1959 Accumatic IX - 1959 Bluebonnet Bowl

A lot of people collect the same things but for very different reasons.  This post is a good example.

I have found it much harder to purchase project watches lately because a lot of people have gotten into the hobby.  I'm a victim of my own success, as I know quite a few people who I've inspired in the hobby.  It's like more and more people standing around the same fishing hole, hoping to catch the big one.

Recently I had my eye on a watch that was right up my alley.  It appeared to be a clunker, missing a crown, with a cracked crystal.  What caught my eye was it was an award for a football event... the 1959 Bluebonnet Bowl.

Well, the bidding went right on by my interest levels and the watch was added to a long list of "the one that got away".

A little time passed and the person who purchased the watch asked if I would work on it.  It's a small world after all.  What's I found interesting is it wasn't purchased because it was a Hamilton.  It was of interest because of the 1959 Bluebonnet Bowl specficially.

1959 was the very first year of the Bluebonnet Bowl.  If you haven't heard of it, you're not alone.  The last one was in 1987, I believe, because it wasn't able to get a large corporate sponsor.  The bowl event was intended to include a Texas college and somebody else from somewhere else.   The proceeds for the bowl game were intended to benefit various charities in Texas.

For the 1959 event, it featured Texas Christian University (TCU) versus Clemson University.  Thus the added interest in the watch.  The owner is a big Clemson fan.  Clemson walloped TCU 23 to 7.

My project watch was specially ordered to recognize people involved with the bowl game.  It's based on a 1959 Accumatic IX.  The Accumatic IX was introduced in 1959 and produced in 1960 as well.  In 1961 and 1962 it evolved into the Accumatic IX-B - presumably with a new version of the automatic movement inside.

The Accumatic IX came in a 10K gold filled case with a stainless steel back.  The dial is gold in color and the embossed numerals and figures are also yellow.  It has a "pearled" seconds track, which makes it a very difficult dial to get refinished correctly.  The pearls aren't applied to the dial, they are cut in and require a level of accuracy and precision that is almost impossible to replicate.

The early Accumatics used movements made by ETA, a Swiss maker.  Hamilton had a couple of R&D projects early in the 1950s to develop their own self-winding calibers but they weren't able to pull it off at a price point that would compete with an international market.  The first automatics in Hamilton's line were actually branded Illinois, since Hamilton acquired the Illinois Watch Company in 1928.  I suppose that was to test the market - would Hamilton customers buy a watch with an imported movement?   They did, much to the chagrin, I'm sure, of the myriad watchmaker's employed in Hamilton's Lancaster factory

My project watch is true to the design of the Accumatic IX with the exception of the custom-printed dial.  That's what drew my attention to the listing as well.  It's very nicely done and the blue color is very appealing.  You can see the crystal is cracked and the crown is missing, so this watch definitely needs some attention.

The stem tube is a little out of round.  Maybe that's from rattling around in a desk drawer for 50 years.

The case back is a little simpler than other examples I've seen but that could be simply because this was a custom job.  Lou Hassel was one of the originators charged with creating the first Bluebonnet Bowl.  I don't know who David Goldfarb is - perhaps a local Texas business man who helped organize the event.

With the back cover removed, I was pleased to see the movement is in decent shape.

All of the screws in the movement were very loose.  The dial wasn't even held in place and came off when I removed the hands.  It's fortunate that the watch wasn't running as the hour hand could potentially scratch the dial if it rubbed against it.

I can see that the set lever is unscrewed and that's why there is no stem installed in the watch.  I have no idea if the movement runs but I'll just clean it and cross my fingers.

While all the parts are being cleaned in the ultrasonic I will try to fix the stem tube.  This is a job for my smoothing broaches.

There... the hole is back to being round.  That will be important for supporting the stem and crown - once they are installed.

Everything is laid out to dry before being reassembled.  I already installed a new crystal.  I'm in the home stretch now.

With some tension added to the mainspring the balance is now ticking away with a good motion.  It's off to the timer.

Not too shabby, good amplitude and an acceptable beat error.  One of the improvements the 1960s will bring is an adjustable balance cock that allows fine tuning the beat error.  The 672 is "old school" and much harder to adjust so I'm happy it's within my personal specs.

I've got a new stem installed in the movement and everything is ready for the dial to go back on.  Then I can reinstall the movement in the case and slowly trim the stem until the crown fits properly on the stem tube.

This watch turned out great.  The new crystal and proper-fitting crown will give this 60+ year old automatic a new lease on life.  Paired with a genuine ostrich strap, it's ready to attend another Clemson football game.

1947 Myron

One of the more common 14/0 sized tank models is the Myron.  It was introduced in 1941 and produced through 1951 so it was made for quite a while, even with a short break for WWII.  It's also one of the few models that was produced in rose gold filled and was called the Coral Myron.  That was only produced for a single year and it's much less easy to find.

I like the Myron, it's a decent sized watch considering the watches from the 1940s can be very small.  It was cased in 10K gold filled and was outfitted with the 17 jewel 980 movement.  The sterling silver dial has a two tone white and silver butler finish and features solid 18K gold numerals.

My project watch arrived in non-working order.  If I try to wind it the hands move, sort of, so it looks like it's stuck between winding and setting.  The crown will move out and in, sort of, but something is definitely going on.  The hands are a bit corroded where they attach to the cannon pinion but the beat up crystal makes it hard to see.

The back of the case is engraved with a Christmas presentation from 1947 - almost 80 years ago.  The corners of the case back and near the crown are worn through a little but that's not too unusual for such a flat-backed watch.

With the bezel and crystal removed, you can see the dial and hands a lot better.  This appears to be an original dial.  I'll try to clean it up but I doubt it will be much better other than the numerals will be nice and shiny.

I lifted the movement out of the case back and can now see that the movement is in decent shape.  I was expecting a rusty mess.  The balance doesn't move freely but it's not wobbling, so that's a good sign.

After removing the dial and hands I can check out the other side of the movement.  The winding pinion and the clutch wheel are both very rusty, as is the stem.  That explains the issue with winding and setting.

Everything is taken apart and thoroughly cleaned.  I was able to remove the rust from the stem but I'll replace the winding pinion and clutch.  This watch had a white alloy mainspring so I can reuse that to power the watch.

The reassembled movement is bright and shiny.  It's ticking away with a decent motion.  Let's see what the timer thinks.

I was initially fooled by how close the two lines are but they are actually about as far apart as they can get.  The beat error of 9.9ms is way too high.  The good news is it should be clear to see which direction I need to adjust the hairspring collet in order to reduce the beat error.

Alright, the two lines appear to be the same distance to each other but now they're actually close to one another.  The beat error of 1.3ms is well within my personal specs.  The amplitude looks fine too.

I replaced the hands since they were corroded but the rest of the watch looks fine now.  I still need to replace the crystal but I polished the plastic crystal and it will protect the dial and hands until a new glass crystal arrives.

1956 Automatic K-405

 It's hip to be square.  I suppose if you wanted to have a complete collection of Hamilton models, you're easiest option would be to collect Hamilton automatics in square cases.  You'd only have to find two watches... collection complete.

One would be a 1956 Automatic K-405 and the other would be a 1959 Thin-o-matic T-401.  

I have had both sitting on a shelf, patiently waiting for some TLC and a trip to the spa.

The dirtier of the pair is a 1956 Automatic K-405, pictured on the left.  The K-405 was produced for three years and since there are no serial numbers on the movement, there's no way to narrow down the year unless the back of the case has a presentation.

The K-405 was presented in a 10K yellow gold filled case and was available on either a strap or a bracelet.  Either way it would set you back over $1,100 in today's dollars.  The sterling silver dial features solid 18K gold markers in two different sizes.  The dial also features a pearled track of gold dots so this would be a challenging dial to get refinished correctly.  Because the dots are on the inside of the markers, the movement features a shorter second hand.  It's shortness is exaggerated by the square shape of the bezel opening.

My project watch has tolerated a scratches crystal and a layer of old man funk for long enough.  Today is it's lucky day and it will look much better after it's cleaned up a bit.

The case back is substantial and needs to be pretty deep in order to accommodate the thick Hamilton 661 movement tucked inside.

The dial has a patina in the upper corners and along the base, presumably from dirt squeezing in past the glass crystal.  Overall it looks very good for a 70 year old watch and I see no signs that this dial has been refinished.  All of the pearled dots look consistent.

The 661 movement is made by Kurth Freres (Certina) and is a chonky mass of precision.  I like this movement, it's very solid and well designed.  The movement looks very good and clear of any pior moisture penetration.

You could fit a small cup of soup in the case back (not really).  I can see a few prior service marks inside so this watch did get some maintenance a few times over the years.

While all the parts are marinating in my ultrasonic cleaner, I will prep a new glass crystal for installation in the bezel.

One of the legs broke off the shock spring for balance and will need to be replaced.  I can just remove the entire setting by removing the screw and replace it with a piece from a donor movement.

Everything is ready to be reassembled.  I've done a few calendar movements lately and it's nice to not have any pesky springs or tiny parts to lose with this movement.  This is very familiar territory for me.

The main movement is reassembled and ticking away with a nice motion.  Once it checks out I can put the automatic framework and rotor back on.

Well this is a nice surprise - it doesn't get much better than this.

Everything is back together and looking even shinier now that it's been cleaned and oiled.  Back into the case it goes.

Fresh lume, a new glass crystal and a proper fitting strap complete the restoration of this fine Hamilton automatic.  I wonder why Hamilton only may a couple of square automatics?  Maybe being square in the 1950s wasn't all that it's cracked up to be.