1969 Hamilton Chrono-Matic Pan-Europ 707 (Ref. 111003-3) Cal. 11

In the late ‘60s, many major watch brands competed to create the first automatic chronograph movement. Out of this race, the Buren group (composed of Breitling, Hamilton, and Heuer) created the calibre 11 movement, which is argued to be one of the first, if not the very first automatic chronograph movements ever produced. 

Hamilton used this jointly-developed cal. 11 movement in a model known as the Chrono-Matic, which today stands out as one of the most famous and best-looking chronograph watches from the brand’s archives. This ref. 111003-3 from 1969 is an especially rare version known as the Pan-Europ 707, which had the added functionality of a GMT hand. It featured its winding crown on the left-hand side of its case, while its pair of chronograph pushers remained in their normal position on the right-hand side. This unusual design detail is characteristic of many watches from the various brands that used the cal. 11 movement. It was intended to showcase that these new automatic chronograph watches did not require manual winding each day. When paired with the various pops of blue, red, and yellow throughout this watch, you can see how well Hamilton paired the seriousness of its functionality with a little bit of unexpected whimsy.