"Dr Livingstone, I presume?"
The subject of that well known greeting was the namesake for my latest project watch. David Livingstone was a well know British explorer from Victorian times.
Information about vintage Hamilton watch repair, restoration, models, and advice for collecting and collectors
"Dr Livingstone, I presume?"
The subject of that well known greeting was the namesake for my latest project watch. David Livingstone was a well know British explorer from Victorian times.
The most prominent decorative art style in the 1920s and the 1930s was Art Deco. It features delineated geometric shapes and bold colors. You'll find Art Deco influences in all sorts of objects from household appliances to sky scraper buildings. It's sometimes applied incorrectly to the bold linear designs from the 1950s and 60s that would be better described as Mid Century Modern. However, you'll often find Art Deco influences in the watch designs from the 1930s. A great example is the 1937 Sidney. It was produced through 1940.
In 1930 several new models were introduced to the Hamilton men's lineup. Hamilton had just completed the acquisition of the Illinois Watch Company and the future looked bright... that is to say, until the Great Depression came along.
However, the show must go on and one of the new models to be introduced was the Raleigh. Like several of the earlier models, you could get it with an engraved bezel or with a plain bezel. You also had several choices of gold fill - yellow, white, or green. The Raleigh was made through 1932.
The shape is reminiscent of the Coronado but the Raleigh's lugs are not hinged. It's also very similar to the Langley - which was cased in solid gold - so sometime's the Raleigh is referred to as "the poor man's Langley". $57 doesn't sound like a lot of money but in today's dollars that would be almost $1,100 - so I don't think a poor man would have sprung for a Raleigh... gold filled or not.
My project watch arrived in typical 90+ year old condition. The crown was unattached, the crystal is beat up, and the bezel shows the tell-tale wear through to the corners from decades of shirt sleeve wear.