1961 Bentley

I like Hamilton produced a full line of models in the 1960s - literally over 120 different models in the men's lineup.  There was something for everyone, it would appear.  

The watch market was extremely competitive at this time.  In fact, by this point Hamilton had diversified into other industries and watches was just a portion of the their business.  By the end of the 1960s watches accounted for just over half of Hamilton revenue.

Hamilton marketed watches at a variety of price points from entry levels for fine watches to ultra-expensive.  Some models didn't even have published prices in the catalogs.  One of the attributes that made even a mid-grade watch "fine" was the quality of the materials.  Entry level models had stainless steel cases or cases with rolled gold plated bezels.  Mid tier models offered gold filled cases.  High end models had solid gold cases and diamonds.  Some models even had solid gold bracelets!

The quality of dials could vary by price point as well but most mid-grade or higher models still featured sterling silver dials with solid gold markers or numerals.

A good example of a mid-grade model is the 1961 Bentley.  It represented the second time Hamilton used that name, the earlier time being in the 1930s.  The latter Bently was produced for four years.  It featured a 10K gold filled case with a two-tone sterling silver dial outfitted with solid 14K numerals and markers.  It's a very nice men's dress watch.

The model was available on a either a bracelet or a strap.  I can't tell from the catalog ad if it's presented on the bracelet or on the strap.  I suspect it's a mesh bracelet but I could be wrong.  In 1963 the bracelet was changed to another, less expensive, design.  So if you're one of those crazy "watches on original bracelet" collectors, there are two designs to look for.

I've had my project watch waiting for quite a while.  It appears to be in good shape but definitely could stand a good cleaning.

The inside of the case back is clearly marked Hamilton W. Co. Lancaster PA - this is what you should always see in a 1940s through 1960s watch.  If you see just 14K or something like that, it's not an authentic model.  ALWAYS check the case back when you're thinking of buying a Hamilton online.

The movement tucked inside is the 22 jewel 12/0 sized 770 movement.  This caliber was the pride of the fleet in Hamilton's factory - although I think the 8/0 sized 730 and 735 calibers are great too.

I neglected to take the usual fully disassembled movement picture but the fully cleaned and reassembled movement is now ticking away with a nice motion.

It's running a smidgeon fast but the other aspects look good.

A tweak here, a tweak there, a tweak back a smidge... eventually I get the beat rate to just a little fast.  I find newly overhauled watches settle a little after running a while.

A new strap completes the restoration and this dress watch is ready for some more wrist time.

1955 Automatic K-454 (Sputnik)

If you were a watch designer you had a lot of opportunity to be creative.  Obviously you had the shape of the case to play with, but you could also utilize the strap or bracelet, the shape of the bezel opening, the material of construction, the design of the crystal, the dial, and even the hands to play with.  For example, Electric models often has a special second hand with with lightening bolt incorporated. 

Of course, traditional fashion could dictate the rules a designer might adhere to.  After all, the design had to appeal to customers to a degree that enough watches would be sold to justify the design.

In fair balance, all the watches couldn't look the same, or even look like every other watch brand's line up, otherwise it would just be a matter of price (which eventually became the situation).

The 1950s must have been a fun period for Hamilton designers.  They has a lot of models to work with.  To put it in perspective, in 1935 there were 23 wrist watches in the model line up.  Twenty years later there would be 88, and it would continue to grow for the next 15 years!

One of the 88 models offered in 1955 is the Automatic K-454.  It's a very popular model and you'll see why.  It was offered for three years.  It features a 10K gold filled bezel and a stainless steel back.

The K-454 is also known as the Sputnik to watch collectors.  The Sputnik was a Russian satellite launched in 1957 that featured four prominent antennas protruding from a round sphere.  The K-454 design featured four golden arms radiating from the center of the dial at the 1, 5, 7 and 11 positions that continued out the bezel as the lugs for the bracelet or strap.  The other hours had less prominent lines radiating outward.

It's a great design.

My project watch is well worn and definitely in need of some love.  I can see the crystal has a crack but otherwise it's not too bad.  The watch is not running.  The lugs on this model are fairly delicate and easily bent out of shape.  It's not unusual for one of them to be missing so you have to be very careful not to damage them.

The case back is typical for an Automatic K-model and unscrews from the bezel with a case wrench.

The Automatic K-series used three four different movements but the predominant caliber is the 661.  This movement was made by Kurth Freres (Certina) and was used in other watch brands as well.  The inside of the case back helps to identify the model.  This movement is in good shape.  The only issue I see is there's a screw missing from the train bridge (the empty hole next to the stem).  That will be easy to replace.

The dial and hands are in nice shape.  The hands and hour markers are luminous.

I found some rust under the winding wheel.  It's not too bad and it's a good thing this watch is being serviced.

I'll measure the old crystal to get an idea of what size crystal to install.

Everything is cleaned and ready to be reassembled.  I actually found the missing screw inside the movement.  That's most likely why the watch was not working - it would easily stop the movement if it got into the right place.  I have all the parts to reassemble the movement.

The basics of the movement are back together and the balance is ticking away with a nice motion.  Check out how much shinier everything is now that it's cleaned.

Not too shabby performance for an 70 year old watch.

Two case screws and braces secure the movement to the inside of the case and it's ready to close up.

The finished watch is a huge improvement over what I started with.  A new crystal and deep cleaning goes a long way.  I also relumed the hands and dial markers.  This watch is ready for more wrist time.

1955 Grenadier II

 In 1955 Hamilton introduced two very similar looking models, one called the Grenadier I and the other Grenadier II.  I've always thought they were interesting for a few of reasons.  First, the name is unusual - often men's models were named with men's names.  A grenadier is a term used for well trained, elite soldiers, who typically led assaults.  You might assume they were soldiers who threw grenades, which might be true, but grenadier is an old term that predates hand grenades.  Perhaps it is the other way around. 

The second reason I find the models interesting is they look so similar.  The cases appear to be virtually identical.  However, the Grenadier I has a sweep second hand and the Grenadier II has a sub-second hand.  The two models use different movements.  Another, similar pairing would be the Nordon and Langdon from the CLD line - they look very similar too but are different.

A third interesting bit of trivia is both models used "silhouette hands" where luminous paint was applied to the BACK of solid hands so they glowed onto the dial leaving a silhouette of the hands when it was dark enough to see.  The paint included radium which made the lume glow 24x7 and it tended to burn the dial after a decade or two.  So it's not unusual to find Grenadiers with trashy-looking dials. 

Both models were made for three years.

The Grenadier II also included solid gold markers with luminous dots.  I bet it was a very cool looking watch when it was new.  You just didn't want to eat it - as the radium would poison you.  Not to worry too much though, the case and the crystal blocked most of the radiation, as does your skin.

The 10K gold filled case was equipped with a stainless steel back.  It's a classic 1950s "flying saucer" design.  Both models were available with a bracelet and the bracelets were different, making the two models further unique.

I've had my project watch waiting in the wings for a LONG time, probably years.  I saw it in a pile of watches and thought, why not give this watch some love?  Looking at it, it's very dirty, the crystal is shot and appears to have paint rubbed on it, and the dial has a mild case of radium burn in the center.

The back unscrewed to reveal the gasket not fully seated.  Was it always like that or did it happen when I removed the back?  It's a very stiff gasket, I think it's been like that for a while.

The inside of the case back makes identifying the model easy - it says Grenadier II right there inside.  The four balls are recesses on the outside to engage a wrench.

1955 was a transition year for Hamilton and the 747 movement was phased out in favor of the 730, which is a 747 with shock jewels on the balance.  This is one of the last 747 movements made and I can tell because it doesn't even have a serial number on the barrel bridge.  After 1955 Hamilton stopped putting serial numbers on movements.   Some of the enamel has come of the printing on the bridges, I'll see if I can reapply it.

Everything has been cleaned and is readied to be reassembled.  I removed the lume from the hands and from the dial markers.  No point in having lume on a watch with solid hands.  The empty dots look pretty cool as is.  Notice the balance wheel design - the swirly arms on the balance wheel were a form of shock protection for the balance staff before the advent of shock jewels.

I applied black enamel to the bridges and let it dry, then wiped it down with mineral spirits, leaving some paint in the lettering.

The reassembled movement is ticking away with a decent motion.  Let's see what the timer thinks of it.

Oof - the beat error is a tad high.  I'll have to adjust the hairspring collet on the balance staff.

Whoops, wrong direction.  The beat error got worse - I'm trying to get it close to zero but at least under 3.0ms.

Fifth times the charm, I guess.  I'll leave it here for now.  I'm not sure why the amplitude dropped but it's still high enough to be okay.

I poked and prodded the gasket back into shape and into its position.  Now I can close up the case.

This watch turned out really well.  I like the open gold markers without lume, the look like little O's.  The dial will be forever toned thanks to the years of radium exposure but it's not a distracting mess.  I still don't recommend eating the watch though.