1980s Hamilton Avirex 9219 Field Watch

If you were cuckoo for Hamilton field watches you could amass a fairly decent collection of different, but similar models - way larger than the uninformed novice would imagine.

Before the days of internet shopping, mail order was the way people would shop for things that weren't available in their local stores.  In fact, mail order shopping goes way back to the 19th century and you could even buy a house by mail order - with some assembly required, of course.

In the 1970s a new company called Avirex was started and it specialized in aviation-related military surplus like pilot's jackets.  They introduced a mail order catalog and eventually expanded their featured products beyond military surplus, including a field watch manufactured by Hamilton.

The same was true for other catalog stores like LL Bean, Orvis, and Brookstone, to name a few.  

Hamilton marketed the same watch as the original Khaki model and it evolved over the 1980s to two different case designs, the 9219 and the 9415 (or 9415A).  Both are based on the military models that Hamilton produced at the time - the GG-W-113 and the Mil-W-46374D.

The 9219 case preceded the 9415 and although they look almost identical, they utilize different movements.  Regardless, they are both high quality models and regardless of what brand is on the dial, they have become really popular with Hamilton collectors.  The challenge now is to find all the different variants - if that's your thing.

My project watch arrived in the usual condition of a field watch in need of a trip to the spa - the crystal is beat up and cracked.  The parkerized stainless steel case can take a beating though so other than being dirty, it's issue-free.

The case back unscrews using a case wrench.  I see a couple of minor scrapes so I suspect I'm not the first person to try to get into this watch.  The spring bars are parkertized too and not removable so this watch is intended to be worn on a one-piece NATO style strap.

The movement inside the 9219 models is an ETA 2750.  This caliber is often marked as a Hamilton 649 - and it's the same caliber used in the GG-W-113.

The case back has a couple of prior service marks inside so this watch has had some maintenance done over the last 40 years - which is great.

The dial is held on with two small clips that rotate outward to free the dial feet.

Once the balance is removed you can see 2750 is stamped on the main plate.  If you happened to need a part, this info is critical to identifying the part number of what you'd need.

The outside of the barrel has a coating of mainspring grease.  This could eventually dry and gum up the works.

While all the parts are in the ultrasonic, I'll install a new crystal in the case.  Even the reflector ring has a parkerized finish.

It's now time for reassembly.  I like ETA movements, even though the calibers can differ, they all go back together in the same, familiar, way.

The reassembled movement is ticking away with a nice motion.  It looks about the same as before but now there is fresh oil inside and that makes a huge difference in the longevity of the watch.  It's important to have a watch cleaned and oiled every few years if you're going to wear it.

The timer is looking pretty good.  Notice this watch has a faster beat rate than pre-1969 Hamilton models.  This watch ticks 21,600 times in an hour, versus the traditional 18,000 times.  The amplitude of 263 degrees is plenty and the beat error of 1.4ms is within my tolerance but it's so easy to adjust that I'd feel guilty leaving it as is.

There... a couple of fine adjustments and the beat error is reduced to near-zero.  Notice that improves the amplitude slightly - the beat error is the measure of how far the balance swings from one side to the other.  When it's perfectly aligned, it swings the most side to side.  I also tweaked the regulator to bring the beat rate down to +3 seconds per day.

With a new crystal, my finished project now looks and runs like it just arrived in the mail from the mail order catalog it was originally purchased from.  All it needs now is a 17.4mm strap (11/16") but an 18mm is probably the best you can do.  The fun thing about these watches is you can find straps in all sorts of colors and change them out with ease.  This is a very unique, and rare watch.

1966 Dateline T-675

There's been a longstanding gap in the Hamilton catalogs - the 1967 version is missing.  I don't know if there never was one or if the 1966-1967 version simply covered both years.  Regardless, there's a fairly scarce model called the Dateline T-675 that doesn't show up in the 1966 catalog.

The Dateline T-675 came in a 10K rolled gold plated case.  There's not much known about it other than an example has been found with the original sticker on the case back - thus identifying it.

My project watch came courtesy of a friend of mine who said he "had his grandfather's Hamilton watch somewhere" and after several years of looking, he finally found it.  It wasn't working and was obviously well-worn.

The main concern is the case back is worn all the way through, presumably from winding although there's some wear to the opposite side too.

The single-piece case opens through the crystal.  It looks like there was an attempted repair at some point using silver solder.  There are several prior service marks inside the case.  There are two numbers inside the watch.  The upper one starting with P is unique to this example and the other one is the model number.  Notice it's 997266.  The 66 indicates this model was introduced in 1966.  Why it's not in the catalog is a mystery.

The crown is an obvious replacement, as it has a Bulova Accutron logo.

The female side of the two piece stem is retained in the crown and one side has broken off.  So I'll need a new stem to go with a proper crown.

Tucked inside the case is what I believe is a Hamilton 619 movement but to be honest, it's hard to make out the number.  It looks like pretty much every other pink Buren micro rotor movement except this one has a calendar complication on the front.

The dial side of the movement has a lot going on.  Two screws secure the framework that covers the parts that advance the date wheel.  Remove the screws and you can lift off the cover.

There's not too much to this complication.  As the minute hand moves it advances the hour hand.  The hour hand rotates the gold wheel on the right and eventually it extends a finger to sweep the date wheel counter clockwise.  The silver lever on the left is held in place by a spring in the cover and it indexes and centers the wheel in the date window.

The hole in the case has resulted in rust in the barrel bridge.  One of the screws is rusted in place and won't come out.  Hopefully my ultrasonic cleaner will shake it free.

Yeah, this hole is definitely going to be a problem.

While everything is being cleaned I'll prep a new crown and a female stem for installation.  I'll have to trim the threaded end to the perfect length to match the male side while it's installed in the case.

All the parts are cleaned and ready to be reassembled - there are a LOT of parts in this movement but practice makes perfect and I won't have any left over.

The ultrasonic allowed me to separate all the parts in the barrel bridge.  Now I can reinstall them.

The movement is mostly reassembled and powered up with a few turns of the mainspring.  Now I have to reinstall the balance jewels and then add the balance.  Notice the Buren caliber stamped under the balance is 1009 - that would be helpful if I needed parts.

Voila - my camera has frozen time but the movement is ticking away with a nice motion.

Not too shabby - I'll leave it here until it's ready for reassembly.

The reassembled watch has one major issue left - I have to address the hole in the case.   I'll have to consult a goldsmith or two.

I had two jewelers turn me down and not be able to repair the case.  It's back to plan B... either I fill it with an epoxy of some sort or I try to do it myself.  The challenge with solder is it won't fill a hole.  It will fill a gap in a seam but it won't close a hole. 

I have nothing to lose and need some gold so I stripped an old dial of a few of it's solid gold numerals.

I melted the numerals with a butane torch and hammered them into discs.  With the case fluxed, I'll try to solder the gold with gold solder and see if I can close the hole up.

Well... that's not too too bad.  I'll have to keep at it.

After about 10 attempts I'm starting to see some progress.  I wouldn't say this was easy but at least I haven't screwed it up yet.

Alright, my finished project appears to be sealed but I'll put a dollop of epoxy on the inside just to be safe.

My finished project looks fantastic from the front.  It will be best to keep a close eye on the case though and keep the watch well away from water.  This was a nice save of a very uncommon Hamilton model.  Hope fully it will be good for another 50 years.

1950 Spencer

Hamilton made watches in all sorts of materials but rarely in "cheap" materials, that is, at least, up until the late 1950s when the watch industry faced significant competition from lower cost global competitors.  For many decades Hamilton used metals that ranged from platinum on the high end, to 10K gold filled on the low end, eventually introducing stainless steel for the most durable models.

Gold filled has a couple of different levels but generally it's 1/20 gold filled - meaning 1/20th of the case thickness is layered in gold - that's 5% and a significant difference over gold plated cases where the gold layer is measured in microns.

Fitting almost squarely in the middle is 10K solid gold - above which you'd have 14K, 18K and platinum and below would be 14K gold filled, 10K gold filled, eventually Rolled Gold Plate (or RGP), and stainless steel.

Solid 10K gold is the most durable of the solid gold options but it wasn't used all that often.  One of the models to feature it was the 1950 Spencer.

The Spencer was produced for five years (through 1954) and featured a sterling solver dial with 18K solid gold numerals.  Tucked inside the case was Hamilton 17 jewel 8/0 sized 747 movement.

My project Spencer reminds me of Jack, from Jack and Jill - it appears to have lost it's crown and the number 7 has come off too.  Fortunately it's caught under the hour hand so it will be easy to replace.

The case back looks fine but it probably has a bit of wear based on the soft details of Hamilton and 10K solid gold.  It will probably look a lot better with some light buffing.

The dial looks to be an older refinish.  It's not bad but I can tell from the finish that it's not an original dial.  It's the correct pattern though and with the 7 put back in place it looks much better.

The hole in the side of the movement where the stem goes makes me wonder if the stem and crown came out together.  That's pretty unusual.  Perhaps there's an issue with the set lever that holds the stem in place.

The case back makes it easy to identify the model - it's clearly stamped right there in the center.

There are numbers scratched into the back of the dial - proof positive that it has been refinished.  I'll put a small dollop of UV glue over the posts that hold the 7 in place - that will secure the posts once I place the dial in the sunshine for a few minutes.

With all the parts stripped from the back of the movement, I can see there's a portion of the stem still holding the winding pinion and clutch in place.  That means the set lever is doing its thing.  I can turn the set lever screw a few turns and slide the remainder of the stem out the hole.

Everything is cleaned and ready to be reassembled.  I like the 747 movement.  It's very well designed and  almost reassembles itself.

The completed movement is ticking away with a good motion.  So it's off to the timer to listen to how it's working.  This photo shows the serial number of the movement - Y149205.  That dates the watch to 1949.  The model years for watches are similar to automobiles, the next year models came out in the Fall of the prior year.  So this watch is likely a 1950 model from late 1949 - perhaps a Christmas present.

It's running a little fast and the beat error is well out of range.  The amplitude of 209 degrees is on the low end.  That will likely come up after I adjust the beat error.  The 8/0 movements actually have several different strength mainsprings.  This watch already had a white alloy spring but it might be the minimum strength option.

Reducing the beat error requires pulling the balance from the balance cock and rotating the hair spring collet in the correct direction the correct amount - so it's not a task for the faint of heart.  One false move and the watch will only tell the correct time twice a day.. as it will no longer work.

Fortunately I chose wisely and went the correct direction the correct amount.  The beat error of 2.3ms is well within my personal specs of 3.0ms and the benefit of reducing it further really doesn't justify the potential risk of goofing it up.  I like the Swiss-made Hamilton calibers more when it comes to adjusting beat error - you can fine tune it to near-zero without risking the balance because the hairspring stud is moveable (most of the time).

A couple of tweaks to the regulator brings the beat right right in line.  Notice the amplitude came up to 251 degrees - that's perfectly fine.

The last thing this watch needed was to have a new stem and crown installed.  Voila - it's now ready for another 75 years of wrist time!