Sometimes, we need to be shaken from the comfort of our idiosyncrasies and have a healthy recalibration of perception. The deeper one dives into learning and writing about watches, the easier it is to be consumed by debates over minutiae. If you’ve ever had strong feelings about case sizes, you know what I refer to. The farther down the rabbit hole we go, the greater the distance between our enthusiast particularities and general public preferences, but it isn’t a binary – there’s a vast and murky delta between the tastes of we who debate if 39mm is too large for a dress watch, and those who indiscriminately buy the first thing they see at a jewelry counter. As with natural deltas, this space is rich with life and variety.
The Hampden Model 1 resides happily in that in-between space. The watch compelled me to step out of my narrow perspective as a watch enthusiast, avoid falling into familiar critiques, and reflect on the role a watch can play for someone unbound by the often dogmatic nature of horological critique. This is a watch with a patented innovation, from a brand with just over a century of watchmaking history, and constructed by an enthusiast darling (Marathon). It is also a 42mm dress watch, which will drive some away from considering its merits, unfortunately. For those put off by the 42mm sizing, keep reading, as there’s news on the horizon that will appeal to you.
A bit of historical context, before detailing the Model 1. Hampden Watch Company was founded by Hyman Wein in Chicago in 1922 as the Clinton Watch Company. The Wein name may be familiar to any deep-cut Marathon fans, and that’s because Hyman’s brother Morris founded Marathon in Montreal about a decade later. There’s plenty more detail available on Hampden’s site, but the short of it is that Clinton Watch Company purchased the Hampden Watch Company in 1958, which had sold all its assets to Russian buyers in the 1930’s, and has owned the moniker since. Curiously, the company also owned Benrus for over a decade, through 1997, when Clinton sold the Benrus rights and rebranded as Hampden Watch Company.
There was an interlude in watch production for Hampden, but they restarted watch production in 2023 under the direction of Daniel Wein, the fourth generation of the Wein family. Hampden currently offers four models, with the Model 1: Sullivan sitting atop the range in quality and price, at $1,800. Available in three colors – navy blue, black, and off-white – I chose to get a closer look at the latter configuration, accurately labeled “parchment”.
The dial is finished in a matte off-white that does evoke the texture and hue of high-quality paper. “Résumé paper” would be equally accurate, but far less romantic-sounding than parchment. Whatever your preferred label, it is a very attractive, classic style befitting a dressy watch that is still flexible enough to be worn outside of formal attire. (Sidenote: wear whatever watch you want in any given social context – social rules are silly, and breaking them makes you more interesting than conforming. I put the Model 1 on a fabric single-pass, and loved it.)
The dial’s configuration is common to each colorway of the Model 1, with the main differences being the colors of the dial, Arabic hour markers, dial printing, and handset, excluding the ever-present red power-reserve hand. The brand’s Chicago roots are readily evident in the beautiful Art-Deco inspired font for the Arabic numerals, and that of the brand’s wordmark logo. The numerals, in particular, are striking in their detail, as they are sharply lined and raised, which allows them to cast subtle shadows on the dial. Additional points for the lighter dial shade enabling such visible dimension.
The soft angularity of those elements carries over to the elongated-rhombus hour and minute hands, each skeletonized until their final few millimeters. At first glance, these appear black on the parchment colorway, matching the color of the Arabic hour markers, and contrasting starkly with the dial. Get in closer to the dial, and shine some light on them, though, and they reveal their deep blue tone. At their outer ends, these two hands are painted white, which offers less contrast with the dial, but provides a bit of lumed surface that works with the small square lume plots outboard of each Arabic hour marker to offer modest low-light visibility.
Inboard of the hour markers are a small-seconds subdial and a painted power-reserve meter. Power reserves aren’t my favorite complication, primarily because many brands position the meter in a weird part of the dial. Orient is the most regular offender, but they are not alone in leaving power reserve meters floating in unbalanced locations. Hampden has done well to position the Model 1’s power reserve indicator just above 6, which looks purposeful, and not a concession to movement layout. The placement frees my overly-critical mind to enjoy the simple pleasure of watching the meter’s dark red hand gracefully arc to the right as you wind the movement.
The power reserve meter’s span does upset some of the dial’s balance, otherwise well-orchestrated with elements positioned in each cardinal quadrant, as it is a bit too close to the seconds’ subdial. That proximity makes the visual weight of the dial moderately left-adjusted. Given the surfeit of space between the meter’s printed arc and the pivot point of its hand, and the fairly small printing for its textual elements, this should be resolvable by shrinking the subdial’s diameter. Perhaps I haven’t entirely put aside my hyper-critical gaze. Being more reasonable, the dial is classically pretty, and the detailed elements are finely wrought, and my eyes quickly adjusted to the balance.
Set above the dial is a flat sapphire crystal, nested within a fixed bezel comprised of concentric rings. The innermost ring is flat and polished, while the outer ring is fluted. The mix of the two rings makes the bezel less visually dominant than a fully fluted bezel, which helps offset the visual weight of a larger watch. The steep angle of the bezel and its shallow height also help minimize the Model’s visual height. From the side profile, you can just barely make out the fluted area. Stylistically, the fluted ring plays well with the prominent – 7.5mm – onion crown on the right side of the case, signed with the brand’s attractive graphic “H” logo, both design touches collectively harkening back to the embellishments of early-20th century design.
Inwardly-curving lugs arc down from the perimeter of the bezel, brushed on top and bottom, and polished along their flanks. From above, the lugs are elegant, but in profile, they are burlier. Indeed, the case profile is where the Model 1 most noticeably carries its bulk. The flanks are fully polished and upright, neither of which disguises size – good thing the bezel is so shallowly angled. There is a curve on each side along the 51.2mm distance from lug to lug, but the curve defines the 42mm width of the case, not its height, so there are no shaping tricks to disguise the case’s vertical dimension. The combination of polishing and 90° case sides makes the Model 1 appear thicker than it actually is, at 11.3mm. Sizing aside, rounding the case sides along their vertical axis and giving the case a curved undercut to the caseback would add a sleeker appearance with a more elegant aesthetic, better befitting the dial.
Fortunately, since there is a lot of case to look at, the finishing of the Model 1 is well done. The aforementioned polishing isn’t quite mirror-grade, but it isn’t the vague, murky polishing of a Doxa. The transitions from polished to brushed surfaces are sharp (fortunately not physically), and the fitment between pieces is tight. The Marathon construction team has executed its remit well.
The same is true of the 3-link bracelet, which has a charming vintage lightness that belies its solid construction. Split-pin adjustment for the links will frustrate some, but it is a secure system that doesn’t require much more fiddling than screw pins. Admittedly, I didn’t take the time to do such adjusting, as I preferred to wear the Model 1 on the exceptionally comfortable hybrid leather-and-rubber strap. The Model 1 also comes with a nicely made, genuine leather strap, but the hybrid strap is the winner among the three options, as it looks like a classic leather strap but wears with the dreamy nature of a Barton Silicone Elite.
Now, be prepared to read the most text I’ve ever written about the caseback of a watch, as one of the Model 1’s signature features is its swappable casecaps. As part of your Model 1 purchase, you get to personalize a second casecap – Hampden’s patented interchangeable caseback system – with a laser-engraved design of your choice. The standard casecap is a porthole design that gives view to the Selitta 279-1 that powers the Model 1, with the brand’s graphic and wordmark logos, “Chicago”, and their founding year of 1922 etched on the perimeter. For the alternate option, the brand uses a laser-etching process that provides a wide range of possibilities, illustrated by the beautifully detailed relief design the brand kindly allowed me to request, and keep.
The system operates via an oblong channel cut into the underside of the casecap, and a mirrored extension from the caseback, that requires a quarter turn to screw on and off. Small ball bearings set into the underside of the watch case fit into matching indentations on the underside of the casecap, securing each casecap in place. It is simple-looking, which undoubtedly means it was complex to engineer, and it works very well in practice. The casecap system and design potential are a core aspect of the Model 1’s ethos, which is to mark occasions, whether for oneself or as a gift. The interchangeable nature of the system is a subtle way to do so, as compared to marking the dial, and offers greater adaptability than directly marking the sole caseback that most watches come with. One could collect casecaps over time to mark different occasions, or simply for different design motifs.
Like casebacks, I don’t often discuss packaging in reviews, as it is often a subject not worthy of much description. In the case of the Model 1, though, the packaging is noteworthy, and an instrumental part of the sense of occasion the model targets. The Model 1 arrives in a sizable, beautiful wooden box with the brand’s graphic and wordmark logos positioned just above and below the lid line. Upon removing that lid, you’ll find the watch, slots with the two additional straps, and a circular space for the second casecap. It is a luxurious experience, and like the casecap customization, adds value to the Model 1 beyond its timekeeping technicalities.
If you’ve made it this far despite your disdain for a 42mm dress watch, your patience is appreciated, and you can rejoice in knowing that Hampden is developing a 37mm version of the Model 1, with a targeted release of Boreal Fall 2025. In so doing, Hampden will split an interesting divide with a single model, offering sizes that appeal to a more general audience, as well as we lovable, persnickety enthusiasts. The decision also points to nuanced market attentiveness on the part of Daniel Wein and the current Hampden team, which bodes well for the continued evolution of their lineup. As is, the 42mm Model 1 is a high-quality and appealing package, particularly if the various sense-of-occasion elements appeal to you.
