{"product_id":"hamilton-otis-as03527","title":"Hamilton Otis","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy We Love It\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eEven in the age of vintage watches\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHamilton is perhaps best known to modern collectors for their historically significant tool watches. But during the Golden Age of American watchmaking, Hamilton was master of all trades, from railroad timers to dress watches fit for kings. Their catalogs from the 1930s and 1940s were filled with elegant and innovative watches that have all but faded to obscurity. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Otis--or Otis \"Reverso\"--is one such watch. Seeking to capitalize on Alfred Chauvot's innovative reversible case design, Hamilton produced the Otis in 1938. The Hamilton Otis used Chauvot's case designs, either in solid gold or gold-filled, with black or white dials and bold Breguet style numerals. This example features a beautiful salmon toned dial in a 14k gold-filled case and features a little extra touch of detail with its caseback engraving.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIts an off-the-beaten-path choice for the true aficionado of horological history!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Story\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eNothing exists in a vacuum. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the world of watches. Although the industry’s insular nature lends a certain air of mystery to each brand’s proceedings, it’s happened several times in horological history that several different brands have—independently—come up with the same idea.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eFor example, reversible watches.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is probably the first one that springs to mind. From its romantic, almost whimsical origin story (a watch designed for polo!) to its current status as the flagship of JLC’s catalog, the Reverso has become nothing short of an icon. But it is neither the first—nor the only—reversible watch to exist. Another reversible watch is the Hamilton Otis, which actually used the same case design—penned by Alfred Chauvot—as the Reverso.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe simple fact of the matter is that the design of the Otis infringed upon JLC's \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/shop.analogshift.com\/collections\/jaeger-lecoultre-sold\/products\/jaeger-lecoultre-grand-reverso-ultra-thin-1931-us-edition\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute to 1931 Limited Edition Box \u0026amp; Papers\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eReverso\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eunder Chauvot's patent. As you'd expect, Hamilton and JLC soon found themselves embroiled in a lawsuit. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUltimately, after three years in court, JLC won out. Due to the terms of the lawsuit, Hamilton could only produce the Otis using movements made by\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/shop.analogshift.com\/products\/tavannes-chronograph\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Tavannes Chronograph\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003eTavannes\u003c\/a\u003e, Movado, or JLC themselves. Faced with the choice to either use another brand's movements or cease production altogether, Hamilton pulled the Otis from their catalogs in 1940.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hamilton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31360480313431,"sku":null,"price":3250.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0809\/1255\/products\/AS03527.jpg?v=1582228809","url":"https:\/\/www.analogshift.com\/products\/hamilton-otis-as03527","provider":"Analog:Shift","version":"1.0","type":"link"}