I think I've documented about 800 of the 1100 or so mechanical watches produced by Hamilton prior to 1969. That means what is left to find it either really expensive, really hard to find, or both. I try to not duplicate models I've already documented but at the same time, I've been doing this blog for over 12 years now - so there's room to duplicate things now and again.
A good example is the 1958 Automatic K-411. I last detailed this model in December of 2014... ten years ago.
The K-411 was produced for only two years. It looks a lot like the 1960 K-419 (which I haven't come across yet) and especially the 1960 K-650 - with which it shares the same dial.
My project watch arrived in better condition than the last K-411 I did but it still had a lot of challenges in store. Looking at it, there doesn't seem to be any major issues, although I have no idea when it was last touched by a watchmaker.
The gold filled back is screwed on REALLY tight. I'm not able to hold the watch in my hands and use a case opener at the same time.
I had to resort to some penetrating oil and my case holder in a separate vise. Now I can use two hands on the case opener to hopefully get the case back to unscrew.
Phew! Eventually the case back released and unscrewed along with a lot of DNA of a prior owner. It's open now and the 661 movement inside appears to be in decent shape.
The set lever screw has been replaced by an incorrect screw. That will need to be replaced. There's also a missing screw on the train bridge. The bridge is held with four screws and three is probably "good enough" but I'll replace the missing screw too.
I'm unable to get the stem to come out. It looks like the movement ring is slightly rotated and blocking the stem from coming out. I'll have to figure out how to rotate it or just pull it out separate from the movement.
I got the movement ring out and I can see the stem tube has a flat side, like the letter D and the flat edge is blocking the stem from coming out.
Fortunately I was able to grab the stem with pliers and unscrew the crown, so now I can pull the movement and stem out the back of the case.
While the movement is in the cleaner, I will try to fix the stem tube. The appropriate sized rounding broach should do the trick.
A little tweaking finally gets the stem tube rounded again. I presume the incorrect placement of the movement ring is what damaged the stem tube.
Perfect - now the stem will be able to be reinstalled once the movement is complete.
Everything is cleaned and dried. There are a lot of parts to this movement but it's not too difficult to reassemble if you take your time.
The correct set lever screw is pictured (left) next to the incorrect screw a prior watchmaker used. I guess if the threads are correct it would work but I'll use the proper screw for this restoration.
The reassembled movement is ticking away with a good motion - lets see what the timer says...
Not too shabby. No adjustments required. Now I can reassemble the rest of the parts and install it in the case.
The finished watch looks as good as it runs and it runs great. This was an interesting project, I'm glad I was able to address it's hidden issues.
