It is fascinating to see the impact Viviane Stauffer has had since taking over as CEO of Hamilton in 2020.
Having risen through the ranks over 15 years at Hamilton, all of them in increasingly senior sales roles, Mr Stauffer has an eye for what sells and how to get people’s attention.
The Jazzmaster Face 2 Face, launched earlier this year, was particularly eye-catching with its rotating watch head making it two timepieces in one.
The flippable limited edition chronograph, priced at £2,595, elevated Hamilton above the volume watchmakers and sets it on a course to be stocked by more premium retailers.
This will help momentum for core collection watches, like a broad family of Jazzmaster Performer chronographs and three-hand automatics that are launching today.
These are watches right in the sweet spot of current tastes.
Jazzmaster Performer chronographs
The chronographs come in 42mm steel cases, with one of the four references glinting in gold PVD with matching hands and hour markers on a white dial.
Customers have the option of racy perforated leather straps, matching the colours of sunburst blue or black dials, or integrated steel bracelets.
There are elegant design details like contoured chronograph pushers that are shaped to look and act like crown protectors and fixed tachymeter steel bezels.
The chronograph range is priced at CHF 2,150 on the leather strap, CHF 2,230 on a steel bracelet, and CHF 2,295 for the gold PVD option on leather.
For that, you get a watch run on the H-31 automatic chronograph movement with 60 hours power reserve and Nivachron balance spring.
Jazzmaster Performer automatics
The three-hander family comes in 38mm or 34mm sizes in a range of styles: blue, black, white or mother of pearl dials in brushed steel cases on leather straps or steel bracelets.
There is a model with a gold PVD case in the 38mm range, and one with a golden bezel in 34mm.
Both sizes use the H-10 automatic movement with 80 hours power reserve and Nivachron balance spring.
Prices range from CHF 995 to CHF 1,140 for both the 38mm and the 34mm models.
“Made for those who favour function and style at once, the Jazzmaster Performer watches are resilient enough for an adventurous weekend and sophisticated enough for suit-and-tie occasions,” Hamilton suggests.
