1964 Thinline 2007

There are a lot of doppelgängers in Hamilton's line up - watch models that look like other models.  Sometimes the only thing different is the dial... like the Secometer and the Sentinel.  Other times the only thing different is the case material, like the 14K GF Clark and the 10K GF Yorktowne.  

I think one of the most subtle doppelgängers out there are the 1964 Rayburn and the 1964 Thinline 2007.

The Rayburn was introduced in 1962 and is probably the more common of the two to find in the wild.  To the trained eye the models look almost identical.  There is a slight difference to the side of the bezel and you might get really picky and say the Thinline 2007 has a shorter hour hand, but that could be just the creative license of the illustrator.  They both have the same very uniquely stylized numerals at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 positions.

The most obvious way to tell them apart is the Thinline 2007 will say SWISS at the bottom of the dial, while the Rayburn will not.  The latter uses a USA-made 770 movement.  The Thinline uses a Swiss-made Hamilton 687 caliber.

My project watch is in decent shape with the tell-tale signs of having been on a metal bracelet - there are grooves worn into the lugs.  Fortunately it's not too bad.  I typically recommend a leather strap over a bracelet, especially if it's not the original bracelet paired to the watch.

The case lives up to the name of the model line - it's really thin and very flat on the back.  There's an obvious lip for a case knife so you know this is a two-piece case.

Without the beat up crystal in the way, I see two dents where the dial feet secure the dial onto the movement.  One at the 5 marker and the other between 10 and 11.  So someone has gotten into this case at some point and was a little rough on the dial.

If you have a keen eye you may notice there's a screw missing in the barrel bridge - at the 6 o'clock position in the photo below.  That's another clue that someone's been here before me and they lost a screw in the process.

The inside of the case back is unscathed by any watchmakers' marks.  That's interesting, as I'm definitely walking in someone's footsteps.  There are two numbers in the case.  The S number is a unique serial number known only to S&W, the case maker.   It has no significance.  S114637 or S114535 could be ould be for a different model or even a different watch company, depending on the size of the batch this case was made in.  The other number is the model number.  It ends with 64 - that's a clue that this is a 1964 model and every Thinline 2007 will have this number inside.

Everything is taken apart and cleaned.

The reassembled movement is ticking away with a good motion.  You can't see it in the photo but you can tell when a watch is running well just by looking at the hairspring.  It "breathes" as it extends and contracts with every beat.

I accidentally deleted the photo of the watch's performance on the timer but it had a 9.9ms beat error.  It was way out of beat.  

If you notice the position of the hairspring stud above, it's very close to the balance cock.  I had to move it clockwise significantly to get the balance centered and reduce the beat error. 

As you can see below, the beat error was reduced to 0.2ms - almost perfect.

Compare the position of the balance cock in the photo below and you'll see how far off it was originally.

A quick tweak to the position of the regulator speeds up the watch.  Now the timing is almost right on the money, I tend to leave a watch running a little fast, as it will settle down after a while.

With a new crystal and fresh strap, this 60 year old Hamilton is ready for wrist time.  It's a really nice looking dress watch and would be very comfortable to wear.