Hamilton GS (General Service) Wristwatch c.1960’s
The end of the Second World War by no means brought about total peace for Britain who became involved in conflicts all over the world. Such conflicts in Palestine, Malaya and Korea were fought with the equipment left over from WW2, which in watch terms for the British Army was primarily the W.W.W’s.
In the mid 1960’s Hamilton began to supply the British military with watches which included the Hamilton 6B which were issued to RAF aircrew.
The Hamilton GS was similar to its 6B counterpart but was issued to non-military British government employees and subcontractors working on overseas projects such as Foreign and Commonwealth Office aid groups helping with such matters as education and health. It is also believed that such groups acted as a cover for a number of former military personnel who helped nations organise their own security and law enforcement on behalf of HM Government.
The Hamilton GS was originally designed to be water resistant, shockproof and as indicated by the markings on the case back, “Tropicalized”, meaning that the watch is temperature compensated and adept for hot and humid environments of many of Britain’s commonwealth.
Good original examples of these fascinating watches are becoming increasingly scarce and hard to find. The watch for sale, therefore, represents an excellent opportunity to acquire a wonderful piece of British horological history.
