A lot of people collect the same things but for very different reasons. This post is a good example.
I have found it much harder to purchase project watches lately because a lot of people have gotten into the hobby. I'm a victim of my own success, as I know quite a few people who I've inspired in the hobby. It's like more and more people standing around the same fishing hole, hoping to catch the big one.
Recently I had my eye on a watch that was right up my alley. It appeared to be a clunker, missing a crown, with a cracked crystal. What caught my eye was it was an award for a football event... the 1959 Bluebonnet Bowl.
Well, the bidding went right on by my interest levels and the watch was added to a long list of "the one that got away".
A little time passed and the person who purchased the watch asked if I would work on it. It's a small world after all. What's I found interesting is it wasn't purchased because it was a Hamilton. It was of interest because of the 1959 Bluebonnet Bowl specficially.
1959 was the very first year of the Bluebonnet Bowl. If you haven't heard of it, you're not alone. The last one was in 1987, I believe, because it wasn't able to get a large corporate sponsor. The bowl event was intended to include a Texas college and somebody else from somewhere else. The proceeds for the bowl game were intended to benefit various charities in Texas.
For the 1959 event, it featured Texas Christian University (TCU) versus Clemson University. Thus the added interest in the watch. The owner is a big Clemson fan. Clemson walloped TCU 23 to 7.
My project watch was specially ordered to recognize people involved with the bowl game. It's based on a 1959 Accumatic IX. The Accumatic IX was introduced in 1959 and produced in 1960 as well. In 1961 and 1962 it evolved into the Accumatic IX-B - presumably with a new version of the automatic movement inside.
The Accumatic IX came in a 10K gold filled case with a stainless steel back. The dial is gold in color and the embossed numerals and figures are also yellow. It has a "pearled" seconds track, which makes it a very difficult dial to get refinished correctly. The pearls aren't applied to the dial, they are cut in and require a level of accuracy and precision that is almost impossible to replicate.
The early Accumatics used movements made by ETA, a Swiss maker. Hamilton had a couple of R&D projects early in the 1950s to develop their own self-winding calibers but they weren't able to pull it off at a price point that would compete with an international market. The first automatics in Hamilton's line were actually branded Illinois, since Hamilton acquired the Illinois Watch Company in 1928. I suppose that was to test the market - would Hamilton customers buy a watch with an imported movement? They did, much to the chagrin, I'm sure, of the myriad watchmaker's employed in Hamilton's Lancaster factory
My project watch is true to the design of the Accumatic IX with the exception of the custom-printed dial. That's what drew my attention to the listing as well. It's very nicely done and the blue color is very appealing. You can see the crystal is cracked and the crown is missing, so this watch definitely needs some attention.
The stem tube is a little out of round. Maybe that's from rattling around in a desk drawer for 50 years.
The case back is a little simpler than other examples I've seen but that could be simply because this was a custom job. Lou Hassel was one of the originators charged with creating the first Bluebonnet Bowl. I don't know who David Goldfarb is - perhaps a local Texas business man who helped organize the event.
With the back cover removed, I was pleased to see the movement is in decent shape.
All of the screws in the movement were very loose. The dial wasn't even held in place and came off when I removed the hands. It's fortunate that the watch wasn't running as the hour hand could potentially scratch the dial if it rubbed against it.
I can see that the set lever is unscrewed and that's why there is no stem installed in the watch. I have no idea if the movement runs but I'll just clean it and cross my fingers.
While all the parts are being cleaned in the ultrasonic I will try to fix the stem tube. This is a job for my smoothing broaches.
There... the hole is back to being round. That will be important for supporting the stem and crown - once they are installed.
Everything is laid out to dry before being reassembled. I already installed a new crystal. I'm in the home stretch now.
With some tension added to the mainspring the balance is now ticking away with a good motion. It's off to the timer.
Not too shabby, good amplitude and an acceptable beat error. One of the improvements the 1960s will bring is an adjustable balance cock that allows fine tuning the beat error. The 672 is "old school" and much harder to adjust so I'm happy it's within my personal specs.
I've got a new stem installed in the movement and everything is ready for the dial to go back on. Then I can reinstall the movement in the case and slowly trim the stem until the crown fits properly on the stem tube.
This watch turned out great. The new crystal and proper-fitting crown will give this 60+ year old automatic a new lease on life. Paired with a genuine ostrich strap, it's ready to attend another Clemson football game.
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