1966 Sea Ranger II

Have you ever noticed someone who you don't know but who looks so familiar that you wonder if you don't really know them after all?  Some people just have one of those faces.

The same is true with watches.  There are some models that look a lot like other models and you have to scratch your head to figure out what it is.  A good example is the 1966 Sea Ranger II.  It was made for four years but it wasn't until recently that I actually saw one first hand.

The Sea Ranger II has an all numeral dial and you'd definitely spot it as a "Sea Something".  It looks a lot like a Sea Crest III, or a Seaman, or Seaman II, or Sebold.  In fact, it looks the most like a 1964 Sebold but all of these Sea-models came in stainless steel cases.  The Sea Ranger II has a 10K yellow RGP case with a stainless back, and that's what makes it unusual.  You could purchase it in 1966 for just shy of $40 and that made it one of the least expensive models in the Hamilton line up.  That's about $360 in today's dollars - a real bargain by modern mechanical watch standards.

My project watch arrived in typical "as found in a drawer" condition.  It's well worn but should clean up nicely.  

The bracelet that came on the watch is not original but the package did include the original bracelet made by JB Champion.  Unfortunately it has a broken rivet and is in need or repair.  It shows quite a bit of wear too but it would be better to repair the bracelet and install it rather than use the one-size-fits-all bracelet currently on the watch.

Like many of the Sea-somethings, the Sea Ranger II has a 17 jewel 688 movement inside.  This caliber is the grandfather of Hamilton's current manual winding movements made by ETA.  There's a very strong family resemblance to the Calibre 2804-2 used in today's Khaki Field Mechanical 

You couldn't tell through the beat up crystal that the Sea Ranger II's dial is actually textured.  This would be a very difficult, dare I say impossible, dial to refinish correctly.  Fortunately it's still in excellent shape.

Everything is cleaned and ready to be reassembled.

It took me quite a while to get it to run smoothly and to dial in the beat error and beat rate but it's looking solid now.

A new crystal and a thorough cleaning made a world of difference on this watch.  It may be "plane jane" by most people's standards but it's got a timeless style that many other models emulate.