1980s Hamilton Khaki Pocket Watch

Hamilton made field watches for the Allied forces in WWII and they are very popular with collectors today.  

Hamilton continued to make military watches in the 1950s, 60s and 1970s in various quality levels, depending upon the military contract specifications.  

The look and feel of Vietnam-era watches includes a parkerized case, a black dial, and luminous hour markers and hands.  These features lend themselves well to "civilian" use too and in the 1980s Hamilton started to produce their Khaki line along with similar (identical) models cobranded for LL Bean, Orvis, and other outdoorsy retailers.

The model like included a pocket watch option and other than being larger overall, it's features are the same as the wrist watch field watch, right down to running the same movement.

It's not too hard to find the LL Bean pocket watch but the Khaki variant is a little more scarce, in my opinion.  

I recently received a Khaki pocket watch in need of some serious TLC.  I'm sure it could tell some tales, based on it's condition.

One thing you'll immediately notice is the crystal is cracked in several place.  Of more concern, the second hand is missing and does not appear to be rattling inside the crystal.  I wonder where it went?

The back of the case appears to be marked N/A, which is very odd.  There's a tiny lip in the case back where I can insert a case knife to carefully pry off the back and reveal the movement.

Inside is a Hamilton 649 movement made by ETA and is based on the 2750 caliber.  This is the same movement used in the GG-W-113 military models.  The movement ring is a good visual indicator of how large the case is relative to a standard wrist watch.

Everything is cleaned and dried before being reassembled with fresh lubricants.

The reassembled movement is ticking away with a good motion.  The beat rate of more modern watches is faster than the typical 18,000 beats per hour of vintage watches.  It's noticeably faster than "one mississippi, two mississippi, etc".

It's running a smidgeon fast but I can easily adjust that.

A new crystal is a huge improvement but the real challenge to this project was finding a second hand.  The second hand bit is .025mm and I needed to find the longest hand of a similar style that I could find.  This one isn't too bad but it doesn't have the white ball on the short end of the hand.  It doesn't really matter though, this was the best I could find and it's looks way better than nothing at all.

These watches have become very popular... perhaps to my blog (who knows?).  I used to be able to pick these up for under $100 as project watches but now even the unrestored examples often sell for over $250... go figure.  This one is definitely a keeper but it's not mine so it will go on to it's happy owner.

1960 Automatic K-650

 Hamilton's first line of automatic models was the K-series and you could get models in everything from solid 14K gold all the way through stainless steel.  Only one model was offered in 10K rolled gold plate though - the K-650. 

The K-650 was introduced in 1959 and featured an embossed dial with numerals and markers.  If you come across this model you know it's a 1959 version.

In 1960 the dial was changed to yellow markers on a white (silver) rim.  Both models came the with same bracelet that reminds me of coffins and is easy to spot if you're in the market for one.

Being a X5X model, you'd be correct to assume the case back is stainless steel.  The 6XX denotes Rolled Gold Plate so the 650 is the first RGP / Stainless model in the K-series and it's the only one so there is no 651 or 652, etc.

If the dial looks familiar, I believe it's the same dial you'll find on a the 1958 K-451. So the easiest way to tell the difference between the K411 and K650 is the case back... if it's stainless steel, it's a  K650.

My project watch arrived in typical "as found in a drawer" condition.  It's actually not too bad and the owner provided a genuine Hamilton strap with a similar diamond-shaped pattern reminiscent of the coffin-linked bracelet.  The crystal on my project is a bit yellowed.  A fresh crystal will make a huge improvement.

Stainless steel can take a beating and this case back has a lot of scratches.  I should be able to polish most of them away, or at least make them less prominent.

Most K-series models use the same 17 jewel 661 movement made by Kurth Freres / Certina.  I like this movement.  It's big and chunky but it gets the job done and when it's well-maintained it's a real workhorse.

The movement is completely disassembled and cleaned.  It takes about 20 minutes to go through the cleaning cycle and two rinse cycles in my ultrasonic but the results and always sparkling.

The partially assembled movement is missing it's automatic bits but it's now running nicely.  At this point it's a manual-winding movement and will run just fine as is.  However, once the framework and rotor are attached the movement will wind itself as you wear it.

The timer agrees that this movement is running excellently - no adjustments are warranted.

As promised, a new crystal really makes this watch pop.  It's a gem for sure, even though it was probably positioned as Hamilton's least expensive automatic at the time.

1930 Coronado

Some of the most popular Hamilton models are also some of the oldest.  Hamilton's first wrist watches for men came out in late 1918 but you only had one choice for a few years.  By 1927 several models were available but there were only six to choose from, unless you add the various case materials and dials as options.

After that, every year brought more and more options.  In 1930 the Coronado joined the lineup.  It bears a strong family resemblance to the Piping Rock, which came out a couple of years earlier.  Both models feature a three-piece solid gold case with flexible lugs.  However, the Coronado has a barrel shaped bezel.  Both models feature very plain dials with the hour numbers integrated into the enamel of the bezel.

Between the Piping Rock and the Coronado, it's hard to say which one I prefer more.  Probably the Coronado, as there aren't that many of them out there. 2,343 14K white gold Coronados were made compared to 1,524 14K yellow models.  Hamilton records indicate that three 14K green gold examples were made... thus making the green gold Coronado one of the rarest models out there.

The Coronado featured the top of the line movement that was produced at the time... the 19 jewel 979 movement, later versions would get the 979F when it came out.  So you will find Coronado's with either movement - they are identical other than the jewel settings in the 979F are held in place by friction instead of screws.

The one liability that the Coronado and Piping Rock share are the flexible lugs.  They're not overly fragile but after 90 years they can become a bit floppy.  A talented gold smith can repair them so.  Check out this post to see an example.

My project watch arrived in average condition. The lugs are very flexible but not broken.  The bezel shows a bit of wear - this is probably the one thing to look at when you're in the market for a Coronado - assuming you even find one.

The one feature of this watch that I don't care for is the crown.  It's an obvious replacement and looks as out of place as a rubber nose and fake mustache.  I should be able to find a better alternative.

As you can see, the lugs flex more than they did originally.  A tight case will have the lugs point downward, to curve with the wrist.

The serial number of the movement dates to 1929.  That's not an issue as the model year for watches is like cars and starts in the second half of the prior year.  So the 1930 models came out at the end of 1929.  This is a first year Coronado.

Without a case, you can really tell how simple the dial is. It's engraved so it can be refinished perfectly time and time again, as long as the engraving isn't worn off.

The mainspring is set so I'll replace it with a fresh white alloy spring.

The numbers scratched into the back of the dial are evidence that this dial has been refinished at least once previously.

The movement is disassembled and thoroughly cleaned.  One interesting feature of the 979 movement is the center wheel is solid gold... did I mention it was the top of the line movement?

The reassembled movement is ticking away with a good motion.

Its running a little fast but I should be able to slow it down.

There we go... the mainspring has given this watch a lot of energy, almost too much as the amplitude is very high.  It should be okay though.

A new crown is a huge improvement to this watch.  It now looks and runs great.  I'm sure it would be the pride of any collection.

1934 Livingstone

"Dr Livingstone, I presume?"

The subject of that well known greeting was the namesake for my latest project watch.  David Livingstone was a well know British explorer from Victorian times.

In 1932 Hamilton introduced the "explorer" series.  These new models all featured the 12/0 sized 401 movement that was based on an Illinois caliber that came as the result of the acquisition of the Illinois Watch Company in 1928.

Four models were introduced in 1932... all named for famous explorers... Byrd, Ericsson, Andrews, and Wilkinson.

In 1933 the Stanley joined the series, named after Henry Morton Stanley.

Henry Morton Stanley is the explorer that found Livingstone on the shores of Lake Tanganyika on November 10, 1871 and he's the one who said, "Dr Livingstone, I presume".  In 1934, the Livingstone joined the series for the third and final year.  After 1934 the 401 movement was retired.

The Explorer series are fairly scarce.  They were offered in solid gold and gold filled cases.  The 401 movement is very scarce and your ability to maintain one is probably limited to scavenging from an Illinois caliber unless you happen upon a 401 from someone scrapping a $700 watch for $100 in gold.  So, if you're going to purchase a Hamilton Explorer model, you may want to make sure it's working.

My project watch shows some wear to the gold filled case but it's not too bad thanks to having a fairly thick crystal installed.  It protected the case from wear from shirt sleeves over the last 90 years.  It's not working, hopefully it doesn't have a major issue, as I do not have a donor movement to help save the day.

The back of the case looks great.  If I didn't know better I would have suspected it to be solid gold.

The dial is a little dirty in the corners but has a very nice milk chocolate patina.  I'll try to remove the gunk but leave the dial looking 90 years old.

The 401 is a 12/0 sized movement, just like the 770 movement that would be introduced in 1955.  However the 401 is almost 1.5x the size.  That's because the 12/0 size is based on the width and the 401 is much longer than a 770.  The movement is wound but not running.  The balance looks to be okay but lots of things can prevent a watch from running.

Looking at the dial side of the. main plate, its a fairly simple setup.  I'm not able to set the time for some reason - hopefully a good cleaning will clear that up.

Notice there are five wheels in the gear train.  One of them, for the seconds hand, is just an arbor and the fourth wheel drives both the escape wheel and the seconds hand.

Everything is cleaned and ready to be reassembled.

The train wheels are all in place.  Now the trick will be to get the train bridge in place.  Getting five pivots to all line up at the same time can be very challenging but that's what you need to do to get the train bridge in place.

Five minutes later and the bridge is in place.

Next in place is the mainspring and the barrel bridge.

The balance came separated from the balance cock in the ultrasonic.  The hair spring stud screw came out.  Can you see it in the photo?  It took me quite a while to find it.

For whatever reason, it took me over 30 minutes to get the balance installed and the watch running.  Hairsprings from this era are unforgiving... one false move and you're toast.   But the movement is now ticking away with a good motion.  Time to see how it's really doing.

When I first saw the timegrapher I was thrilled.  However, the beat error is really high.  The amplitude is great though.  To adjust the beat error I will need to remove the balance again and to be honest, without a spare balance, I'm not willing to try.  I'll take a ticking watch that keeps time over a non-running watch that is only correct twice a day.  A high beat error means the watch will stop a little earlier than a watch with a low beat error, and it might need a little flick of the wrist to get started but I'll take it.

The finished watch will benefit from a new crystal but a nice genuine croc strap goes a long way toward making it look great.  This is a great watch... too bad I need to send it back to it's owner.

1937 Sidney

The most prominent decorative art style in the 1920s and the 1930s was Art Deco.  It features delineated geometric shapes and bold colors.  You'll find Art Deco influences in all sorts of objects from household appliances to sky scraper buildings.  It's sometimes applied incorrectly to the bold linear designs from the 1950s and 60s that would be better described as Mid Century Modern.  However, you'll often find Art Deco influences in the watch designs from the 1930s.  A great example is the 1937 Sidney.  It was produced through 1940.

 

The Sidney was part of a new generation of models that introduced the "new" 6/0 sized 987A movement.  The 987A replaced the 987E and although it shares a lot of the same parts, it was a significantly improved design.  The 987A would eventually power hundreds of thousands of WWII military watches.

My Sidney project watch is an interesting example.  At first blush, the dial appears to be the black enamel numeral design - it's definitely the correct pattern.

However, the printing is actually gold in color, depending on how the light hits is.  So this is obviously a refinished dial, but it's very interesting.

This was a Christmas present from 1938 for "Ethel" from Bus Tate.  That's a rather odd name, don't you think?  Is it a first and last name or is it nickname?  I wonder what the story was between Ethel and Bus Tate.

This is an early 987A movement... the 38,077th one to be made to be exact.  However, notice the extra holes in the barrel bridge and the train bridge to accommodate case screws.  There were no three piece cases during this timeframe but this movement was designed for use in one - perhaps as a replacement should a 987, 987F or 987E fail.

The movement winds and winds and winds without ever getting tought - so that's a clear sign that the mainspring is broken or not attached to the arbor.  Opening up the barrel solves the mystery, this blue steel mainspring is clearly broken.

The crystal on the watch is clearly beat up so while all the movement parts are in the cleaner I will prep a new glass crystal for installation.

Everything is ready to be reassembled.

The movement is ticking away with a vigorous motion.  Let's see what the timer has to say.

It's running a tad fast and has a high amplitude.. maybe the mainspring I installed is too strong.  I'll try another.

Yikes... it's still running way too fast and beyond the adjustment of the regulator.

One of the things that can make a balance run really fast is if one of the balance weights comes off... that can happen in the ultrasonic as the weights are just screwed into the balance wheel.  They're installed in pairs opposite each other across the balance arm.  A missing weight will dramatically speed up the motion but in this case I don't see any gaps.

A balance is "poised" so that it's equally weighted all the way around and doesn't have a "heavy side".  In order to slow a balance you can add weights to wheel.  If you need to speed a balance up you can remove weight.  However, you need to make sure you change the weight the same on each side of the balance.

In this situation I will add a timing washer to two opposing screws on the balance.  I'll use the screws that are closest to the balance arm.  These timing washers are tiny - so tiny that you probably wouldn't even see them if I took a photo.  They are crazy small but just heavy enough to slow the balance 1, 2 or 3 minutes per day, depending on which one you choose.

Well, now it's running a smidgeon slow but I can adjust it from here with the regulator.

A touch here, and shove there, and finally I get the beat rate to be an acceptable 11 seconds per day fast.  The amplitude and beat error are excellent too.

My finished project watch is looking great with a new crystal and it's running as nice as it looks.  This was a challenging project, I'm glad I was able to fix it.  I think Ethel would be very pleased.