1961 Stormking VIII

I don't know the Hamilton lore behind the Stormking line of models but I'm sure there must be something to it.  There are 11 different Stormking models, starting with the Stormking I, II, III, IV and V in 1955 and ending with the Stormking X and XI in 1964.  

The Stormking line features all of the case materials from solid 18K through 14K, 10K, gold filled and even stainless steel.  There's a Stormking model for just about anyone.  However,  I've only come across eight so far, and this post marks number nine.  

Today's post is the 1961 Stormking VIII.  It was produced for only two years.  It was presented in a 10K solid gold case.

I don't believe it was available with a bracelet, just a large-time alligator strap.  It was not an inexpensive model, priced at $110 in 1961 is the equivalent of over $1,100 in today's currency.  Although you'd be hard pressed to find a solid gold watch new in a jewelry store today for $1,000.

My project watch is a nice example that shows good, honest wear.  The bracelet is made by Kreisler and has started to wear grooves in the lugs.  If a bracelet is not original to the model, I'm always in favor of replacing it with a fine strap.

The case back has a deep bowl and that's to make room for the 8/0 sized US-made 735 movement that's tucked inside.  This is a one-piece case so I'll pull the crown and crystal and the movement and dial should drop out the front.

As I suspected, the 735 movement powers the watch.  This is a shock-jeweled version of the 748 movement introduced in 1948.  In another year of two, the 735 would be replaced with the 736, essentially the same movement but with a new balance design.  The movement is held securely in place with a movement ring.  The movement ring holds the assembly in the case.

The rim of the bezel is a little banged up in the 11:00 region.  There are four or five watchmaker's marks inside the case indicating that the watch was pretty well maintained - at least for the first 20 years of it's 60 year life.

The crystal has a yellow reflector ring and the crystal is cracked - perhaps by the same incident that damaged the bezel.  Cracks can let moisture in so I will replace the crystal.

I find that GS Evr-Tite crystals are a great choice for models with reflector rings.  27.9mm should do the trick.

All the parts are disassembled and cleaned in the ultrasonic (except the dial).  Actually, they get three passes - one cleaning and two separate rinses.  Everything comes out nice and shiny.

Reassembling a 748, 735 or 736 movement is not for the faint of heart and definitely not for new, aspiring watchmakers.  Getting all four pivots aligned in the train bridge takes a gentle touch and lots of patience.

The balance goes back on and the watch is ticking away.  I haven't wound it very much since there's no crown attached but there's enough energy to get it going so I can check the timekeeping.

Ooof!  The beat error is too high at 5.6ms for me to let slide.  I had the same issue with the last blog post watch I did.  This will require removing the balance from the balance cock and then adjusting the hairspring.  Trial and error is the only recourse.

Getting warmer, I'm no at 3.3ms but I challenge myself to do better than 3.0 so I will tempt fate and make another adjustment.

Okay! I'm happy with 1.1 so I will call it good to go and now I can adjust the regulator to slow the ticking down slightly.

There - right on the money.  The amplitude of 167 doesn't bother me because I haven't wound the watch up fully yet.  I'm confident it will increase when I wind the watch up properly.

The finished watch looks a lot shinier than what I started with but the new crystal is a nice improvement.  Now the watch looks as good as it runs.

1954 Newton

 Hamilton began producing men's wrist watches over 100 years ago.  Initially you had very few choices other than case material.  With each passing decade the model line up grew larger and larger to the point that men of discerning taste had many different models to choose from.

If you're a Hamilton collector you could focus your attention on only one decade and still acquire an impressive collection - as long as it wasn't the 1910 decade.

I think it's interesting to note how automobiles changed over the same time period.  Cars from the 1930s are very different from the 1960s.  You could even argue cars from the 1950s are different than the 1960s.  You could say the same about watches.

A good example of very unique styling is the 1954 Newton.  It was produced for only two years.  It was presented on either a bracelet or a leather strap.  The bracelet included styling that matches the case extremely well.  I'm not really a bracelet-guy but I think when it comes to the Newton, the bracelet would be the way to go, as you'll see.

The Newton came in a 10K gold filled case.  The dial is sterling silver and has a quadrant-design where opposing corners are brushed in a different direction than the other two corners.  So the dial looks different depending upon how the light hits it.  The dial also features 18K solid gold numerals and markers.  It's interesting to note that the 1954 catalog ad doesn't show any numerals in the 12 position and the 1955 catalog doesn't either.

My project watch arrived in typical condition, without a strap or a bracelet.  It's in decent condition and the high points on the case don't look too worn through.  The cylinder crystal has done a good job protecting the case from wear.

With the bezel removed and the movement secured in the case back, you can start to see how the different quadrants reflect light.  The dial appears to be original and shows a bit of spotting here and there but nothing too dramatic or distracting.

Based on the timeframe, I would expect to see the Newton outfitted with either a 17 jewel 747 movement or the 730 movement that replaced it in 1955.  The two calibers are the same other than the addition of shock jewels to protect the balance on the 730... definitely a nice upgrade.  This watch features a 747 movement and it looks to be in good shape.

Looking inside the case back, it's pretty easy to identify the model if you were unsure.

Everything is taken apart and thoroughly cleaned in the ultrasonic cleaner.

If you look at my earliest blog posts and overhaul examples, I typically reassembled movements in the reverse order of taking them apart.  For example, if the balance comes off first, then it goes back on last.  I think that's generally a good process although I typically install the pallet fork after the train wheels are installed - as shown in the photo below.  This allows me to verify the train spins freely before installing the pallet fork.

There - the movement is back together and running, even if my camera has frozen it in time.  Let's see what the timer thinks.

Well, everything looks good except the beat error is a little high at 4.2ms.  The closer to zero the better but getting it dialed in on this movement is tricky and more trial and error.  I have to remove the balance from the balance cock, adjust the hairspring collet, then reinstall it and check the timing.

When the beat error is zero the two lines approach each other.  In the shot below, the two lines run closely together but they are as far apart and they can get and the beat error is 9.9ms.  This means I made the adjustment in the wrong direction.  I had a 50:50 chance and chose poorly.  At least I know which direction to go now.

Well... moving in the right direction.  My personal specs are anything below 3.0ms is "good enough".  A watch with a low beat error will run longer than a watch with a higher beat error but every attempt to make and adjustment also risks disaster.

Third try isn't necessarily the charm but it's now below 3.0 and I'm calling it good.  I really don't want to screw up a perfectly good balance in the pursuit of perfection.

The final watch is reassembled and looking good on a slightly narrow strap.  Hamilton lug widths were in standard units like 5/8" or 11/16", etc.  These translate to metric equivalents of 16m or 17.4mm.  In this case 17mm is a little narrow and an 18mm would be the better choice.  Of course, you could also try to find the original bracelet - I'm sure there's one out there somewhere.

1958 Automatic K-411

 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.

Of the three models, the K-411 and the K-650 are the most similar.  The easiest way to tell them apart is is the K-650 has a stainless steel back - although the shape of the lugs is different too.

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.