Imported Parts - Part Number Assignment Book, 1951 - 1966

File — Box: Letter, Box: 34, Folder: 4

Staff Only

The collection primarily consists of blueprints, reports, correspondence, photographs, and memos that pertain to the research, development, design, manufacture, and distribution of products created at Hamilton. The materials reflect the company’s early reputation for timekeeping accuracy, followed by their expansion into the production of marine chronometers, military instruments, and metals manufacturing. Blueprints and drawings depict various mechanisms, parts, machines, and tools used in watches and manufacturing. Reports predominantly address research and test results. Photographs document technical facets of Hamilton’s operation, such as labs and equipment, while others show employees and their working environments. The core of the collection is bookended by records that trace the establishment and eventual sale of the company and its facilities approximately a century later. This includes maps, deeds, and certificates for the purchase, sale, and transfer of stocks and property associated with the companies and landowners that preceded Hamilton’s establishment in 1892. While American manufacture ended in 1969, Hamilton’s subsidiaries continued operation; therefore, materials they created are included in this collection. Contrasting these records are research notes from Don Sauers, author of “Time For America,” advertisements, and newspaper clippings, which document the sale of the company and subsequent conversion of its factory into an apartment complex in 1983.