1955 Grenadier II

 In 1955 Hamilton introduced two very similar looking models, one called the Grenadier I and the other Grenadier II.  I've always thought they were interesting for a few of reasons.  First, the name is unusual - often men's models were named with men's names.  A grenadier is a term used for well trained, elite soldiers, who typically led assaults.  You might assume they were soldiers who threw grenades, which might be true, but grenadier is an old term that predates hand grenades.  Perhaps it is the other way around. 

The second reason I find the models interesting is they look so similar.  The cases appear to be virtually identical.  However, the Grenadier I has a sweep second hand and the Grenadier II has a sub-second hand.  The two models use different movements.  Another, similar pairing would be the Nordon and Langdon from the CLD line - they look very similar too but are different.

A third interesting bit of trivia is both models used "silhouette hands" where luminous paint was applied to the BACK of solid hands so they glowed onto the dial leaving a silhouette of the hands when it was dark enough to see.  The paint included radium which made the lume glow 24x7 and it tended to burn the dial after a decade or two.  So it's not unusual to find Grenadiers with trashy-looking dials. 

Both models were made for three years.

The Grenadier II also included solid gold markers with luminous dots.  I bet it was a very cool looking watch when it was new.  You just didn't want to eat it - as the radium would poison you.  Not to worry too much though, the case and the crystal blocked most of the radiation, as does your skin.

The 10K gold filled case was equipped with a stainless steel back.  It's a classic 1950s "flying saucer" design.  Both models were available with a bracelet and the bracelets were different, making the two models further unique.

I've had my project watch waiting in the wings for a LONG time, probably years.  I saw it in a pile of watches and thought, why not give this watch some love?  Looking at it, it's very dirty, the crystal is shot and appears to have paint rubbed on it, and the dial has a mild case of radium burn in the center.

The back unscrewed to reveal the gasket not fully seated.  Was it always like that or did it happen when I removed the back?  It's a very stiff gasket, I think it's been like that for a while.

The inside of the case back makes identifying the model easy - it says Grenadier II right there inside.  The four balls are recesses on the outside to engage a wrench.

1955 was a transition year for Hamilton and the 747 movement was phased out in favor of the 730, which is a 747 with shock jewels on the balance.  This is one of the last 747 movements made and I can tell because it doesn't even have a serial number on the barrel bridge.  After 1955 Hamilton stopped putting serial numbers on movements.   Some of the enamel has come of the printing on the bridges, I'll see if I can reapply it.

Everything has been cleaned and is readied to be reassembled.  I removed the lume from the hands and from the dial markers.  No point in having lume on a watch with solid hands.  The empty dots look pretty cool as is.  Notice the balance wheel design - the swirly arms on the balance wheel were a form of shock protection for the balance staff before the advent of shock jewels.

I applied black enamel to the bridges and let it dry, then wiped it down with mineral spirits, leaving some paint in the lettering.

The reassembled movement is ticking away with a decent motion.  Let's see what the timer thinks of it.

Oof - the beat error is a tad high.  I'll have to adjust the hairspring collet on the balance staff.

Whoops, wrong direction.  The beat error got worse - I'm trying to get it close to zero but at least under 3.0ms.

Fifth times the charm, I guess.  I'll leave it here for now.  I'm not sure why the amplitude dropped but it's still high enough to be okay.

I poked and prodded the gasket back into shape and into its position.  Now I can close up the case.

This watch turned out really well.  I like the open gold markers without lume, the look like little O's.  The dial will be forever toned thanks to the years of radium exposure but it's not a distracting mess.  I still don't recommend eating the watch though.