1946 Donald

It must have been an exciting time in the Hamilton factory in 1946 as production returned to civilian models.  Production was limited though, and only 20 men's models were included in the 1946 line-up.

One of the models introduced in 1946 was the Donald.  It continued to be made until 1952.

The Donald came in a solid 14K yellow gold case with a sterling silver dial with applied18K solid gold numerals.

In 1946, all of the solid gold models had 14/0 sized  movement.  Being solid gold, each had the upgraded 19 jewel 982M (medallion) movement.  The 982M is virtually identical to the 982 movement, except it is finished to a higher degree of tolerances and decoration.

Being produced for seven years, the Donald is fairly easy to come by, relatively speaking.  It's not as common as similar gold filled models but it's certainly not rare.

I recently picked up an interesting example - and it came with it's original boxes.  The outer blue box has a label with the watch model name, along with the case serial number and the movement number.

Inside was a very nice example on a great, period-correct strap.

The dial pattern is correct for the Donal but the finish on the dial looks a little shiny to be original.  I suspect it has been refinished at some point.  That's not a big deal though - refinishing dials is very common with vintage Hamiltons and it was often included in the regular overhaul process.

Sure enough, behind the dial there are some numbers scratched in - confirming this dial was redone at some point.

On the back of the 982M you can see the gold "medallion" representing that this is a special movement.  Considering most people would never look at the back of the watch movement - the fact that Hamilton put so much attention to detail in the fine finish work of their movements is a testament to their premier quality.

To me, the best thing about a solid gold case is there's never any green verdigris to clean off like there is  on gold filled cases.

The overhaul process for a 982M is the same as any 980 or 982.  You can check one out here if you'd like to see the details.

With everything freshly cleaned, oiled and regulated, this Donald turned out to be a beautiful example.

Oddly enough, the case number and movement number do not match the outer box info.  So it's not a completely "matched" set.  It sort of makes you wonder how it came about though... was the box added later, was the watch returned for service and a different one substituted?

There is no way to tell for sure.  It will have to remain a mystery.