1960 Thin-o-matic T-403

I think one of the most popular genres of Hamilton collecting is the asymmetric models.  You can find them in all of the movement types... Electric, Mechanical, and Automatic.  The Ventura and the Pacer are probably the most popular but there are lots of really cool models to choose from... if you can afford them.

Even the Thin-o-matic line got some action with the 1960 T-403.  It was produced through 1963.  Originally it was offered in a yellow gold filled case.  What makes it interesting is the shark-finned shaped lugs where the left side is straight and the right side sweeps out to cover the right side of the lugs.  The dial adds to the effect with two zones, one side gold and the other white finished.  The gold side has yellow embossed markers and the silver side has black lines radiating from the center to the 1, 2,3, 4 and 5 positions.

In 1962 a white gold filled option was introduced.  The dial for the white version has grey instead of gold.  Interesting, the style of hands are stick and lollipop with the yellow version getting black hands and the white version getting yellow hands.  So the yellow models are similar but also very different.

I posted on the white version in 2018 and recently had the opportunity to work on a yellow version

As received, you could be forgiven for not recognizing it.  It appears to have suffered an identity crisis.  The dial is a refinished replacement but the gold color is accurate.  The minute hand is luminous but the hour hand is not.  Check out the crown, I'm not sure what is going on with it, other than being extremely worn.  The watch is not running but hopefully I'll be able to resolve that with a basic overhaul.

The flat case back shows a lot of wear too.  It appears to be somewhat crudely engraved with initials and a date from June, 1961... perhaps a birthday, graduation, or even wedding?

With the crystal removed and the two piece stem separated, the movement will now drop out the front.  Notice the inside of the crown... maybe this was waterproof at some point but it definitely needs to be replaced.  The stem tube on the case looks to be larger - probably 2.5mm will be required.  There's a lot that goes into specifying the crown, you'd be surprised.

Behind the dial is a Hamilton 663 movement - one of the earlier pink micro rotor movements.  I greatly prefer these over the later silver micro rotors from the late 1960s and 70s.

The inside of the case back exhibits the sure tale signs of a micro rotor movement - you can see where the little oscillating weight and rubbed the inside of the case as it swung around.

One of the dial foot screws is totally buggered up.  In fact, most of the screws look like they've been turned with crappy screwdrivers.

The owner sent along a correct dial that has seen some adventures but lived to tell the tales.  It's a little dented and shows some scrapes but at least it's correct.  I don't have the proper hands though so I'll have to do the best I can.

Everything is cleaned and ready to be reassembled.  There are a lot of parts to these micro rotor movements but I should be able to get them all back together.

There... the movement is mostly reassembled... at least enough to be running so I can put it on the timer.

Not too shabby - I'll leave it as is for now.

The movement requires a 0.90 minute hand and 1.50mm hour hand - those sizes don't have a lot of options when it comes to simple black baton hands.  The second hand requires a 0.22mm pivot so I just painted the gold one that came with it black to match.  A new crown and replacement crystal make a huge difference on this well-worn case.  I also add a proper-fitting black leather strap.

I think the finished project looks great - especially compared to what I started with.  It's not perfect but it's 65 years old... it doesn't have to look new.  I'm sure the owner will enjoy it more now that it at least looks like a T-403 at a glance.

1956 Laird or 1954 Debonair L

It's been a hot minute since I've had a new model for the blog.  They're getting fewer and far between.  Still plenty to go though and they're not all solid gold rarities.

This one is about as plane-jane as they go, but still rather uncommon.  It's a 1956 Laird... a one year wonder, sort of.  Priced at $45 in 1956, that's the equivalent of about $545 in today's currency - so not cheap by any stretch but definitely entry-level by Hamilton standards

The Laird is interesting in that it was previously one of the Illinois models, specifically the Debonair L, introduced in 1954.  I haven't come across that model yet so this post is actually a two-fer.  Hamilton re-introduced the Illinois brand (that it purchased in 1928) and issued watches with Swiss-made movements.  This was sort of a test to see how the market would respond without "risking" the Hamilton brand.  When the world kept turning, executives migrated away from the Illinois branding and eventually there were lots of new Hamilton models introduced in 1956.

What's even more interesting is lots of the new Hamilton models were "B" models and in 1957 they dropped the B.  For example, the Jason B became the Jason, the Cabot B became the Cabot, et al.  The B signifies that the movement changed and the B model had an Illinois movement while the non-B had a Hamilton movement - but otherwise they looked mostly the same.  

So the Laird is interesting in that it doesn't have a B version but it does use an Illinois movement like in the Debonair L.  I guess because it wasn't planned for 1957, there was no need to make a B version.

What's also interesting is my project watch has a slightly different dial.  I would call this a non-cataloged option since it's obviously an original embossed dial.

The case back is stainless steel - also a new attribute for Hamilton watches, at least with RGP bezels.  There were earlier all-stainless models, of course.  This just underscores the efforts Hamilton undertook to stay cost competitive in an increasingly challenging global market.

Getting embossed dials refinished can be problematic as refinishers can often wear down the figures during the refinishing process.  The result is the figures look soft and rounded over - very dissatisfying, in my opinion.  This dial shows good, honest dirt that comes with age.  I won't even try to clean it.

The inside of the case back makes short work of identifying the model.  It says LAIRD right inside the back.

The movement inside is an Illinois branded movement without a caliber reference.  The TXD on the balance cock is actually the import code for Illinois - all Illinois models in the 1950s have this code.  This movement is based on an A. Schild 1200 and will eventually become the Hamilton 673.

Everything is take apart and cleaned.  Time for reassembly.

The last parts to go on (the back anyway) are the balance jewels that are supported by the incabloc shock settings.  The balance is actually ticking away without the jewels but only because it's dial down at the movement.

There... the jewels are in and the reassembled movement is ticking away with a nice motion.  Let's see what the timer thinks.

Well, not too bad.  The beat error is a little high but adjusting that is actually a bit of a challenge on this movement and I'm going to let sleeping dogs lie.  I could very easily ruin an otherwise fine hairspring by pressing my luck.

Notice anything odd about the two crystals below?  The correct crystal is on the right.  The left crystal came with the watch but it's not the correct shape.  It has a few cracks as a result, but it was pretty close.  The main difference is the corners should be rounded.

With a proper crystal installed, this watch now looks as good as it runs.  Not bad for a 70 year old watch.

Not to be outdone by Pulsar...

In my last post I talked about the first watch to introduce the "digital age".  There were other electronic or electric powered watches, but the first truly digital watch hit the market in 1972 as the Pulsar.  Although developed was started by the Hamilton Watch Co, by the time the Pulsar was ready for showroom floors, the company had evolved in the HMW Inc and a new division, Time Computer, Inc. was the marketing company behind the Pulsar.

It wasn't long before the Hamilton Watch Co, a separate HMW company at the time, got into the digital watch game.  They introduced their own models using the same technology as in the Pulsar line and called them the QED - or Quartz Electronic Digital series in 1974.

Initially they were one trick ponies and you pressed a button to display the time.  They were cased in 14K gold electroplate or stainless steel, depending on the model.   They were not inexpensive - you were looking at $2,500 or more, in today's currency.

By 1976 the model line expanded into men's and ladies models and the number of functions the watches could do expanded as well - so they could have calendars and days of week, etc.  Prices started to come down too but you were still in the neighborhood of over $1000, depending on the model.

Eventually the QED would give way to liquid crystal display (LCD) models and the Pulsar went the way of the dodo bird.

I recently had the opportunity to play with a 1976 QED II with 6 functions.  It was new old stock and originally cost $265 or $1530, adjusted for inflation.

It arrived in it's original box.

The side of the box has a label explaining what was inside.

Opening the lid reveals the clam shell box inside.

Voila, opening the box reveals a red velvet interior with a bright stainless steel case with a red display.

My mind immediately thought of the Cylons from the 1970s Battlestar Galactica TV series.  What a cool watch!

Inside the box is the instruction manual for the 6 functions and the original warranty card.

The case back unscrews like a traditional watch.  It still has it's original label.

I'll have to remove the Hamilton-branded bracelet to access the watch.

I see white fluffy crystals around where I presume the batteries would be.  The first trick will be to remove the battery clip.  It's held by a snap on the right side, just to the right of the circle.

I think these batteries must have leaked over the last 50 year... what do you think.  This is going to be another role of the dice, I suspect.  These are RW44 batteries, based on what I can see through all the fuzz.

RW44 batteries are supposedly equivalent to the 375 batteries I used with the Pulsar.  However, 375 batteries are a lot thicker than the batteries I pulled out of the watch.  I think these 386 batteries are a closer fit, dimension wise and they're the same voltage.

I cleaned up the inside of the module and installed the batteries in the orientation specified.  That's about all I know how to do.

All I can get is the number 8 and then it fades.  I can't even get it to come back.  It was nice while it lasted.

Maybe there's an issue with the module and that's why this was new in the box?  It's another Geraldo Rivera and Al Capone's vault, I'm afraid.  I'll just have to settle for "it looks nice" until I find out if these modules are repairable.