Hello Rhonda,
Thank you for sending your mantel clock into mearto.com for an appraisal.
TITLE:
Walnut, spring driven, eight-day time, strike and quarterly Westminster chiming, mantel clock in the English style, Whitehall model (SOMETIMES CALLED THE WHEATLAND), imported 340-020 Hermle German made movement, made for and sold by Hamilton, headquartered at Lancaster, Pa, circa 1977.
DESCRIPTION:
Case: Size not provided; this is a walnut bracket clock made in the English style with a
A Dore bronze shaped handle above the pediment which is shaped like an inverted bell with four sides. Below is multi-stepped cornice overhanging the main case which is square. The square walnut framed glazed dial door sits below with simple brass pull and foliate ‘C’ scrolls decorating each corner of the frame. A two stepped horizontal moulding leads down to the broad walnut base resting on ogee bracket feet. The sides of the case are marked to be walnut although they appear to be stained oak on your model. The back with rectilinear door for access to the movement compartment is walnut.
Dial: square brass alloy dial plate with round silvered chapter ring having Roman hours, closed minute track with Arabic numerals placed at every five-minute marker along the periphery. There are foliate half hour markers between the hours, the dial center is textured brass filigree and the corner spandrels are silvered foliate chieftain head type.
The hands are steel Chippendale hour hand and a pointer with a full crescent shaped axe minute hand. The upper dial has a plaque e reading “Hamilton” and three winding apertures.
Movement: This was supplied for Hamilton by the Franz Hermle clock Company of west Germany, their calibre no 340-121, powered by three brass barrels with steel springs that power the clock for eight days, cause hourly striking and quarterly Westminster chiming with a full Westminster chime and full striking each hour. The Hermle clock movement 340-020 is a Westminster Chime unit with five chime hammers. The hammers attached to the movement strike a series of four rods for the Westminster chime and one long rod for the striking the hours. It was made on special order for the Hamilton Company of Lancaster and given an English name, Whitehall. The case was likely made in Germany as well. This is a two-jewel movement. There is an anchor recoil escapement, flywheel with rack and snail striking on the front plate.
Condition: The case, dial and movement are like new and all in excellent condition and likely functional.
HAMILTON HISTORY POST 1950:
**HAMILTON BASED ITS HEADQUARTERS IN Lancaster PA, FOR 111 YEARS, I.E., 1892-2003. BELOW IS THE STORY SINCE 1950:
Although you might think watches and clocks are similar, they can actually be very different. To my knowledge, prior to 1969 Hamilton Watch Company didn't make clocks, although the company did diversify into other industries like military time fuses, etc.
However, 1970 and beyond is a different story. The Hamilton brand was extended to lots of different time-related products including alarm clocks, desk clocks, wall clocks and mantle clocks. Some of the clocks used electronic movements, others used quartz movements, and still more used mechanical movements.
1950s: last decade as a watch manufacturing powerhouse in America
In 1957, Hamilton introduced the world's first electric watch, the Hamilton Electric 500.
In 1962, Hamilton entered into a joint venture (60% owned by Hamilton) with the Japanese watchmaking firm Ricoh to produce electric watches meant primarily for the Japanese market. The electronic components were produced at Hamilton's Lancaster factory. At the same time, Ricoh undertook mechanical works production and final assembly in Japan. Although production levels of Hamilton-Ricoh watches were high (over 1000 per month), demand was low. Consequently, the Hamilton-Ricoh partnership could not compete with the substantial market presence of Seiko. The partnership was dissolved in 1965, with the remaining Hamilton-Ricoh electronic movements (marked "Ricoh 555E") re-cased as "Vantage" and sold in the U.S.
Swiss/U.S. operations: 1969–1974
Swiss Hamilton/Buren Micro-rotor movement
In 1966, Hamilton acquired the Buren Watch Company of Büren an der Aare, Switzerland, including all factories and technologies Buren had developed up to that point. From 1966 to 1969, Hamilton Lancaster and Buren Switzerland were operated as a joint concern, with Hamilton using several Swiss movements for their "American" watches and Buren utilizing several components manufactured by Hamilton Lancaster.
In 1969, the Hamilton Watch Company completely ended American manufacturing operations with the closure of its factory in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, shifting manufacturing operations to the Buren factory in Switzerland.
From 1969 to 1972, all new Hamilton watches were produced in Switzerland by Hamilton's Buren subsidiary. In 1971, the Buren brand was returned to Swiss ownership. By 1972, the Buren-Hamilton partnership was dissolved, and the factory liquidated, due to decreased interest and sales of the Hamilton-Buren product.
On May 16, 1974, the Hamilton brand was sold to SSIH (subsequently The Swatch Group).
In 1971, the Omega & Tissot Holding Company SSIH purchased the Hamilton brand. It utilized the Hamilton name for several branding efforts, including numerous quartz watches in the 1980s.
The Hamilton Watch Division became a subsidiary of HMW. The Hamilton Watch Company changed its name to HMW when it sold its Watch division to SSIH.
A team led by John Bergey of Hamilton Watch developed the Pulsar, the world's first digital watch.
Through the merger of SSIH and ASUAG Groups in 1984, Hamilton became a subsidiary of The Swatch Group.
In 2020, Hamilton released a limited edition of 888 pieces of the Hamilton Khaki Navy BeLOWZERO inspired by the prop Hamilton watches made for Christopher Nolan's film TENET. In the film, John David Washington also wears a steel Hamilton Jazzmaster Seaview Chronograph.
PRICING:
The fair market value in looking at five examples that have been auctioned has been from a low of $20 to a high of $125. Retail price is approximately $300. In the fine condition of your example with all of its tags I would pace the fair market value at $150-$200, with retail price about twice that amount.
Thank you for choosing mearto.com for your appraisal.
My best, David