1935 Bartley (Bartlett)

Hamilton introduced the 14/0 sized movements used for the newly design tank models in 1935.  These new calibers were used in all of the narrow and long models.  The 17 jewel 980 movement was used in the gold filled models and the 19 jewel 982 movement was used in the solid gold and platinum models.

There were lots of options for folks looking for a new watch.  Not only were there a variety of models, most models had at least two different dial patterns to choose from.

One of the inaugural models was the 1935 Bartley.  In some references it's called the Bartlett but for the two years it was catalogued it was shown at the Bartley.

The Bartley came in a 14K gold filled case in yellow.  The portion of the bezel above and below the crystal is mirror lapped and intended to be highly polished.  You could get the Bartley with an applied gold marker dial, as shown in the catalog or with an applied gold numeral dial, or even with a black enamel dial.  The latter was the least expensive but is arguably more desirable to collectors today.

$55 doesn't seem like a lot of money today but in 1935 at the height of the Great Depression, that was the equivalent of over $1,300 in today's value.  So the Bartley was not an inexpensive watch by any standard.

My project watch is actually very nice.  This model is very prone to wear on the corners of the bezel and this watch shows some minor wear but once it's cleaned it should look fantastic.  The bracelet is obviously very old but it wasn't original to the watch.  Bracelets were not unheard of but the a leather strap was much more in fashion in the 1930s.

Looking closely at the crystal, I can see the upper right has cracked and let some moisture inside.

The case back looks great too - I don't think this watch has had too much of a difficult life.  The bracelet shows a lot more wear than the watch case does.

With the bezel lifted off, I can immediately tell this is a refinished dial.  The little notch by the crown is an obvious tell.  These white dials from the 1930s can be refinished to look like new and a lot of collectors with "original dials" probably have an old refinished dial.  It was common practice for Hamilton to refinish the dials of any watch that came in for service.

Here's a surprise, this movement is the correct caliber but the serial number dates it to 1946.  So this movement is likely a replacement.  Perhaps the watch was sent to Hamilton for repair in the 1940s or a prior watchmaker replaced what was originally inside.  As long the movement is correct for the model, I don't really see an issue.  Perhaps if the movement was older than the model should be, then I might give pause but in this case, there are any number of legitimate reasons to see a new replacement.

It's hard to tell with the lighting in my shop but there are easily 10 different prior service marks inside the case back.  This watch has been very well maintained.

The dial-side of the movement is in good shape and otherwise unremarkable.  It looks just as you'd expect.

A new glass crystal is definitely in order and I'll get it ready for installation while all the parts clean in the ultrasonic.

With the crystal and the bezel in the sunlight to cure the UV glue, the rest of the watch is ready to be reassembled.

Piece by piece the movement goes back together.  Once the mainspring is wound up the balance springs back to life with a vigorous motion.

Nothing wrong with this timekeeping, everything looks great.  It should slow down a little after everything settles in.

A nice leather strap in black completes the restoration.  I was able to clean most of the grime off the dial but there's still a little silhouette of moisture damage around the 1 and the 12.  My photo really magnifies the watch.  In real life the watch looks much better.  This is an above average example of the Bartley, I don't see an major wear through to the corners, do you?