proved far too heavy. Funds had to be found quickly.
The Société Suisse pour l'Industrie Horlogère (SSIH, which includes the Omega, Tissot and Lemania brands) provided the funds, taking control of Hamilton via its US subsidiary Aetos in November 1971.
This marked the end of the Chronomatic movement, whose components from Büren were discontinued, and the beginning of Hamilton's now 100% Swiss history.
Note: Huguenin produced Hamilton watches in Switzerland and also marketed watches, identical to Hamilton's, under its own name. Huguenin Estoril watches are identical to Hamilton Estoril watches.
Bought out by Hamilton in 1959, Huguenin of Biel manufactured Hamilton watches and marketed some under its own name.
Sources : Revue Internationale de l'Horlogerie : 1957 ; Journal Suisse d'Horlogerie : 1962 à 1975 ; Michael C. Harrold, American Watchmaking, a supplement to the Bulletin of the NAWCC, 1984 ; Alfred Golay et Gérald Dubois, Dubois-Dépraz, 90 années d’horlogerie compliquée, Editions Dubois-Dépraz, 1991
The English version of this article was first published by Monochrome Watches, whom we would like to thank.