Marking Time: A Father-Son Journey in America’s Oldest Continuously Operating Watch Company

Some legacies are passed down through heirlooms. Others through stories. At Hampden Watch, the legacy is both.

In 2023, Joseph Wein handed his son Daniel a Hampden Model 1- sleek, solid, and engraved with the names of four generations of Wein men. It wasn’t just a gift. It was a passing of the torch.

That quiet gesture became the spark for Hampden’s modern revival. Today, Joe and Daniel- third and fourth generation - are bringing new life to America’s oldest continuously operating watch company, with a renewed mission: to craft timepieces that carry meaning as much as they do time.

It Began With A Gift

The engraved watch Daniel received was the very first Hampden Model 1 “Sullivan” - the result of years of design and development, and the first to feature Hampden’s now-patented removable casecap®.

More than a handsome mechanical timepiece, it was a symbol of continuity.

“It wasn’t just a thoughtful gift - I knew it was a baton,” Daniel said. “A message that signaled, ‘This story continues with you.’”

That moment set the wheels in motion for Hampden’s 2025 relaunch.

From Pocket Watches to Personal Legacies

While today’s Hampden is rooted in the Wein family’s story, the Hampden name itself has deeper origins. Founded in 1877 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Hampden was one of the earliest American pocket watch manufacturers, known for its craftsmanship and innovation. A Hampden railroad pocket watch is even displayed in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

In 1922, Hyman Wein started the Clinton Watch Company in Chicago, assembling high-quality watches using mostly Swiss movements. Hyman and his son Irving—first and second generation - ran the business and expanded its footprint after WWII by founding the Wolbrook, Douglas and Neuvex watch brands, and later acquiring the Hampden and Benrus brands.

Though always headquartered in Chicago, the business operated factories in Switzerland, the U.S. Virgin Islands, New York, and Providence.

Through a century of change, the Wein family’s watch business has remained independent, and in family hands. Joseph Wein, Hyman’s grandson, spent childhood summers at the bench, assembling watches. After college and working in Silicon Valley, he returned to Chicago in 1985 to join the family watch business.

By then, the company had adopted the Benrus name and was manufacturing quartz watches. From his first years, Joe was drawn to the personalized watches the family had been producing since the 1960s - timepieces with names and messages that carried stories.

Joe believed that what made a watch valuable wasn’t just its quality - it was the emotional connections it created.

A Modern Chapter Born in Lockdown

During the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, Joe and a small design team set out to create a watch that would mark 100 years of Wein family watchmaking. That project became the Sullivan - Hampden’s flagship Model 1.

The biggest challenge? How to offer both deep and customized caseback engravings while also offering an exhibition back to showcase the Swiss movement. It seemed to be an either-or.  Joe’s answer? The now-patented removable casecap - a first-of-its-kind solution that allows wearers to switch between an exhibition back and an engraved back.

When Joe handed Daniel that engraved Sullivan, it wasn’t just a family moment - it became a brand mission.

Passing the Torch

“Something clicked,” Daniel says. “When I saw the detailed engraving and repeated ‘fourth generation’ aloud, I actually got quite emotional. I knew this was what I wanted to do.”

Daniel, a tech and marketing veteran, has brought fresh energy to Hampden’s legacy. From New York, he has launched Hampden’s direct-to-consumer business, is reintroducing Swiss-made movements, and has built an eCommerce presence that connects Hampden’s past with the present.

Together, Joe and Daniel are writing Hampden’s next chapter—one built on shared values and fresh vision.

Why We Call This Blog ‘The Fourth Hand’

In traditional horology, a “fourth hand” might indicate a second time zone or other complication.  At Hampden, it means our fourth generation.

Through this blog, we will share stories with you, stories that represent a passing of knowledge and torch from our third hand to our fourth.

Because every watch tells time. Hampden watches tell stories. Through this blog, we will share some of our stories with you. And perhaps we will inspire you to put on a Hampden watch, and let us engrave it to tell your story.

Q&A: Joe Interviews Daniel

We do most of our best thinking over lunch or Zoom, but this time, Joe took the mic. What follows is part podcast, part father-son banter, and 100% Hampden.

Joe: Alright, Danny. Be honest - how nervous were you when I handed you that watch?

Daniel: I thought you were retiring! Which, to be fair, you still haven’t done. But seriously, that was the moment it all clicked for me. I didn’t just see a watch - I saw a legacy I wanted to be part of.

Joe: You’re now the 4th generation. What’s harder: living up to that legacy or working with your dad?

Daniel: Definitely working with you. (Kidding!) Honestly, the legacy inspires me. It’s a huge responsibility, but I love that pressure. And I love that we’re doing this together - even when we argue over fonts, dial mockups, and ad copy.

Joe: I understand that, Danny.  I remember that when I came into the business, your grandfather told me that he was promising me 10 years. I laughed - he was a young man - younger than I am now. I only had 17 years working with him before he got cancer.  I still think about him every day.

Joe: You’ve really embraced this idea of personalization, something I’ve been passionate about for decades. What is it about engraving a watch that resonates so much with you?

Daniel: Because people want something that feels like theirs. A watch that tells your story means more than one that just tells time. We’re not offering prestige; we’re offering meaning. And to me, that’s what makes Hampden different. I think we’d both rather build a brand focused on something truly personal than push another generic luxury brand.

Joe: I like the way you’ve framed that. It’s pretty obvious that most watch brands are only about their brand. I want us to be different. I want Hampden to be about our customers. I can’t think of anything more powerful than connecting our customers to their stories.

Joe: Danny, you’ve worked in startups and nonprofits before this. What surprised you most about the watch world?

Daniel: I think I was surprised by how emotional it is. I assumed it was all about specs and style, but so many of our customers are celebrating something profound: a wedding, an anniversary, a new child. Watches become memory markers. The first customers I’ve sold to in-person are collaborating with us on these deep, vulnerable caseback designs - like handwritten notes from parents. It’s an honor.

Joe: Now you understand how I felt when I prepared the message to engrave on your watch. If you think your watch is emotionally powerful to receive from your father, imagine how it felt for me to give that watch and that message to my son.

Read it to me. Out loud.

Daniel:   ‘For Daniel, on becoming 4th generation in our family business.  May you go from strength to strength.  Love, Dad.  And around the edge it says Hyman 1922, Irving, 1948, Joseph 1985 and Daniel 2024’

Joe:  You just made me tear up. OK, back to business. As you think about marketing, how do you balance tradition and innovation?

Daniel: We always come back to this question: “Would my great-grandfather Hyman - or grandfather Irving - be proud of this?” If it feels new, useful, and true to them, we’re on the right path. Hampden isn’t stuck in the past, but it’s anchored by it.

Joe: Final question. Favorite Hampden model?

Daniel: Mine, of course: the engraved Model 1 with our family names. It’s my first time wearing a watch with an exhibition back, and I love showing off our patented removable caseback to friends -  it’s really damn cool. But I also love seeing what people create, whether it’s our signature Sullivan or one of our beautiful engravable quartz models. It reminds me that we’re not just making watches - we’re helping people tell their stories.