HAMILTON Chronomatic cal.11 ref.11002-3 / First Automatic Chronograph

— The first automatic chronograph —

The Hamilton Chronomatic ref.11002-3 is a historic watch carrying Cal.11 — the world's first automatic chronograph movement, developed together with Breitling, Heuer and Dubois Dépraz.

It was born of an inventive approach: adding a chronograph mechanism to a micro-rotor movement. The result is known as a landmark on which the modern chronograph was built.

In 2019 the Chronomatic 50 reissue appeared, and the appeal of the original continues to draw collectors in.

A historic piece carrying Cal.11, the world's first automatic chronograph movement: the Hamilton Chronomatic ref.11002-3. The left-hand crown that signals Cal.11, and a matt blue dial set against white. A tachymeter bezel and two registers make it a monument of the 1970s sports chronograph.

— The bearing of the 1970s —

White baton indexes and baton hands are set on a matt blue dial, with a 30-minute and a 12-hour register placed in balance.

A date at six, and an inner bezel carrying a silver tachymeter scale that has taken on the character of age, complete the look of a sports chronograph of the period.

— The character of the left-hand crown —

The first thing that catches the eye is the unusual layout, with the crown at nine — a feature shared by every model fitted with Cal.11.

The matt blue dial sinks toward navy. Its flat texture receives light softly, and the white indexes and hands stand out sharply against it.

— A symbol of technical breakthrough —

In the late 1960s, when manual chronographs were still the norm and every maker was racing to build an automatic one, the Chronomatic was exactly that breakthrough made visible.

Ref.11002-3 holds that spirit in its purest form, and continues to occupy a special place in the world of the vintage chronograph.