1969 61008-3

My last post was on the Color Classic line and today's post is on a very similar model but I'm not sure it's part of the same line.

The Color Classic M3 came in a gold electroplate case with stainless steel back along with a brown dial.

A very similar model is shown in the 1969 catalog but it has the addition of a sweep second hand.  It's shown as reference number 61008-3.  Other than the addition of the second hand, the two models are very similar. 

Although the catalog depiction of the M3 appears to show a variegated brown dial, the photo of my friend's M3 looks to be pretty consistently brown, as compared to the red M4 next to it.

With the addition of the sweep second hand, the 61008-3 must surely utilize a different caliber inside and very likely has a different dial to accommodate the dial feet locations.

My project was it the 61008-3 and you can see that it's definitely different than a M3.  To my eye the Roman numerals are very similar to the M3 but I don't think they share the exact same dial finish.  I think I'd have to have the two side by side to compare for sure.

Check this out... the model number on the back says 61008-4.  That makes more sense to me as -3 is typically reserved for stainless steel cases and -4 is used for plated cases.  -2 is solid 14K gold and if I recall correctly, -1 is solid 18K.  Since this case gold electroplate the -4 is appropriate but perhaps the -3 in the catalog was driven by the stainless steel back?

Just like the M2 I restored the other day, this example has a three piece case.  The bezel pops off to reveal the dial and once the case clamps on the reverse are removed the dial and movement will come out the front.  I'll offer a quick prayer to St Peter the Apostle, the patron saint of watch and clock makers, to ask for his intercession that I don't goof up this really cool looking dial.  I don't think it could ever be refinished properly.

This watch still has it's Hamilton crown and this case design is a little different than the M2 I just did.  This watch has a stem tube through the case center while the M2 had a slot for the stem with a corresponding slot in the bezel.

The stainless steel back just pops off as well to reveal the Caliber 61 tucked within the case.  If this movement looks familiar it because it's the same ETA design used in other Hamilton models at the time like the 688.  Two screws are loosened in order to remove the case clamps holding the movement in place.  I'll have to remove the stem too to lift the movement out the front.

With the dial and hands out of the way you can see this is very familiar territory.  Almost every ETA movement, stem wound or automatic, looks like this design.

Everything is cleaned and dried before being reassembled.

It doesn't look like it, but this movement is ticking away with a fine motion.

Everything looks fine but the beat error is so easy to adjust that I will quickly improve it even further.

A couple of minor tweaks to the position of the hairspring stud brings the beat error to near zero.  I'll leave it running a smidgeon fast.

The finished watch looks as good as it runs and although the brown strap isn't original, it's a very good pairing.  This is probably not the best choice for an everyday watch but would be perfect for that special occasion like visiting Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

1968 Color Classic M2

You will sometimes find vintage Hamilton watches with unusual colors.  There's a good possibility that the dial was incorrectly refinished.  In fact, there are a couple of ebay sellers I used to see that market Hamilton models with custom finished dials - which is fine as long as you don't say it's "original".

For the first 20 years Hamilton produced watches with either white or silver dials.  Two tone white/silver dials were also very common.  In the late 1930's a black dial was introduced, shaking things up a bit.  Eventually in the 1960s a couple of gold-colored dials snuck in.  That was pretty much it when it came to colors - but other attributes like textures and diamonds could still spice things up a bit.

In 1968 / 69, a model line called the Color Classics was briefly produced.  There were four Color Classic models - the M1, M2, M3 and, you guessed it, the M4.  Each model had a uniquely colored dial that looked almost like marble.  Each model came with it's own colored strap.  The case was not always the same though - the M1 and M2 had stainless steel cases and the M3 and M4 had hard yellow gold plated bezels with stainless steel backs.

The M1 featured a blue marbled dial with white baton hands and simple white hour markers.  It was paired with a blue strap.

The M2 featured a green marbled dial and green strap.  In addition, the dial featured white baton hands and small Roman numerals printed in white.

The M3 had a yellow gold plated bezel and a brown marbled dial.  It also had white baton hands with slightly larger white Roman numerals on the dial.

Last in line was the M4 and it was cased in yellow gold plate but the dial was red marble, with white baton hands and simple hour markers like the M1.

My project watch is the 2 variety and it came with it's original strap!  The dial pretty much spans the bezel opening so I wonder if this is a front loader?

The crown is clearly marked with the Hamilton H logo.

The buckle on the strap also features the H logo but the strap doesn't have any other markings.

The case back is stamped with 300003-3 matching (almost) the catalog snip of 300003-0373.  I wonder what the 37 denotes?  Do you think the M1 would be 300003-2.  I guess I'll have to find one someday and find out.  The model number is off center so I suspect this case back pops off.  It has a few scrapes, presumably from previous attempts to open it.

It turns out this is actually a three-piece case.  The bezel pops off, as does the case back.  The movement is secured to the case center with two case screws.  Once those are removed the movement and dial will come out the front.  

The movement is a caliber 30.  I can't say I've seen that before but it looks a lot like the Thinline movements made at the same time like the 637 and 639.  Perhaps that's what the 37 in the catalog number refers to?  Could be just a coincidence.

With the dial and hands removed I can start to strip the front of the mainplate.  I have to make a confession - I was pretty sure this was a front loader and likely had a two piece stem.  I pulled the crown out to "separate it" and ended up breaking the tip of the set lever!  I need to replace it or nothing will keep the stem in place.  Fortunately the set lever from a 639 donor was a perfect match.

You know the drill by now - all the parts are cleaned and ready to be reassembled.  There are that many parts to a basic manual winding movement and the Thinline movements almost reassemble themselves.

Voila... the movement is back together and ticking away with a nice motion.  It's off to the timer to see how it's running.

At first glance the distance between the two lines made me think the beat error was probably 2-3ms.  However, the timer says it's 8.5 so the two lines are so far apart that they are starting to approach each other from the opposite sides. 

It took a bit of steady tweaking but I brought the two lines together and reduced the beat error to 0.2ms.  I'll leave it running a smidgen fast, it will probably settle down after a while.

My finished watch looks great.  What an interesting looking dial!  It kind of reminds me of the laminate counter tops from the first house I bought in the 1990s.  This is definitely a model best suited to special occasions like St. Patrick's Day!

Here's a photo from a friend of mine who has the M3 and M4 so you can see what they look like.  Notice the Roman numerals are more refined than on the M2.  I suspect the M1 dial would look like the red dial but in blue with a stainless steel bezel like the M2.

1980s Hamilton Avirex 9219 Field Watch

If you were cuckoo for Hamilton field watches you could amass a fairly decent collection of different, but similar models - way larger than the uninformed novice would imagine.

Before the days of internet shopping, mail order was the way people would shop for things that weren't available in their local stores.  In fact, mail order shopping goes way back to the 19th century and you could even buy a house by mail order - with some assembly required, of course.

In the 1970s a new company called Avirex was started and it specialized in aviation-related military surplus like pilot's jackets.  They introduced a mail order catalog and eventually expanded their featured products beyond military surplus, including a field watch manufactured by Hamilton.

The same was true for other catalog stores like LL Bean, Orvis, and Brookstone, to name a few.  

Hamilton marketed the same watch as the original Khaki model and it evolved over the 1980s to two different case designs, the 9219 and the 9415 (or 9415A).  Both are based on the military models that Hamilton produced at the time - the GG-W-113 and the Mil-W-46374D.

The 9219 case preceded the 9415 and although they look almost identical, they utilize different movements.  Regardless, they are both high quality models and regardless of what brand is on the dial, they have become really popular with Hamilton collectors.  The challenge now is to find all the different variants - if that's your thing.

My project watch arrived in the usual condition of a field watch in need of a trip to the spa - the crystal is beat up and cracked.  The parkerized stainless steel case can take a beating though so other than being dirty, it's issue-free.

The case back unscrews using a case wrench.  I see a couple of minor scrapes so I suspect I'm not the first person to try to get into this watch.  The spring bars are parkertized too and not removable so this watch is intended to be worn on a one-piece NATO style strap.

The movement inside the 9219 models is an ETA 2750.  This caliber is often marked as a Hamilton 649 - and it's the same caliber used in the GG-W-113.

The case back has a couple of prior service marks inside so this watch has had some maintenance done over the last 40 years - which is great.

The dial is held on with two small clips that rotate outward to free the dial feet.

Once the balance is removed you can see 2750 is stamped on the main plate.  If you happened to need a part, this info is critical to identifying the part number of what you'd need.

The outside of the barrel has a coating of mainspring grease.  This could eventually dry and gum up the works.

While all the parts are in the ultrasonic, I'll install a new crystal in the case.  Even the reflector ring has a parkerized finish.

It's now time for reassembly.  I like ETA movements, even though the calibers can differ, they all go back together in the same, familiar, way.

The reassembled movement is ticking away with a nice motion.  It looks about the same as before but now there is fresh oil inside and that makes a huge difference in the longevity of the watch.  It's important to have a watch cleaned and oiled every few years if you're going to wear it.

The timer is looking pretty good.  Notice this watch has a faster beat rate than pre-1969 Hamilton models.  This watch ticks 21,600 times in an hour, versus the traditional 18,000 times.  The amplitude of 263 degrees is plenty and the beat error of 1.4ms is within my tolerance but it's so easy to adjust that I'd feel guilty leaving it as is.

There... a couple of fine adjustments and the beat error is reduced to near-zero.  Notice that improves the amplitude slightly - the beat error is the measure of how far the balance swings from one side to the other.  When it's perfectly aligned, it swings the most side to side.  I also tweaked the regulator to bring the beat rate down to +3 seconds per day.

With a new crystal, my finished project now looks and runs like it just arrived in the mail from the mail order catalog it was originally purchased from.  All it needs now is a 17.4mm strap (11/16") but an 18mm is probably the best you can do.  The fun thing about these watches is you can find straps in all sorts of colors and change them out with ease.  This is a very unique, and rare watch.

1966 Dateline T-675

There's been a longstanding gap in the Hamilton catalogs - the 1967 version is missing.  I don't know if there never was one or if the 1966-1967 version simply covered both years.  Regardless, there's a fairly scarce model called the Dateline T-675 that doesn't show up in the 1966 catalog.

The Dateline T-675 came in a 10K rolled gold plated case.  There's not much known about it other than an example has been found with the original sticker on the case back - thus identifying it.

My project watch came courtesy of a friend of mine who said he "had his grandfather's Hamilton watch somewhere" and after several years of looking, he finally found it.  It wasn't working and was obviously well-worn.

The main concern is the case back is worn all the way through, presumably from winding although there's some wear to the opposite side too.

The single-piece case opens through the crystal.  It looks like there was an attempted repair at some point using silver solder.  There are several prior service marks inside the case.  There are two numbers inside the watch.  The upper one starting with P is unique to this example and the other one is the model number.  Notice it's 997266.  The 66 indicates this model was introduced in 1966.  Why it's not in the catalog is a mystery.

The crown is an obvious replacement, as it has a Bulova Accutron logo.

The female side of the two piece stem is retained in the crown and one side has broken off.  So I'll need a new stem to go with a proper crown.

Tucked inside the case is what I believe is a Hamilton 619 movement but to be honest, it's hard to make out the number.  It looks like pretty much every other pink Buren micro rotor movement except this one has a calendar complication on the front.

The dial side of the movement has a lot going on.  Two screws secure the framework that covers the parts that advance the date wheel.  Remove the screws and you can lift off the cover.

There's not too much to this complication.  As the minute hand moves it advances the hour hand.  The hour hand rotates the gold wheel on the right and eventually it extends a finger to sweep the date wheel counter clockwise.  The silver lever on the left is held in place by a spring in the cover and it indexes and centers the wheel in the date window.

The hole in the case has resulted in rust in the barrel bridge.  One of the screws is rusted in place and won't come out.  Hopefully my ultrasonic cleaner will shake it free.

Yeah, this hole is definitely going to be a problem.

While everything is being cleaned I'll prep a new crown and a female stem for installation.  I'll have to trim the threaded end to the perfect length to match the male side while it's installed in the case.

All the parts are cleaned and ready to be reassembled - there are a LOT of parts in this movement but practice makes perfect and I won't have any left over.

The ultrasonic allowed me to separate all the parts in the barrel bridge.  Now I can reinstall them.

The movement is mostly reassembled and powered up with a few turns of the mainspring.  Now I have to reinstall the balance jewels and then add the balance.  Notice the Buren caliber stamped under the balance is 1009 - that would be helpful if I needed parts.

Voila - my camera has frozen time but the movement is ticking away with a nice motion.

Not too shabby - I'll leave it here until it's ready for reassembly.

The reassembled watch has one major issue left - I have to address the hole in the case.   I'll have to consult a goldsmith or two.

I had two jewelers turn me down and not be able to repair the case.  It's back to plan B... either I fill it with an epoxy of some sort or I try to do it myself.  The challenge with solder is it won't fill a hole.  It will fill a gap in a seam but it won't close a hole. 

I have nothing to lose and need some gold so I stripped an old dial of a few of it's solid gold numerals.

I melted the numerals with a butane torch and hammered them into discs.  With the case fluxed, I'll try to solder the gold with gold solder and see if I can close the hole up.

Well... that's not too too bad.  I'll have to keep at it.

After about 10 attempts I'm starting to see some progress.  I wouldn't say this was easy but at least I haven't screwed it up yet.

Alright, my finished project appears to be sealed but I'll put a dollop of epoxy on the inside just to be safe.

My finished project looks fantastic from the front.  It will be best to keep a close eye on the case though and keep the watch well away from water.  This was a nice save of a very uncommon Hamilton model.  Hope fully it will be good for another 50 years.