Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Hamilton · Ventura
Hamilton Ventura 38 mm Meteorite Grade
Reference 88188OR.36
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Hamilton
- Collection
- Ventura
- Model
- Hamilton Ventura 38 mm Meteorite Grade
- Reference number
- 88188OR.36
- Year / era
- 1973 · 1970s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Perpetual calendar
- Movement
- Automatic Powermatic 80
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Dial type
- Meteorite
- Strap / bracelet
- White rubber velcro strap
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Bezel
- Smooth polished
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Meteorite
- Hands
- Mercedes hour hand with Chromalight display
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- White rubber velcro strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 51D — Automatic Powermatic 80
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 65 hours
- Number of jewels
- 37 jewels
- Complications
- Perpetual calendar
- Functions
- Dive time, running seconds
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1973 – 1989
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Hamilton Ventura 38 mm Meteorite Grade sits within Hamilton's Ventura line, introduced in 1973. It carries the house codes established since 1892 — grade 5 titanium case, meteorite dial and automatic powermatic 80 — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
The House
Hamilton
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1892
- Founder
- Adam Bopst & Charles Rood
- Headquarters
- United States
- Tier
- Affordable & Tool Watches
- Major collections
- Khaki Field, Khaki Navy, Jazzmaster, Ventura, American Classic
- Signature technologies
- In-house hairspring production · Composite and ceramic case materials · Anti-magnetic silicon escapement
- Famous movements
- Automatic COSC chronometer · Quartz · Automatic Powermatic 80 · Automatic, 38-hour reserve
- Notable watches
- Hamilton Khaki Field 37 mm Blue Carbon (1976) · Hamilton Khaki Field 44 mm Salmon Grade (1952) · Hamilton Khaki Field 37 mm Mother-of-pearl Sapphire (1982) · Hamilton Khaki Field 37 mm Meteorite Stainless (1985)
Brand history
Hamilton has spent more than 134 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Khaki Field, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Adam Bopst & Charles Rood established Hamilton in 1892, working from United States at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Hamilton calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1892
Adam Bopst & Charles Rood founds Hamilton in United States.
1899
Hamilton earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Hamilton to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Hamilton enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Hamilton continues to produce Khaki Field, Khaki Navy, Jazzmaster and other icons in limited numbers.