Swatch Group’s Hamilton Watch Comes Home To Lancaster, PA With Its First U.S. Store

Swatch Group conscionable opened its first Hamilton Watch shop successful nan U.S. It’s located successful Lancaster, PA wherever nan marque sewage started successful 1892. It’s a invited homecoming, since galore locals grew up arsenic members of nan extended Hamilton Watch Company family until it closed its manufacturing works location successful 1969.

Since then, Hamilton watches person been made successful Switzerland and nan marque was acquired by nan institution that would yet go nan Swatch Group successful 1974.

Hamilton sits alongside of specified bequest brands arsenic Omega, Longines, Tissot, Rado, Breguet and Harry Winston successful nan $9.1 cardinal (CHF 7.9 billion) Swatch Group portfolio successful its mid-price range, i.e. accessible luxury.

Lancaster is located an hour-plus from Philadelphia and has a shadiness complete a half-million region residents, truthful it’s hardly a unit hotbed, though nan F.W. Woolworth Company sewage its commencement location successful 1879 and it’s wherever Milton Hershey opened his caramel candy institution that would yet go nan cocoa candy powerhouse it is coming successful 1886.

Yet Lancaster County is simply a celebrated tourer destination, welcoming immoderate 10 cardinal visitors each year. It’s a virtual clip instrumentality wherever group tin acquisition 19th Century America pinch horse-and-buggy Amish and Mennonite folks arsenic their guide.

Challenging nan accepted “Location, Location, Location” norm successful retail, Hamilton Watch went pinch “Legacy, Legacy, Legacy” alternatively successful choosing Lancaster for its first U.S. store.

“If this was astir becoming a shopping destination for nan brand, you would not commencement pinch Lancaster. You’d commencement successful New York aliases Los Angeles aliases different large city,” Hamilton CEO Vivian Stauffer shared pinch me. “But that’s nan beauty of this, getting backmost to nan roots of this iconic American brand.”

Legacy Brand

Hamilton Watch’s homecoming is each astir bequest – nary luxury marque should beryllium without it – and nan Hamilton brand is loaded pinch it. Back successful its early days, Hamilton Watch became nan charismatic “Watch of Railroad Accuracy” and it evolved to beryllium nan preferred watch for pilots arsenic nan aviation manufacture took off. Hamilton joined nan U.S. Armed Forces successful World War II to support nan subject moving connected time.

And Hamilton watches person agelong been a staple for Hollywood moviemakers, appearing successful complete 500 films and tv shows. The unique triangular-shaped Ventura watch was Elvis Presley’s favourite that he wore successful Blue Hawaii. The Men successful Black stars wore it too.

Hamilton was nan watch of prime for nan futuristic 2001: A Space Odyssey and Interstellar movies. And turning retro, it is nan watch that Harrison Ford wore successful nan last installment of nan Indiana Jones franchise, Indiana Jones and nan Dial of Destiny.

Legacy Location

Swiss-native Stauffer sewage his commencement pinch Swatch Group successful 2002 and steadily climbed nan firm ladder until being appointed Hamilton CEO successful 2020.

The first overseas travel he took aft pandemic recreation restrictions were eased was to Lancaster to study nan history of nan marque and sojourn nan close-by National Watch and Clock Museum wherever nan Hamilton Watch Company archives are held.

He besides met pinch section jewelry retailer Brent L. Miller Jewelers & Goldsmiths, 1 of Hamilton’s premiere unit partners, that owns nan historical Bowman Technical School building wherever nan creation of watchmaking was taught since nan precocious 19th period until its closing a small complete a period later.

It now houses nan Hamilton Watch shop pinch galore of its original historical fixtures refurbished and intact.

“This came together beautiful quickly,” Ryan Miller, boy of laminitis Brent L. Miller and now president of nan company, shared pinch nan section LNP newspaper. “We’ve been collaborated pinch Hamilton for galore years and person a beardown relationship. They’re willing successful Lancaster, and that liking has continued to turn successful caller years and led to this.”

From nan Hamilton firm side, Stauffer said this was a lucifer destined to be. “Nothing happened by chance. We’re an American marque and group person a very beardown affectional necktie to it. Our American customers are very proud of what we’ve done successful nan past and they merit that we springiness thing backmost arsenic well.”

Building On The Legacy

Hamilton Watch marque has upwind astatine its backmost arsenic it digs into its storied history to powerfulness nan marque forward. Stauffer explained that each of nan 16 watch and jewelry brands successful Swatch Group’s portfolio is responsible for building its ain personality wrong its value segment.

His superior work is to move nan Hamilton bequest into dollars, but nan marque runs pinch a beautiful accelerated crowd. For example, successful nan latest net call, Hamilton didn’t get a mention.

Hamilton shares nan Middle Range pinch Balmain, Certina, Mido and Tissot, which is simply a measurement supra nan popular-priced Basic Range of Swatch and Flik Flak.

Above Hamilton’s Middle Range is nan High Range pinch Longines, Rado and Union Glashütte and supra that is nan Prestige and Luxury Range headlined by Blancpain, Breguet, Glashütte Original, Harry Winston, Jaquet Droz, Léon Hatot and Omega.

Swatch Group doesn’t study revenues by marque aliases by value conception but it came disconnected a beardown fiscal 2023 pinch Watches & Jewelry up 5.6%.

However, it deed a speedbump done nan first half of 2024 pinch revenues down 14% owed to a crisp driblet successful luxury request successful China. On nan different hand, nan Swatch marque sewage a 10% a boost location arsenic Chinese consumers pulled backmost to its much affordable offerings.

For Hamilton, nan U.S. is its largest marketplace and until now, it’s only been distributed done 400 aliases truthful American unit partners, including jewelers and section stores. However, Hamilton operates flagship stores successful Switzerland, Japan and Hong Kong.

“Not everything is astir making money,” Stauffer humbly concluded. “It’s important for nan marque to beryllium really authentic and that is what being successful Lancaster is about. The emotions astir Hamilton really touched maine successful 2020 erstwhile I tin present and I deliberation we person a batch to study astir that emotion and nan marque by being here.”

Full Disclosure: My family’s made our location successful nan workplace fields of Lancaster County since 1992. If you visit, beryllium judge to pronounce it correctly. It’s “LANC-aster” pinch nan accent connected nan first syllable not “Lan-CAST-er” arsenic outsiders are prone to say. And they are nan “Ah-mish” not “A-mish.”