1947 Myron

One of the more common 14/0 sized tank models is the Myron.  It was introduced in 1941 and produced through 1951 so it was made for quite a while, even with a short break for WWII.  It's also one of the few models that was produced in rose gold filled and was called the Coral Myron.  That was only produced for a single year and it's much less easy to find.

I like the Myron, it's a decent sized watch considering the watches from the 1940s can be very small.  It was cased in 10K gold filled and was outfitted with the 17 jewel 980 movement.  The sterling silver dial has a two tone white and silver butler finish and features solid 18K gold numerals.

My project watch arrived in non-working order.  If I try to wind it the hands move, sort of, so it looks like it's stuck between winding and setting.  The crown will move out and in, sort of, but something is definitely going on.  The hands are a bit corroded where they attach to the cannon pinion but the beat up crystal makes it hard to see.

The back of the case is engraved with a Christmas presentation from 1947 - almost 80 years ago.  The corners of the case back and near the crown are worn through a little but that's not too unusual for such a flat-backed watch.

With the bezel and crystal removed, you can see the dial and hands a lot better.  This appears to be an original dial.  I'll try to clean it up but I doubt it will be much better other than the numerals will be nice and shiny.

I lifted the movement out of the case back and can now see that the movement is in decent shape.  I was expecting a rusty mess.  The balance doesn't move freely but it's not wobbling, so that's a good sign.

After removing the dial and hands I can check out the other side of the movement.  The winding pinion and the clutch wheel are both very rusty, as is the stem.  That explains the issue with winding and setting.

Everything is taken apart and thoroughly cleaned.  I was able to remove the rust from the stem but I'll replace the winding pinion and clutch.  This watch had a white alloy mainspring so I can reuse that to power the watch.

The reassembled movement is bright and shiny.  It's ticking away with a decent motion.  Let's see what the timer thinks.

I was initially fooled by how close the two lines are but they are actually about as far apart as they can get.  The beat error of 9.9ms is way too high.  The good news is it should be clear to see which direction I need to adjust the hairspring collet in order to reduce the beat error.

Alright, the two lines appear to be the same distance to each other but now they're actually close to one another.  The beat error of 1.3ms is well within my personal specs.  The amplitude looks fine too.

I replaced the hands since they were corroded but the rest of the watch looks fine now.  I still need to replace the crystal but I polished the plastic crystal and it will protect the dial and hands until a new glass crystal arrives.

1956 Automatic K-405

 It's hip to be square.  I suppose if you wanted to have a complete collection of Hamilton models, you're easiest option would be to collect Hamilton automatics in square cases.  You'd only have to find two watches... collection complete.

One would be a 1956 Automatic K-405 and the other would be a 1959 Thin-o-matic T-401.  

I have had both sitting on a shelf, patiently waiting for some TLC and a trip to the spa.

The dirtier of the pair is a 1956 Automatic K-405, pictured on the left.  The K-405 was produced for three years and since there are no serial numbers on the movement, there's no way to narrow down the year unless the back of the case has a presentation.

The K-405 was presented in a 10K yellow gold filled case and was available on either a strap or a bracelet.  Either way it would set you back over $1,100 in today's dollars.  The sterling silver dial features solid 18K gold markers in two different sizes.  The dial also features a pearled track of gold dots so this would be a challenging dial to get refinished correctly.  Because the dots are on the inside of the markers, the movement features a shorter second hand.  It's shortness is exaggerated by the square shape of the bezel opening.

My project watch has tolerated a scratches crystal and a layer of old man funk for long enough.  Today is it's lucky day and it will look much better after it's cleaned up a bit.

The case back is substantial and needs to be pretty deep in order to accommodate the thick Hamilton 661 movement tucked inside.

The dial has a patina in the upper corners and along the base, presumably from dirt squeezing in past the glass crystal.  Overall it looks very good for a 70 year old watch and I see no signs that this dial has been refinished.  All of the pearled dots look consistent.

The 661 movement is made by Kurth Freres (Certina) and is a chonky mass of precision.  I like this movement, it's very solid and well designed.  The movement looks very good and clear of any pior moisture penetration.

You could fit a small cup of soup in the case back (not really).  I can see a few prior service marks inside so this watch did get some maintenance a few times over the years.

While all the parts are marinating in my ultrasonic cleaner, I will prep a new glass crystal for installation in the bezel.

One of the legs broke off the shock spring for balance and will need to be replaced.  I can just remove the entire setting by removing the screw and replace it with a piece from a donor movement.

Everything is ready to be reassembled.  I've done a few calendar movements lately and it's nice to not have any pesky springs or tiny parts to lose with this movement.  This is very familiar territory for me.

The main movement is reassembled and ticking away with a nice motion.  Once it checks out I can put the automatic framework and rotor back on.

Well this is a nice surprise - it doesn't get much better than this.

Everything is back together and looking even shinier now that it's been cleaned and oiled.  Back into the case it goes.

Fresh lume, a new glass crystal and a proper fitting strap complete the restoration of this fine Hamilton automatic.  I wonder why Hamilton only may a couple of square automatics?  Maybe being square in the 1950s wasn't all that it's cracked up to be.

1960's Dateline 64018-4 (European Model?)

It's been quite a while since I actually got to one of my own watches for a change.  I'm a victim of my own success and most of the watches I restore are for other people.  As the saying goes, the shoemaker's children go barefoot.

I've been looking at this watch for over a year, believe it or not.  It's been sitting on my workbench, staring back at me and saying "I'm first in line when you have a free afternoon".  Today was the day.

I'm not sure what the model is.  I don't believe it's a catalogued US model.  During the 1960's Hamilton made quite a few models specifically for the international markets.  They're known mainly by their model number.

This watch has the model number 64018-4 and it even looks like it might be a European model based on the color tone of the yellow gold plated case.  The lighting in my shop doesn't do the crystal justice - it's a  faceted "diamond edge" crystal that a lot of 1960's models feature.  The crown is reminiscent of the Pan Europ models like the 64017-4 and 63009-3.

This watch is definitely in need of a cleaning but it shows very little wear.  The case back is marked 64018-4.  Often the model number tells you a little bit about what to expect inside.  For example, this watch should have a caliber 64 movement.  The -4 means the case is yellow filled or plated.  I imagine the 018 represents the sequence of models, so this is the 18th in the series.

The crown isn't overly worn but it's lost it's plating on the side.  It's clearly a Hamilton crown but the gold layer fell off like a little disc, exposing the base material inside.

The bracelet appears to be original and it took me a while to get the curved spring bars freed.  I'll replace these with new curved spring bars once the bracelet is cleaned.  The bracelet isn't the usual filthy that bracelets often exhibit.  This one is just dirty from setting around for 60 years.  It should clean up nicely.

I had to resort to my Bergeon case holder to grab the case while I used my case wrench to twist the back off.  Fortunately it didn't give me much of a fight, especially since I think I may be the first person to have opened this watch since it was sealed at the factory.  Inside is a Hamilton 694A movement which is based on the Caliber 64.  Typically the caliber 64 has 21 jewels but the 694A has 17.  The added jewels in the Cal 64 would be in the automatic framework.  Otherwise the basic movement is the same.

With the movement out of the case I can see that the markers on the golden dial are engraved with a florentine pattern.  I've seen the 64018-4 with a black dial too.  I've also seen a 64018-3 in stainless steel with a black dial.  So there are different versions out there.

The date wheel is also a golden color to match the dial.  This movement isn't too different that the last Day-N'-Date model I just covered.

You know the drill... everything is disassembled and cleaned before being reassembled with fresh lubricants.  Everything is nice and shiny now.

The basic movement is reassembled first so I can check the timing.  Then I'll add the rest of the parts.  The movement is ticking away with a good motion.  Let's see what the timer thinks.

Not too shabby.  These ETA calibers are very easy to adjust so I will fine tune the beat error and beat rate.

The beat rate is very finicky but I eventually dialed it in so that's it's running a little fast.  My experience has shown watches settle down a little after they are first reassembled.

With the dial reinstalled, I can advance the time until the date wheel indexes.  Then I know it's midnight and can put the hands in place.

With everything back in the case and the bracelet reinstalled with new spring bars, this 60 year old watch is ready for more wrist time.  The bracelet is a good length too - perfect for my 7" wrist.  I replaced the crown with a new generic version, otherwise this watch looks to be 100% original.

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 a 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 rule.

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 help 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 service this movement as you'll 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 is much easier and very familiar.   Pretty much every ETA sweep second movement has the same layout.  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 at the same time 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.