Hamilton Jazzmaster

Hamilton is a luxury watch manufacturer located in Biel, Switzerland. Its history stretches back to 1892, when the company was founded in Lancaster, PA. At the time, they specialized in creating watches for railroad workers.

The Jazzmaster collection has been a staple in the Hamilton catalog for many years. It is home to a vast array of men's and women's watches with sizes ranging from 27 to 46 mm in diameter. Hamilton crafts these timepieces out of stainless steel, including several models with complete or partial gold plating. The modern collection consists of ten sub-collections, the most famous of which are the Viewmatic, Day Date, and Seaview.

The watches have classic designs and are available in various color and band combinations. The main feature of the Day Date series is the presence of a day display below 12 o'clock. For something with a bit more flair, there's the Viewmatic Skeleton Gent Auto. This timepiece's skeletonized dial provides a view of the movement's escapement, mainspring, and barrel. Finally, the Seaview is a line of men's and women's diving watches available with different dial colors.

The Regulator and Open Heart boast even bolder designs. As their name implies, Regulator watches come with an automatic regulator movement that displays the hours and minutes separately on the dial. On the other hand, Open Heart watches feature an exposed balance visible through a cutout in the dial. Once again, there are plenty of options for both men and women.

Hamilton equips these timepieces with movements from ETA SA (Manufacture Horlogère Suisse), a fellow member of the Swatch Group. You can choose between quartz and automatic timepieces. Hamilton also modifies and renames select automatic movements.

The Jazzmaster Viewmatic series is comprised of three-hand men's and women's watches. They are available in three sizes – 34, 40, and 44 mm – and each timepiece contains an automatic caliber. The 40-mm ref. H32515155 is a great example of a men's model. It has a stainless steel case and bracelet and is water resistant to 50 m (5 bar, 164 ft). The center of the silver dial features guilloché engraving. Arabic numerals mark the hours at 6, 9, and 12 o'clock, with teardrop-shaped indices representing the other hours.

The caliber H-10 powers this watch. It comes with central hands for the hours, minutes, and seconds, as well as a date display at 3 o'clock. This movement ticks at a rate of 21,600 alternations per hour (A/h) and has an 80-hour power reserve. Hamilton pairs the watch with a stainless steel bracelet with a folding clasp. This model sells for about 600 USD on Chrono24. Hamilton lists the same watch for 775 USD.

If you like the Viewmatic's overall design, but would prefer a larger case, black dial, and leather strap, the ref. H32715531 is the right watch for you. At 44 mm in diameter, it is best suited to more sizable wrists. Its deep black dial features a beautiful sunburst pattern and 12 teardrop-shaped indices. Like its smaller sister model, it also uses the caliber H-10 with a central set of three hands. A brown calf leather strap completes the look. You can purchase this timepiece for around 650 USD new and 490 USD pre-owned.

Women's Viewmatic Watches

Women's Jazzmaster watches come in stainless steel cases and measure 34 mm in diameter. The ref. H32335971 is a particularly refined example with its rose gold-plated case. Rose gold hands and indices complement the brown sunburst dial, adding to this timepiece's overall elegant aesthetic. The automatic caliber H-10 ticks away inside the case. This Jazzmaster is worn on a brown calf leather strap with a synthetic leather lining and a pin buckle. Mint-condition models change hands for roughly 760 USD on Chrono24.

You'll find a selection of chronographs with blue, black, or silver dials in the Jazzmaster Maestro collection. There's also the Maestro Small Seconds. This three-hand watch has a black dial and a small seconds subdial at 6 o'clock. While the chronographs are available with a 41 or 45-mm case, all Small Seconds watches are 40 mm in diameter. Each chronograph houses the caliber H-21 within its stainless steel case. This movement is a slightly modified version of the legendary ETA Valjoux 7750. On the other hand, the Small Seconds gets its power from the ETA 2895-2.

Maestro chronographs have central hands for the hours, minutes, and chronograph seconds. They also all feature a date display at 3 o'clock and a 60-hour power reserve. Those with a 45-mm case feature subdials at 6, 9, and 12 o'clock, while the 41-mm editions lack a small seconds and only have subdials at 6 and 12. The water resistance varies by reference number and is either 50 m (5 bar, 164 ft) or 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft). The Maestro Chrono ref. H32716839 is one of the 45-mm models. Applied Arabic numerals mark the hours on its black dial. White luminous material fills the silver-colored hands and indices. A 60-minute scale runs around the dial's outer edge. Hamilton pairs this watch with a black calf leather strap with a crocodile motif and pin buckle. Prices for a never-worn watch sit around 1,400 USD. At about 760 USD, pre-owned models are much more affordable.

If you'd prefer a blue dial and stainless steel bracelet, you should take a closer look at the ref. H32766143. From a technical perspective, it is identical to its counterpart with a black dial. This version costs some 1,300 USD new. Hamilton offers this watch on their website for 1,895 USD. A third option features a silver dial with rose gold applied indices. It also comes on a stainless steel bracelet and demands roughly 1,500 USD in mint condition.

41-mm Maestro Chronographs

Those with more modest tastes may favor the 41-mm versions of the Jazzmaster Maestro Chrono. In terms of design and technology, these watches are no different than the 45-mm models. They come with your choice of a black, blue, or silver dial. You can also choose between a stainless steel bracelet or leather strap. The ref. H32576641 has a blue dial and matching blue calf leather strap. It changes hands for about 1,100 USD on Chrono24 and has an official list price of 1,745 USD. Watches with a different dial color require an investment of approximately 1,200 USD.

Hamilton also produces Jazzmasters for fans of diving watches. These timepieces belong to the Seaview series. Options include three-hand men's watches that measure 42 mm in diameter. You'll find both quartz and automatic versions. While the quartz-powered editions are available with a black or blue dial, automatic timepieces exclusively feature black dials. Hamilton also manufactures two 37-mm women's models: one with a black dial, the other with a blue dial. Two 44-mm quartz-powered chronographs round out the Seaview series.

The ref. H37565131 is an automatic men's watch. Luminous silver indices sit atop its black dial. Like any good diving watch, there's also a diving bezel for tracking dive times. This Seaview is powered by the caliber H-30, which comes with a central set of three hands, as well as a day-date display at 3 o'clock. Hamilton mounts the case on a stainless steel bracelet. You can call a new timepiece your own for around 760 USD. Pre-owned versions demand as little as 540 USD. The women's ref. H37411111 features a silver dial. It has an official list price of 595 USD, while never-worn models cost roughly 490 USD on Chrono24.

One example of a Hamilton movement is the caliber H-12. It is based on the ETA 2825-2, which Hamilton reconstructs into a regulator movement. Then there's the H-31, a modified version of the ETA Valjoux 7753. Hamilton adapts the base movement, improving its power reserve from 42 to 60 hours. The three-hand caliber H-10 begins life as the ETA C07.111 and has an 80-hour power reserve. The H-41 is yet another interesting movement. It is a heavily altered version of the ETA Valjoux 7755 and appears in the flippable Jazzmaster Face to Face II. This unique timepiece is limited to a run of 1,999 pieces.