August 16 - Elvis Presley Memorial Day. In 1977, on this day, he passed away, which became the reason for the appearance of many gossip and legends: many then did not believe in the death of the King, some still believe: Elvis is alive! We do not belong to such "some", but we would like to believe that somewhere out there, in Heavenly Blue Hawaii, Elvis Presley continues to sing his immortal hit Can't Help Falling In Love and sometimes glances at his left wrist. What's on that wrist?
And he is wearing a Hamilton Ventura watch, in which the King starred in the film, and in general he practically did not take off from his hand. After the release of the tape, this watch became truly iconic - not only because Elvis himself wore it, but also because of its genuine avant-garde character.
What is it about them, these Hamilton Ventura?
Well, first of all, the shape of the body. Before, no one had ever made a wristwatch in a triangular case. A classic circle, sometimes a square or rectangle - yes. But a triangle ?! This super original solution was invented by the famous American designer Richard Arbib. The 50s of the twentieth century passed, the world was on the verge of the space age, science fiction was at the peak of popularity. And Arbib's futuristic idea came in handy. And the fact that the Hamilton watch company realized it is also no coincidence.
This company, founded in 1892 in Lancaster (Pennsylvania, USA), was initially distinguished by a passion for advanced technology: it made watches for the rapidly developing railway transport in America, then began to master aviation (the brand is still the official timekeeper of the international championship Red Bull Air Race).
In general, innovation is a “generic sign” of Hamilton! The company's specialists managed to create a stainless steel case made in the form of a triangular shield, supplemented it with a crown, thought over a fastening for a leather strap or a metal bracelet. All this allowed the watch to gain stellar status.
If the unprecedented form of the watch case is "firstly", then, secondly, it is something that is not visible at all, except perhaps with a hint on the dial of the first Hamilton Ventura model, which was released in 1957. Namely, the word Electric. It was the world's first battery-powered watch! The Hamilton 500 movement appeared long before the beginning of the "quartz era", well ahead of its time.
By the way, the "500" in the name of the movement is a hint of a unique breakthrough for all 500 (conditional) years of watchmaking. It's no wonder that the King of Rock 'n' Roll fell in love with this thing at once ...
The Ventura in its first form - electric - was produced for seven years, after which it became an object of hunting for collectors. In the late 1980s, production resumed, but already in mechanical (self-winding) and quartz versions. In 2015, at the new Hamilton factory in Switzerland (the company moved there in 2003), the Ventura Elvis80 collection was created, timed to coincide with the King's 80th birthday.
By the way, the automatic caliber H-10 has more than an impressive power reserve of 80 hours. Today in the Ventura family there are about 20 models - men and women, three hands and chronographs, mechanical and quartz, with different case materials and strap / bracelet, with different colors of the dial.
The affair of designer Richard Arbib lives on, as does the memory of the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley.
