1972 Sea Haven III

It's interesting to note that there are almost 50 Sea-somethings in Hamiltons model lineup.  That's about 5% of the men's models but the first Sea-something didn't get introduced until 1957 with the Seabrook.   I don't know what started the trend of naming models with Sea but it continued well into the 1970s.

One of the 1970s models is the 1972 Sea Haven III.  It was produced for two years.  It's unique in that it's one of a small handful of models to feature a blue dial.

The Sea Haven III is unlike it's earlier Sea Haven predecessors.  It's cased in a stainless steel case where the 1964 Sea Haven and 1968 Sea Haven II are cased in 10K yellow rolled gold plate.  The only similarity between the three is they all utilized the same movement.

My project watch was sent to me after the owner said it suffered a hard fall.  Although it still ran, he noted it now had a rattle like something was loose inside the case.  Since it hadn't been serviced recently, he sent it to me to check out.

As received, it doesn't look too bad.  The blue dial is definitely unique.  I think if this was on a blue and white NATO strap it would look pretty cool.  I like the white chapter ring that extends around the inside  perimeter of the crystal.

The case back screws on to the rest of the case.  The model number is 688014-3.  That's interesting, as it gives you a clue to what's inside the case.  The -3 implies a stainless steel case.  If it was -4 it would be yellow gold RGP.  That would be a different model, of course, but the case shape would be similar.

The inside of the case back says Hamilton Watch Co. Swiss.  That's because this watch came from Switzerland, as production in Lancaster ended in 1969.  I see no service marks inside the case back.  I wonder if it's ever been cleaned in 1972.

Inside the case is a Hamilton 61 caliber.  It's hard to see that it also says Hamilton Watch Co and 688.  This is the same movement that was used in the earlier Sea Haven models - although those would say HYL on the balance cock, as that was the import code Hamilton used for their Swiss-made movements.

The good news is there is nothing loose inside the case.  I think the rattling going on was just the assembly held in place by the two case ring braces.  Perhaps they were bent in the fall but there's not a lot of play to them - just a slight amount.  Perhaps it will be fixed when I reassemble it.

At this point everything gets disassembled and thoroughly cleaned.  The 688 is the granddaddy of modern ETA movements.  There have been improvements, of course, and today's beat rate is faster than 18,000 beats per hour, but this movement is otherwise identical to today's manual wind movements.  It doesn't hack though, so that's one major difference, along with beat rate.

Everything goes back together smoothly.  After a few winds to the mainspring, the balance swings back to life.

Not too shabby... the amplitude is a little low but it's not fully wound yet.  The beat rate and error are fine, but I can tweak them with little effort.

I sped it up a smidgeon and reduced the beat error - this is about as good as it gets.

A little Polywatch buffing cleared up the crystal and a new cork strap provides a crisp, but funky, look to this clearly 1970s watch.

1964 Dateline A-579

It's interesting to note that if you research the "Hamilton Pan Europ" you'll likely find the interweb thinks the origin is the 1971 Hamilton Chronograph, or more specifically, the Chronomatic D.

This model utilized the Caliber 11 movement that was also shared with Breitling models.  The Caliber 11 is a micro-rotor powered automatic chronograph developed by Buren, which was owned by Hamilton at the time.  It was such a popular model that new models were introduced in the last 10 years that were inspired by the colorful design.

However, although the Chronomatic D said Pan Europ on the dial, the first use of Pan-Europ was the 1964 Dateline A-579.  So it makes me wonder what the original purpose of the Pan-Europ logo was.  I suspect that it was a series of models, along with the Estoril line, for use outside the US - but that's just a guess.

The Dateline A-579 was introduced in 1964 and produced through 1967.  The model was cased in stainless steel and features a calendar complication at the 6 position.  There are similar models that are not in the catalogs, including a very similar model without the calendar complication - and that's part of my rationale for saying there was a non-US model line.

The Dateline A-579 is a cushion-shaped model, similar in shape to Hamilton's original men's wrist watch from the 1920s.  In this case, the cushion shape comes from a snap-on bezel that attaches to the case and surrounds the round crystal.

The case back shows the model number 64017-3 - it also shows a plethora of scratches from someone trying to get the back cover off.  The cover says Hamilton paneurop and "model depose" - which is a French phrase that translates to "registered design" or "patented design".  The Pegasus logo is interesting - it reminds of an Omega Seamaster rear cover.  There was also a Hamilton Pegasus model - it's one of the Electric models.

Fortunately the rear cover didn't give me too much of a fight.  It opened to reveal the Hamilton 694A movement used in the Dateline Accumatic models.

The movement is held inside the case by a couple of braces that screw into the main plate and attach to the movement ring.

Uh-oh, the brace is missing from the crown-side of the movement.  All I see is a broken screw head and no brace.  Hopefully I'll be able to get the screw out.

With the dial and hands out of the way, you can see the business end of the date complication.  There are actually different calendar wheel options, depending on where the design places the dial opening.  Since this watch has the window at the 6 position, the number is upright at the 6 position.  If the window was at the 3 position, it would be a sidewise 14.  The movement functions the same, regardless of the printing on the wheel.  Once the hands pass 12:00 midnight, the wheel indexes clockwise one position.

The 694A is based on the Hamilton 64 and in this case the main plate is stamped A as well.  I have heard that the A represents "anodized" and that the barrel is anodized on the 694A but not anodized on the 694.  There's also a difference to the shape of the automatic framework.

All the parts are cleaned and accounted for - even the pesky U shaped spring that likes to disappear if you're not super-careful with it.

I was able to back the broken screw out of the main plate - so if I have an extra brace I should be able to secure the movement with two braces and not just one.

It took me a while to get the balance in position and to start running.  The position of the hairspring stud looks out of position to me, and very close to the regulator.  That would introduce a significant beat error and make the watch run very slow.  The timer will tell me for sure.

Yikes!  The watch is ticking but the timer can't pickup a clean rate.

Eventually I decided to use my best guess for where I though the hairspring stud should go and gave the timer another shot.  Now it's running with an excellent beat error but it's still a little slow.

Okay - now we're talking... a tweak here, a tweak there, and I got the timing right in line now.

Notice the change in position of the regulator and hairspring stud now... it's very different from what I started with.  You'd never be able to make these sorts of adjustments without a timer and a little experience. 

Next, I'll install the dial and slowly advance the time until the date wheel indexes.  Now I can install the hands at 12:00.

I happened to have the correct brace and a screw to secure it.  Now the movement is installed and properly held in the case.

One of the challenges with this model (and those similar to it) is the shape of the lugs.  They are very short and require a curved spring bar.  If you use a strap, it has to be unpadded in order to curve to fit the contour of the case.  

I looked online and was able to spot the correct Kreisler bracelet that was original to this model (see the catalog add).  When it comes to bracelets, there's a lot that goes into it - including the shape of the ends to fit the case - in this model, they have to be curved.  There are similar bracelets out there but the ends are straight and won't work.

This was a challenging project but with a proper bracelet and a fresh crystal, it now looks as good as it runs!

1935 Nelson

Every Hamilton collector probably has a decade that they tend to gravitate towards.  It may take some reflection to get to, but it's there somewhere.

For example, the 1960s offers literally hundreds of watches to choose from... automatics, electrics, date models, and funky designs worthy of "Mad Men" appearances.  

Then you have the 1950s, with space-themed models and futuristic designs that exemplify Hamilton's prominence  watch industry innovation.

For me, I think the 1930s is my sweet spot.  It offers larger models that utilized the 6/0 movements, as well as the 14/0 movements introduced in 1935.  If there was a golden age of Hamilton manufacturing, you could make a compelling argument that it was the 1930s.  The 1940s would be a close second.

Advancements in the 1930s came fast a furious.  The 987 movement introduced in 1927 quickly became the 19 jewel 979.  Then the 987 and 979 became the 987F and 979F, with the F indicating the jewel settings were friction fit, as opposed to being held in place with screws.  Then in 1934 the Elinvar hairspring was introduced and the 987F and 979F were replaced by the 987E, E being for Elinvar.  In 1937 the 987A was introduced.  It shares the same gear train as the earlier 987 movements but for all intents and purposes it was an entirely new design.

In 1935, the new 14/0 movements were introduced.  The narrower caliber allowed model designs to become longer and curved to fit the wrist.  The 17 jewel 980 movement was used in gold filled models and the 19 jewel 982 was used in sold gold models.  1935 ushered in an entirely new direction for Hamilton models and they never looked back.  

One of the new models introduced in 1935 was the Nelson.  Cased in 14K gold filled, it was available with three different dials... an all numeral or all marker dial, with solid gold figures, or an inlaid enamel dial with black figures.

Priced at $52.50, the Nelson was not a cheap watch.  That's about $1,200 when adjusted for inflation.  You could save $2.50 by going the inlaid enamel dial route, that's about to $60 in today's value.

I like the design of the Nelson.  The stepped case has a lot of Art Deco inspiration.  It's not a large watch, especially by today's standards, but it was definitely a departure from the 6/0 models made previously.

The Nelson was made for only two years but some of it's features would be echoed in generations of watch models to come later.

My project watch presents with decades of grime and "old man funk" around the crystal and trapped in the basket-weave bracelet.  The bracelet is not orginal but it's definitely very old and I think it matches the Nelson design really well.

The Nelson shares the dial pattern with the solid gold Sherwood of the time.  I happen to have the inlaid enamel dial and now would be a good time to make a dial swap, if I wanted too.  The hands on the Nelson are solid diamond pattern, which is a nice detail that adds to the design, in my opinion.

The movement is a 17 jewel 980 caliber, just as you'd expect.  The serial number dates to 1936, making this an example from the second year of it's production run.

The 14/0 movements were made through 1952 but that's not to say that they remained unchanged throughout that time.  For example, the first couple of years of 14/0 production, the set bridge was a two-piece design.  Eventually these parts were combined into a single set bridge. 

The mainspring inside the barrel is an older blue steel design.  I find this to be situation in 90% of the 14/0 models I work on.  I'm sure it's "set" into a tight coil and lost most of it's potential energy.

Yup... I've seen this a time or two.  I'll replace it with a white alloy Dynavar spring.

Everything goes through the cleaning and rinse process - taking almost 30 minutes before all is said and done.  Once it's dried, I can reassemble all of the parts with fresh lubricants in all the proper places.

Getting the train bridge to fall in place can be a challenge but it's easier if you do it without the pallet fork in place.  Once the train bridge and barrel bridge are in place, the wheels should spin freely.  At that point, I can now install the pallet fork and it's bridge.

The reassembled movement is ticking away.  The motion is there but it doesn't look quite right to my eye.  Let's see what the timer says...

Well... maybe it's running a little fast but the timer is a little confused and can't land on specifics.  I'll reclean the hairspring and make sure there isn't any dust or debris in the escapement.  It doesn't take much to through off the timing of a balance.

Cleaning the hairspring did the trick... now it's running with a good amplitude.  The beat error is about as high as I allow.  Arguably, I could attempt to reduce it but I have two reasons not too.  First, it's a tricky operation and I risk damaging a 90 year old hairspring.  Second, it's hot as hades in my workshop right now.  Even with. my portable AC going full blast, I still have beads of sweat falling off my forehead.  Focusing on the precision of the hairspring will only make it worse.  I can at least slow the beat rate down a little - that's easy enough.

My finished watch looks very good.  It will look better once I get a new crystal for it.  The dial has a little patina around the edges but not too bad, considering it's age.  I didn't see any evidence that this dial was refinished but even if it was, this type of dial can be refinished perfectly most of the time.

Here's a photo of the Nelson with the black numeral dial.  I think the font used for the design is really cool.  Which pattern do you prefer?