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Hamilton is ready to rock with the new Ventura XXL and Ventura S

Borna Bošnjak

The first battery-powered watch, and the one that graced the famous wrists of Elvis, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones – still doesn’t quite sum up the Hamilton Ventura for me. Throw in a line about its military-derived styling somehow combined with stepped Art Deco-like lugs, and we’re getting somewhere. Today, the Ventura is no longer electric, instead opting for more modern quartz movements, or doing a complete 180 on modernity by incorporating a mechanical movement. Using its avant-garde potential, Hamilton now introduces two new additions to the line – the Ventura S and Ventura XXL Skeleton.

Ventura XXL Skeleton

A far departure from the watch on the wrist of the King of Rock n Roll, the Hamilton Ventura XXL Skeleton takes its Space Odyssey-like design and turns it up to eleven. The stainless-steel case is stretched to 46mm x 45.5mm with a thickness of 11.25, so it’s destined to have buckets of wrist presence. It retains the thrice-stepped bezel of the original, which I felt amiss in the existing Ventura Skeleton models. Also unlike those, the skeletonisation in the new XXL seems to have been taken up a notch. Rather than the spider web strewn over the round-peg-in-a-triangular-hole movement situation, the XXL Skeleton has visible bridges that hold up the balance wheel and openworked barrel.

This improvement in dial layout is due to the new ETA C07.901 movement. The C07 designation suggests that it’s from the same family as the Powermatic 80, confirmed by its 80-hour power reserve. We’ve not seen the 901 designation in any previous ETA movements – to date, C07.1XX indicated a synthetic escapement, C07.6XX a regular escapement and C07.8XX a silicon hair spring. The C07.901 features a Nivachron balance spring, an anti-magnetic alloy created collaboratively between the Swatch Group and Audemars Piguet.

Brand	Hamilton
Model	Ventura XXL Skeleton
Reference Number	H24625330
Case Dimensions	46mm x 45.5mm x 11.25mm, 23.5mm lug width
Case Material	Stainless steel
Water Resistance	5 bar
Dial	Black skeletonised dial
Crystal	Sapphire crystal, AR-coated
Strap	Black rubber strap
Movement	ETA C07.901, 80-hour power reserve, Nivachron balance spring
Price	CHF 1765, EUR 1765, USD 1795

Ventura S

If the skeletonisation and size is a little too rock n roll, do not fret (sometimes I crack myself up) – the Ventura S is here. With a 34.5mm x 38mm case size, it feels like an evolution, rather than revolution of the Ventura. The steps of the case have become less of a feature than on models past, and more closely resemble the XXL, while losing none of the soul of the original. Even the dial has been subtly retouched, though the branding has become more overt. Available in black or rosy taupe, the Ventura S clearly has unisex appeal in mind. I was (not unpleasantly) surprised by a choice of colour-matched rubber for the straps, though we’ll have to see how they stack up on a dressier watch in the full review.

Another welcome feature is the inclusion of an automatic movement. Yes yes, I know the original was electric, the spiritual successor of which is quartz. But with Hamilton already offering a multitude of smaller vintage reissues of the Ventura, I’m happy to see a smaller, automatic version. The movement in question is the ETA C26.101 – an automatic movement with a Nivachron balance spring. While we don’t have official information on power reserve, the date-equipped C26.111 in the Tissot T-My Lady offers 48 hours, so it’s safe to assume the Ventura S will be similar.

Brand	Hamilton
Model	Ventura S
Reference Number	H24105330 (black dial) H24105370 (taupe dial)
Case Dimensions	38mm x 34.5mm x 10.65mm, 16mm lug width
Case Material	Stainless steel
Water Resistance	5 bar
Dial	Black (H24105330) Taupe (H24105370)
Crystal	Sapphire crystal, AR-coated
Strap	Black rubber strap (H24105330) Taupe rubber strap (H24105370)
Movement	ETA C26.111, Nivachron balance spring, 48-hour power reserve
Price	CHF 1095, EUR 1095, USD 1095