Here is an elegant ultra-thin Hamilton Sea Guard watch from the late 1960s. The dial is beautifully finished with a silver concentric dial and applied dauphine hour indices on a copper outer track. The watch wears very thin on the wrist—the case is only 5mm thick sans the domed acrylic crystal. Paired here on a warm brown strap, this piece is classic, dressy, and quietly distinctive.
| Attributes | Value |
|---|---|
| Model / Reference |
Hamilton Sea Guard |
| Movement |
Hamilton ultra-thin manual wind |
| Approximate Age |
1960s |
| Case Size |
33mm |
| Case Material |
Stainless steel |
| Dial / Hands |
Silver concentric engine-turned, gold outer chapter ring, dauphine steel hands, unlumed |
| Strap / Bracelet |
Aftermarket brown leather |
Movement is running. Case is in great condition with no signs of polish. Lugs edges are sharp and well defined.
Hamilton was founded in 1892 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, building its reputation on highly-precise timekeeping through railroad-grade pocket watches that helped keep America’s rapidly expanding rail system running safely. That reputation soon carried into military use: during World War I and II, Hamilton supplied precision wristwatches, chronometers, and timing instruments to U.S. forces, even halting civilian production during WWII to meet military demand. These wartime watches, often known as “campaign watches” or “trench watches” helped accelerate the shift from pocket watches to wristwatches and cemented Hamilton as a name associated with reliability under pressure.
In the postwar decades, Hamilton pushed into innovation and design, introducing the Ventura in 1957—the world’s first electric watch, later made famous by Elvis Presley—and contributing to early automatic chronograph and micro-rotor movements through its partnership with Buren. After moving production to Switzerland and joining what is now the Swatch Group during the quartz era, Hamilton evolved into a Swiss-made brand with strong American roots. Today, collections like the Khaki Field, Jazzmaster, and cinematic icons such as the Murph reflect Hamilton’s focus on functional design, practical precision, and accessible mechanical watchmaking.