The first electric wristwatch

The need

A mainspring must be wound and gives uneven power as it runs down.

Made by

Hamilton Watch Company of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Presented in New York on 3 January 1957.

What was new

A button cell instead of a mainspring. The balance wheel stayed; a coil on it, switched by tiny contacts, kept it swinging.

Worth knowing

Without a mainspring the case could take shapes no ordinary movement allowed, such as Richard Arbib’s triangular Ventura. The contacts wore out, and the calibre gained a reputation for unreliability.

Historian’s noteElgin announced a battery watch in 1952 but sold one only in 1961. The Hamilton is first to market, not first to a working design.

SourcesHamilton · Smithsonian