1972 Day 'N Date ST-5501

A lot of Hamilton collectors draw a line in the sands of time at 1969.  This is the year Hamilton ceased manufacturing US-made movements in Lancaster PA.  Production was moved to Switzerland but models for the US continued to be produced.  However, all of the models in the 1970s featured Swiss-made calibers.  Considering a large proportion of the 1960's models featured Swiss-made movements, was the 1970's really that much different?  

Probably.

One of the big reasons the 1970's was so different was the design aesthetic changed dramatically - as did, I suppose, fashion in general.  It's not my favorite decade, to be honest, at least in men's fashion.

Watches in the 1970s can often be big and chunky... not to the scale of some of the tuna fish cans you find nowadays but the styling was much larger than the sleek designs of the 1960s.

Innovation continued though, and the 1970s introduced the first Electronic and Quartz models - not that I'm a huge fan of those either.

Hamilton introduced their first calendar models in the early 1950s but the first models to feature the day of the week were introduced in the1970s.  You could get Day and Date models with automatic (self winding), stem wound, and electronic movements.  One of the stem wound models was the Day 'N Date ST-5501.

 

The  Day 'N Date ST-5501 was first introduced in the 1972 catalog and it was presented in a stainless steel case with a quick change II movement.  Prior to the quick change movements, you had to advance the time to midnight in order to set the date.  It was tedious.  The quick change movements enabled you to pull the stem out partially and set the date or day by turning the crown.  The catalog indicates the watch as a red dial but the image doesn't do the dial justice.   The catalog image doesn't show ta second hand, which is interesting - but it definitely does have one.  The model was also offered in 1973.

My Day 'N Date ST-5501 project watch arrived without it's original bracelet.  It looks like it's definitely had it's fair share of use and abuse.  I can't say I've seen too many other Hamilton watches with a red dial - this is a first for me.

The back of the case has the model number 800002-3 so the Day N' Date ST5501 could also be known by that number as well.   Although sometimes cases were shared between. models so that's not a hard and fast tule.

This crystal has had the snot polished out of it.  It actually is dished inward like a shallow bowl, it's been that polished. 

With the back removed you can see the caliber 800 tucked inside.  This movement is based on an ETA 2769 caliber - helpful to know if you need to find a part.  The movement appears to tick but it's got some tension in the barrel and it's not running.  I don't see any watchmaker's marks inside the case to indicate it's been serviced before but I can see the train bridge is missing a screw... it's not inside so that's a little odd.  Where did it go?

The perimeter has a bit of rust thanks to water getting inside.  Some of it might come off in the ultrasonic but this is a good reminder to keep vintage watches far away from water - even if you think they're "waterproof".  If you see moisture inside the crystal, you need to open the watch and let it dry out immediately.

I need to pry out the levers that hold the dial feet in place.  You can see the two small tabs sticking out of opposing sides of the movement.  Now I can lift the hands and dial off.

Once the dial is out of the way you can see the business-end of the day and date complications.  The center day wheel will lift straight up and off the front of the movement.

 

The main plate gets a little more complicated now.  All of the bits on the left side of the movement drive the outer date wheel and the inner day wheel in opposing directions.  The date wheel rotates clockwise and the day wheel moves counterclockwise.   The bits on the right side of the main plate helps to index the day wheel and includes the parts needed for the quick change setting.

Screw by screw, piece by piece, the various parts are removed so they can be thoroughly cleaned.

Great care has to be taken with the u-shaped spring that indexes the date wheel.  This part is always under tension and likes to disappear when you try to remove or install it.  Looking for this spring when it vanishes can double the length of time it takes to serviced this type of movement as you spend countless minutes on your hands and knees looking for it.

Once all the parts are removed from the front of the movement I can do the same to the back. This process much easier and very familiar.   Pretty much every ETA sweep second movement is the same (or similar).You can clearly see the ETA 2769 stamped on the main plate.

Everything is now cleaned and ready to be reassembled.  There are a lot more parts to this model than most vintage Hamiltons.  With care and patience they will all go back in place.

First I need to reassemble the basic movement.  This particular example has a very strange quirk.  With two screws in the train bridge, the wheels will lock up.  However, with only one screw, the wheels spin freely.  I could try to add a shim under the other screw but since it came missing a screw, perhaps that's the way it has always been?  Somehow I doubt it but it is what it is unless I want to get a donor movement.

It's running very nicely and I should be able to reduce the beat error to near zero.  Notice the beat rate is 21,600 beats per hour - that's faster than the typical 18,000 BPH that most vintage watches have.  18,000 is five beats per second, just like One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, etc.  21,600 is six beats per second - a little more precise than 5.  High precision mechanical watches can beat as fast as 36,000 BPH - or 10 beats per second.  However for really high precision you'd need a quartz watch.

There... I'll leave it running a smidgeon fast.  Watches tend to settle down a little after they run for a while.

The dial goes back in place and now I can set the time forward until the day and date change.  They don't flip together so I will set the hands at midnight once the day changes.

The reassembled movement goes back into the case.  It's much shinier now and runs great.

A new crystal completes the restoration.  I think the red dial is very interesting.  Probably more of a casual watch than a dress watch but it's definitely very cool.

1956 Accumatic "B"

If watches had a family tree, somewhere on the trunk of Hamilton models would be the 1956 Accumatic.  It's the model that contributed the genes that continue to dominate in today's Hamilton model line up.   

The Accumatic line was introduced in 1956 and joined the Automatic K-series line introduced a couple of years earlier.  The Accumatic models utilized movements made by ETA... the same ETA that produces the movements in today's modern Hamilton watches.  All Accumatic A-series models in the 1960's and '70s are decedents of the original Accumatic (and it's sibling, the Accumatic II) introduced in 1956.

Really, if you wanted to be picky, the precursor to the Accumatic was the Illinois Automatic line introduced in 1953... but we don't talk about that part of the family tree very often.

I jest, of course, as the Illinois line quickly became the Hamilton Illinois line which evolved again into the the Hamilton line - and entered the generations of Hamilton models that utilized Swiss-made ébauches.

An ébauche is a fancy way of saying partially complete movement.  Swiss (and other) ébauche makers provided calibers to other watch brands who would complete the movements to their final specs and desires.  Many of the watch brands in the 1950s and 60's competed utilizing the same basic components under the dial.  That's not too unlike today's watch industry but the source of the movements is likely to be the Far East somewhere today.

Anyway - one interesting branch of the Hamilton family tree are the "B" models that feature a power reserve indicator, otherwise known as a wind indicator (as in wind a watch, not a breeze).  The power reserve is the amount of time a watch will run when fully wound and the indicator is a numerical scale that represents potential hours from a full wind all the way back to zero.  I think it's a very interesting complication - and I'm sure a lot of other collectors do too.

Hamilton used "B" models to denote something different when an existing model was changed but continued to be produced.  For example, there are B models when Hamilton switched from the 14/0 sized movements to 12/0 movements and created models like the Boulton B, et al.  

B models were also used when Hamilton switched over from Illinois-branded calibers to Hamilton-branded calibers in the 1956-57 timeframe.  The watches look the same on the outside (for the most part) but the movement inside is different.

The Accumatic was made for three years, starting in 1956.  It was available with white or black dials and dials with all numerals or with luminous markers and numerals.  The case is sometimes referred to as a "flying saucer" design and reminiscent of other models produced over the same timeframe with similar lugs.

The Accumatic "B" was not cataloged so I can't say for certain if it was only produced for a short while or it was an option alongside the regular Accumatic.  I know it's an Accumatic "B" because it says so inside the case.

A talented friend of mine was able to find a couple of advertisements from “Kay Jewelers”. One was issued in “The Atlanta Journal” (Atlanta, Georgia) on 18th December, 1956, the other was issued in “The Sentinel” (from Winston-Salem, North-Carolina) on 19th December 1956.  They're both very interesting as they refer to the Accumatic B but picture the Accumatic.  They refer to the complication as a "spring indicator"... very cool, no?

You can check out the Accumatic II B on this post and it used an Illinois movement, maybe it was just a way to use up excess Illinois inventory?  For example, the 1954 Signamatic B had a power reserve indicator with the same movement.

My project watch arrived in a few pieces but nothing too intimidating.  The power reserve indictor shows about 16 hours remaining in the barrel, but it's not running.  The hour and minute hands don't watch the sword-style hands shown in the catalog but Hamilton was known to use whatever hands they had available, especially during busy seasons like Christmas or graduations.  I love the red tipped second hand, that's always very fun to find.

The case back unscrews and it's clearly marked Hamilton.  No surprises here.

It's a little grungy inside but the case back clearly shows that this is an Accumatic "B".  I've seen Accumatic II "B" cases as well.

One of the parts that came with the watch is a new stem, complete with it's original Hamilton envelope.  That's good to know Hamilton part number 614872 but you could always find the stem using the ETA caliber that the movement is based on.  The movement inside the Accumatic is a Hamilton 672 but it's based on an ETA 1256.

There's a white crown inside the package too so I have pretty much all I need to get this watch back together.

Here's an interesting find.  The rotor is a generic replacement.  Perhaps something happened to the original rotor and a watchmaker way back when ordered a replacement.  It reminds me of the "who's gonna know, they're gonna know" memes you'll often see.  Does it really matter if the rotor / oscillating weight doesn't say Hamilton?  Depends on who you ask, I suppose.

There are no case screws to secure the movement inside the case.  The movement is sandwiched inside a movement ring and the movement ring is secured inside the case by the gasket and case back.  I like this kind of design - it's easy to reassemble.

With the dial and hands out of the way you can start to see the business end of the wind indicator.  It's a mini dial that rotates around the hour wheel.  It's not driven by the hour wheel though.  The wind wheel is connected to the mainspring barrel, as the mainspring barrel unwinds, it rotates the wind indicator.  Three screws secure the bridge that holds all the parts in place.

With the bridge and the wind wheel out of the picture you can start to see the complexity of the power reserve complication.  The small pinion at about 9:00 is driven by a gear on the other side of the main plate that engages the barrel.  That pinion turns the outside of assembly of wheels that rotate the wind wheel.  All of these parts just lift straight off.

The assembly is comprised of several wheels that are a planetary design - they all rotate around the center.  This very cool design allows the inside of the assembly to rotate and increase the wind indicator from 0 to 40 when you wind the watch.  While the watch runs, the outside portion of the assembly will cause the wind indicator to rotate the other direction, from 40 back to zero.  The little spring sticking out of the bridge prevents the wind indicator from going past 40 or 0.  So you can wind and wind and wind the watch manually but the indicator will not go past 40.  If the watch keeps running after it hits zero, it won't go back to 40.

I noticed a couple of interesting things once I remove the wind indicator bits.  The set lever is not attached to the set lever screw.  Maybe that's why there was no stem - the set lever holds the stem in place.  Furthermore, the detent on the yoke is broken.  This part is what you feel pop when you pull the stem into the set position or push it back in to the wind position.  You can see the broken part on the right side of the yoke.

Here's a close up of the broken arm.  This is not unusual and this arm eventually fails from fatigue after 60+ years.

Flipping over to the back of the movement, three screws secure the automatic framework to the movement.

One screw, in the center, secures the framework to the oscillating weight.

Just for fun, I'll wind the watch and see if it runs... it does, and not too bad but the bear error is a little high.  More on that in a bit.

Stripping the parts down to the main plate and you'll notice another gear inside.  This flat gear is driven by the mainspring barrel, but not the outside of the barrel that drives the center wheel.  This gear is held in place by a flat head screw.

Looking at the barrel, the barrel cover has teeth around the center - that's what drives the wind indicator.  The barrel also features a longer arbor that extends well through the main plate to drive the wind indicator.when the watch is wound.

While all the parts are being cleaned I dug out my stash of yokes for this caliber.

Everything is cleaned, dried and ready to be reassembled.

The partially reassembled movement is ticking away with a nice motion.  Notice the TXD on the balance cock.  That's the import code for the Illinois brand.  So this movement is actually an Illinois movement like in my Accumatic II "B" I posted about.

The amplitude has increased and the beat error is 2.7ms.  That's under my personal specs of 3.0ms so I'm going to leave it as.  That's partly because this design has a fixed stud location on the balance cock and the regulator has to be manipulated to get the balance off.  So there's a lot of risk of damaging the hairspring if I attempted to reduce the beat error.  I've learned the hard way that it's best to let sleeping dogs lie.

With the movement running nicely, I can turn my attention to the dial-side of the main plate.  I'll start with adding the new yoke and detent.

Next on are the cannon pinion, minute wheel, hour wheel, setting pinion and the wheel that drives the wind indicator.

A small set bridge covers the minute wheel and set pinion with two tiny screws that are very easy to lose if you're not careful.

The assembly of stacked wheels goes on last before I put the final bridge in place.

Home stretch... the movement is ready for the wind indicator wheel and the dial.  There's a zero indicator on the bridge so I'll drop the wheel in place using the zero for alignment.

Ready for the dial and hands to go in place.

The dial is held in place with two dial foot screws.  The wind indicator is at 28 but that's just because of the position I dropped it in place.  Once I wind the watch fully it will increase to 40 and from there it can run it's way down to zero... hopefully.

I also received a Hamilton 672 oscillating weight to complete the restoration.  That conflicts with the TXD import code but "who's gonna know?". (They're gonna know)

Hands go on last and the movement is ready to go back into the case.

I'm not finished yet, but I still have to trim the new stem to length.

My first attempt is still an 1/8 of an inch long.  This is one of those trim a little, check, trim a little, sort of things.

There - it's perfect.  Time to put the gasket back in place and then seal up the case back.

A new crystal completes the restoration and this watch looks fantastic... just like an almost 70 year old watch out to look.