1954 Blaine Pocket Watch

Hamilton made pocket watches for it's entire US-production existence.  It started in 1892 when the company was formed and continued through 1969.  In fact, inventory continued to be sold into the 1970s. 

As you might expect, there were technological advancements along the way and movements evolved over the decades until finally coalescing around 10 Size dress pocket watches and 16 Size railroad watches.  Eventually, Swiss-made calibers entered the line up too but for the most part, Lancaster-made calibers dominated the model line up.

I find the variety of models to be very interesting.  I guess it's kind of like Jelly Belly jelly beans with over 50 flavors... to the uninitiated you wouldn't realized there was such a wide variety.

Like wrist watches, pocket watches were often used for awards and presentations.  My latest project is a great example.  Trying to determine what model it is proved to be a challenge.

Ultimately I landed on the Blaine.  Note the characteristics I used.  First, it's cased in solid 14K gold.  There's a 21 jewel 921 movement inside.  The shape of pendant is sort of rectangular but it's also get a slight stepped, or ridged, contour.  The bezel also appears to have a couple of ledges to the profile.  The dial features all numerals but also "pearlized" dots at the minute intervals.

The Blaine, an other models, also offered different dial options so you really have to look closely at the fine details.

As an example, compare the Blaine to the Hale - it also has a 14K gold case and a semi rectangular pendant.  However, the pendant is smooth and doesn't appear to have the same ridged detail as the Blaine.

The 1951 catalog has lot more detail about the various models and you can see some of the finer nuances and dial options much more clearly.

What's also very interesting is Hamilton offered personalized dials for their 10 Size models so you could place a custom order for a pocket watch that would be unique to the person receiving it.

As you'll see shortly, my project watch has a presentation from 1954 and the Blaine was no longer a cataloged option for that year.  Another model, the Tyler, could have been a contender but looking very closely at the details, I'm pretty sure the Blaine is the better match.  Perhaps the Tyler replaced the Hale - they look much more similar.  Watches with company presentations were typically based on discontinued models, so it would make sense that a 1954 award could use recently discontinued model.

Hamilton definitely had bragging rights when it came to pocket watches - after all, they were " the watch of railroad accuracy".  During this time period you had three choices of 10 Size movements... the 17 jewel 917, the 21 jewel 921 and the 23 jewel 923.  The latter two a really stunning designs, in my opinion.

The 1951 catalog is one of the few years where Hamilton really went into detail describing their movements.  You can see the three calibers side by side.  The 921 and 923 are superior movements to the 917 in that they were factory adjusted to temperature and five positions vs only three positions for the 917.  The extra jewels on the 921 are at the barrel and the escape wheel.  The two additional jewels for the 923 are at the pallet fork so the escapement is fully cap jeweled.  I think the 921 and 923 are simply beautiful and it's a shame they get covered up by the case back... as you'll see below.

My project watch arrived in a clam shell case, typical for 10 Size pocket watches.

Notice the color of the interior felt - it's brown.  This case is not original to the watch.  It's actually from the early 1940s and would have originally contained a rose gold "coral" model.

For comparison, I happen to have another pocket watch in it's original boxes.  Notice the blue felt interior.

The yellow baggie contains the set lever screw... that's what started this watch's odyssey to my workshop.  The owner loosened the set lever screw too far and was unable to get it to reconnect with the set lever.  The set lever is what holds the stem in place and without it, the stem will simply fall out if you try to set the time.

The case back has the classic Awards Division sans serif font and celebrates a January 1954 anniversary or 30 years of service.  Adjusted for inflation, this was a $2700 award at the time.  Not too many companies would treat their employees like that today.

The inside of the case back is nicely engraved with Hamilton Watch Company, Lancaster PA.  I do not see any prior service marks inside... I wonder if I'm the first to service this watch in 70 years?

You can see the empty hole where the set lever screw should go.  I wound the watch up and it ticks.  I wonder how well it's working?

There's a world of difference between ticking and keeping time and this watch is definitely "just ticking".

The movement will drop out the front once the stem is gone (easy) and the two case screws are removed.

My tweezers are pointing at the set lever that came loose.  Getting it reattached isn't too difficult but you need to support the set lever on one side of the main plate while you use the screwdriver on the other side - so it takes some practice.

I'll address the set lever when I reassemble the movement. At this point I can use the stem to let the mainspring down and then start to disassemble all of the parts for cleaning.

Everything goes through the ultrasonic three times... once for cleaning and twice for rinsing.  It's all bright and shiny now.  Time for reassembly with fresh lubricants in all the proper places.

Okay, it's the moment of truth.  The movement is back together and I wound up the mainspring.  Now I can replace the balance and it will (hopefully) come back to life.

Success!  The balance is ticking away with a nice motion.  Did I mention how attractive these movements are?

It's running a smidgeon fast but that is easily adjusted.  The amplitude is great and the beat error is well within my specs of under 3.0ms.

I'll leave it running just a little fast as my experience has been watches tend to settle a little after they are serviced.

The finished project goes back into it's case and back into it's clam shell.  I'm sure the owner will enjoy this watch a lot more now that it's running and the stem will stay put.

1971 Dateline TM-2903

I've posted before about how vintage Hamilton collectors usually have a favorite decade or two to focus on.  Hamilton Watch Company made wristwatches from about 1920 through 1969 in their Lancaster PA factory and the company continued to make watches in Switzerland in the 1970s.  A lot happened since then but Hamilton still produces fine watches today and often echos it's US-roots.

If collectors have a favorite decade, it wouldn't be a leap to say they might have a least favorite decade as well.  For me, my least favorite decade is probably the 1970s.  That's mainly because the styling of the 1970s is not really to my taste.  To be honest, I think the same is true with other elements of 1970s fashion, in general.

That said, the 1970s produced a lot of interesting models.  One of them is the 1971 Dateline TM-2903.  It was produced for two years.  The catalog is pretty sparse on details, including the price, but the name provides some insights.  

The Dateline name implies the watch has a calendar complication.  TM indicates that it's part of the Thin-o-matics.  The 2 in 2903 indicates the model is cased in solid 14K gold.

Based on the catalog image, I'm led to believe the case has a brushed finish of some sort.  Perhaps the bracelet does too.  It's hard to say for sure as an artist can only render so much in a black and white depiction.

I recently had the opportunity to work on a TM-2903 first hand.  It's not in an original box but it certainly presents to be in original condition.  It is, however, not running and I suspect it's been polished a time or two.

The bracelet does not appear to have a brushed finish but it is gold filled so it's got enough gold content that it could have been polished away.  The bracelet was made by JB Champion.

The case is a two piece design where the case back snaps onto the front bezel.  You could probably fit a strap to the watch but you'd want to use curved spring bars.

The two bezel openings cover a single dial.  I think it's interesting that the dial is a golden color but the date wheel is white.  I know other models could have a yellow date wheel, but that might have been better when the date was integral to the surface of the dial.  I suspect the white date simply shows up better in the tiny date window.  It'd also interesting that that dial says SWISS but that detail isn't readily visible in the bezel opening when the watch is assembled.

Behind the dial is a 630 caliber Thin-o-matic movement to power the watch.  This is another aspect of the 1970s that I don't prefer.  These second generation silver colored micro rotor movements are my least favorite calibers to work on.  They were made by Buren, and by this time Buren was owned by Hamilton so it's really a Hamilton-made movement.  If you look closely, you can see that the train wheels are all off to the side of the movement.  The central sweep-second hand is still in the center, but all the other wheels are off to the side.  The larger wheel with the metal bushing in the train bridge is actually the "center wheel" - and this offset center wheel is the reason I don't like these movements.

The inside of the case back has quite a few different watchmakers' service marks indicating that this watch was well taken care of over the past 50 years.

The main plate is missing one of the two dial foot screws.  I'll replace that when I reassemble the movement.  The crown appears to have a gasket to seal against the case.  The crown appears to be spring-loaded to press the gasket agains the case.  I don't know if this is a defect to simply how it was intended to operate originally.

The dial-side of the main plate provides a cover with some instructions for assembly.  I wish it was really as easy as 1, 2, 3.

Once the cover is off you get to see all of the various parts contained within.  You can also see the other side of the center wheel.  This wheel has the cannon pinion that drives the minute wheel.  It has to be firm enough to drive the minute hand (and hour hand) but it also has to slip enough to let you set the time without jarring the train wheels.  It's a goldilocks situation and has to be "just right" - and that's the issue - it can wear over time and use to be a little too loose and the result is the movement runs fine but the hands slip - and give the impression the watch is running slow.  That's why I don't like these white-micro rotor movements - they can be notorious for appearing to to run slow.  Unfortunately, replacement parts have long been exhausted and are not longer available.  You can try to get a donor movement but the odds are not in your favor and you could end up with another movement with the same issue.  

Most of the parts are stripped from the front of the main plate.  I'll leave the keyless works until the I strip the back, as the center wheel is still being supported.

Everything is cleaned and dried.  Now it's time to put it all back together.  I didn't do anything to the case, as I didn't want to removing any of the remaining original brush work.

There are a lot of parts to this movement and the goal is to not have any left over.  Eventually I got most of them pack to their proper places.  There's still a few left to go but it's at the point where I can wind up the mainspring and put the balance back in place.  The train wheels spin nicely so it's looking good so far.

Voila... the watch is back to ticking away with a nice motion.  It's off to the timer to listen to the ticking.

It's running cleanly but the beat error is a little high.  I'll try to tweak it closer to towards zero.  

Okay... getting closer, now to just slow it down a smidgeon.

The finished watch goes back into it's case and the case goes back into it's box.  Now I just have to observe the watch to make sure the hands move as they should and the time displays correctly.

1922 Masterpiece 920 Pocket Watch

The other day I posted about a 910 dress pocket watch from 1923 that I had waiting for attention in my workshop for several years.  While researching it I was reminded that I had a 920 in my collection, or was it the 922?

Looking on my blog, I've covered the 922 but not the 920.  They are very similar as the 922 replaced the 920 as Hamilton's premier 12 size caliber.  It was regarded, at least by Hamilton, as the finest 12 size watch made in America.

The 920 is a marvel to behold in person.  The movement is nickel, there are 23 fine ruby jewels set in solid gold settings.  The train wheels are solid gold.  It was adjusted at the factory to temperature, isochronism, and five positions.  It really was the finest workmanship that Hamilton could put out.

My recent focus on pocket watches made me dig out the various examples I have to see what sorts of things I've kept over the years.  Sure enough, I do have a 920, as well as the 922 that I posted about back in 2014.   Since I haven't covered the 920 yet, I thought it would be a project to take on.

From a collector standpoint, I've failed miserably at record keeping.  I have no idea when I bought this or even how much I paid.  I do know which examples were family pieces, so at least that part is documented.  If I could go back in time and do it all over again, I would keep better records.

Anyway, my project watch caught my attention for a couple of reasons.  First, it's a 920 and I've not covered it.  Second, it's cased in a rolled gold plate case - which is unheard of for such I fine watch.  It would have originally been in a solid gold case or at least a case with heavy enough gold fill that it would be "permanently warranted".  

So how did it get into this case?

I have a couple of theories - one of them is the Great Depression.   Times were very difficult in the 1930s and it's very possible that the original watch case was sold for it's gold content and recased in whatever the least expensive option was.  Another theory is an extension of the first... the original case was scrapped sometime between 1922 and the time I got ahold of it.

I find scrapping watch cases to be very sad - at least for a working and desirable watch.  It's happening a lot today thanks to gold prices being ridiculously high.   Demand for a watch is less than the demand for gold, I guess, so a lot of cases are being scrapped and movements sold for parts.

It's an interesting dynamic.  Models that recently might have been considered pretty common are now becoming scarce.   I'm sure more than a few $900 watches have been scrapped for $400 in gold melt, maybe making those $900 watches worth more like $1,200 in the future.  Who knows?

When I picked up my project watch out of it's drawer I though it might have been a 917 or other 10-size, based on the case.  RGP would certainly have been an option in the 1950s.  The case back is unremarkable, other than a couple of minor dents.

The movement inside is in great shape.  There are several different bridges and quite a few more screws than in a 910 movement but they are very similar from a geometry standpoint and things like dials and cases are interchangeable.  It's really the materials of construction and finish work that made the 920 a masterpiece.  Two of the jewels support the "motor barrel" - a unique design where the mainspring and barrel are supported by jeweled setting.

The inside of the case back makes me think this is a generic 12 size case.  I do not see any indication that I have ever serviced this watch before.  There are quite a few other marks inside though.

Two case screws hold the movement in the case and then the assembly can be pushed out the front of the case.  I'll pull the hands and dial next.

The dial side of the main plate looks identical to a 910 movement.  I'm sure all of these parts are interchangeable between the two calibers (as well as the 900, and 914).

The first thing I'll remove from the back is the balance and then the pallet fork.

Once the pallet fork is lifted out of the way, any remaining energy in the mainspring will be released.  At this point I can start disassembling the rest of the movement, starting with the barrel.

Just the train wheels are remaining.  There are three bridges, one for the center wheel and third wheel, one of the fourth wheel (the second hand), and lastly, one for the escape wheel.

Check out the solid gold train wheels - I bet these are pricey today if you had to. make them.

Everything is cleaned and ready to be put pack together.

All four train wheels have to go be in place in order to put the bridges back on.

Next the barrel bridge goes on and then I'll add the jewel that supports the arbor.

Lastly, the keyless works goes in and I can replace the final winding bridge.

Once the pallet fork and it's bridge are installed the movement can be wound up.  I'll install it temporarily in the case and use the crown to wind it up.

I carefully drop the balance in place and it starts ticking away with a good motion.  Let's see what the timer has to say.

Oof - the beat error is a bit high at 6.2ms.  That's an indicator of how well centered the balance is and measures the difference in how much it swings to one side or the other.  Ideally it would be zero but I usually draw the line at 3.0ms. as it's a tricky adjustment.

My first attempt gets the beat error to 2.9ms.  I should stop here but I'll roll the dice again to see if I can do better.

I got it down to 1.1ms.  It's a little wavy though so I may need to tweak the hairspring a little and see if I can get it a little better.

One of the reasons I decided to take on this project is I accidentally dropped the 910 I covered the other day.  It slipped out of my hand and landed on the floor - perhaps you heard my cry of anguish as it echoed across the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia?

I decided to case the 920 in the green gold filled case that housed the now-damaged 910 movement.  It's a much more fitting case than the RGP version.  Alas, my previous 910 movement will now be used for parts... sigh.  It happens.