Heady times, like that of 1950s America, give way to groundbreaking design: At least that was the case with the original Hamilton Ventura Watch, designed by Richard Arbib and now updated in breathtaking fashion via the new Hamilton Ventura Edge.
Hamilton gave the American industrial designer Arbib the freedom to design a watch of his own creation, one “without regard for practicality,” the company said via its Web site. The end result was a game-changer: The world’s first battery-powered electric watch, and its angular design was a novelty in and of itself. So groundbreaking, in fact, that Elvis Presley even sported the watch onscreen in 1961’s Blue Hawaii.
As Hamilton tells it, the unexpected partnership hinged around “bringing something completely new and different to a public that craved the future in the present.” The Hamilton Ventura accomplished that mission rather handsomely, followed by seven years of production before it was retired and eventually brought back in 1988. New editions in 2015 and 2017 further cemented the Hamilton Ventura as a fan favorite, and the Hamilton Ventura Edge carries on that legacy in utterly eye-catching fashion.
Two new versions of the modern Hamilton Ventura Edge also rely on an asymmetrical dial, a move that the famed American watchmaker says offers “a sculptural, angular form that challenges traditional design codes.” Inspired by architecture and futuristic innovation, the Ventura Edge boasts precise inner workings to rival its sleek exterior: The company’s automatic ref. H24645330 H-10-S movement is revealed in increments thanks to the gradient-treated skeletonized dial, a mesmerizing effect that should wear beautifully on the wrist.
Available in both a black PVD-coated stainless steel case and a classic stainless steel case, both models of the Ventura Edge clock in at 51 x 47mm, statement-making dimensions that aren’t for the faint of heart (but might have served Elvis well back in the day). Even the mineral glass plate is enhanced with a gradient moving from opaque black to transparent, working in harmony with the skeletonized case to reveal the intricate movement within.
The new Ventura Edge is, of course, a departure from the more classic triangular form of past editions, one that Hamilton says “takes a bold leap into the future of watchmaking.” A black rubber strap comes equipped with each model, with the stainless steel variation available for $1,925, and the black PVD-coated version of the Hamilton Ventura Edge available online now for $2,025.
Either would be an instantly striking, highly futuristic and stylish addition to the burgeoning watch collector’s roster. Even with a slew of forward-thinking design updates, the company says the new Ventura Edge “captures the disruptive spirit of Richard Arbib’s original Ventura design.”
