Long before there were men's wrist watches there were ladies wrist watches. Men of distinction would wear a pocket watch. I guess the trenches of WWI proved that real men could wear wrist watches and by the early 1920s you could find men's and ladies models in Hamilton's line up.
Information about vintage Hamilton watch repair, restoration, models, and advice for collecting and collectors
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Saturday, August 31, 2024
1923 Ladies Decagon
Monday, August 12, 2024
1959 Thin-o-matic T-450
My project watch arrived on a metal bracelet. It's not the original bracelet but it's not too far off. The one thing you'll immediately notice is the dial is askew. The crown is missing and its safe to assume the stem is too, or the movement wouldn't have been able to rotate. It looks like the hour hand has been rubbig the dial, based on the marks on the dial below the Hamilton logo.
Sunday, August 11, 2024
1941 Barry
One of my favorite things about restoring watches is when someone contacts me with a family piece. The story is almost always the same... "I found my grandfather's (or father's or even great grandfather's) watch in a box (or drawer, or pile of stuff) and I'd like to get it working again". I think it's almost a universal story, including my own, for how people start to collect watches.
My least favorite thing is when someone contacts me with a family piece that they're looking to sell. It always reminds me of the "Cats in the Cradle" song. Someone's memory is being forgotten and perhaps they didn't do a good job creating memories worth keeping.
It's a lesson for us all.
Anyway, I recently had an opportunity to restore family piece and I thought I'd share it with you.
It's a 1941 Hamilton Barry. The Barry was introduced in 1941 and continued into 1946, with a slight disruption in between to fight a war.
Monday, August 5, 2024
1964 Thinline 2005
1964 was an interesting year for Hamilton watches. It was the only year that featured the M-series of men's models and there were a few one-year-wonders too. The M-series was made for several years but only 1964 featured them with the rest of the line.
As for watches you'd only find in 1964, one of them is the Thinline 2005.
The Thinline 2005 was cased in solid 14K gold. It's a unique in that it didn't have a second hand. That's uncommon but not unheard of. You could be forgiven if you feel sub second hands are over rated. They are so small. Without a second hand the dial is a cleaner, simpler design. This simple design is even more apparent when the watch is super thin, like a Thinline model.
Everything is taken apart and thoroughly cleaned. The crystal has been polished and should be okay to reuse. Now to reassemble it with fresh lubrication.