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Hamilton partners with the hybrid-electric Smartflyer that aims to change the face of air travel Hamilton partners with the hybrid-electric Smartflyer that aims to change the face of air travel

Hamilton partners with the hybrid-electric Smartflyer that aims to change the face of air travel

Thor Svaboe

The future is electric, let’s face it. For me it’s inescapable, my wife’s hybrid Audi A3 is plugged in outside, and I live in a country (Norway) where the most sold new car last year was the all-electric Tesla Model 3. So yes, there’s an unstoppable shift and it will also soon be coming through the clouds near you. Hamilton may be known for their strong horological output, including many aeronautical-themed watches like the new X-Wind. But the brand is now renewing their bond with cutting-edge aviation by linking up with the Swiss company Smartflyer.

Smartflyer

This partnership makes sense for Hamilton. The brand has a history of aeronautical watches that stretches back to 1918 when Admiral Byrd completed the first flight to the North Pole, a mission timed by Hamilton when it was still an American company. With Hamilton now based in Switzerland, they’re now supporting the forward-thinking team at Smartflyer from Grenchen, with their prototype SFX1. This four-seater aircraft will debut the first hybrid-electric engines to enter our airspace and is slated to start production in 2023.

Smartflyer’s SFX1 will generate 50 per cent less carbon dioxide, 60 per cent less noise and cost 33 per cent less to fuel, run and maintain. Hopes are high that this new plane could potentially revolutionise private air travel.

With Hamilton’s CEO Vivian Stauffer being an experienced pilot himself, this might even be seen as a full circle for the Swiss manufacturer, as it is just over 100 years since their first pioneering partnership. No doubt Stauffer will soon get into the cockpit of one of the SFX1 prototypes himself with a Hamilton on his wrist, of course, as a trusted co-pilot.

Learn more about the SFX1 at Smartflyer, and the Hamilton partnership at the forefront of aeronautical future here.