When is a wrist watch not a wrist watch?
Maybe when it's in your pocket, assuming it's not a pocket watch. Some pocket watches get converted to wrist watches but you don't see it go the other way around.
No, the answer I'm looking for is when it's used for something that's not worn on your wrist. The only example that comes to mind is the Fairfield Camera Machine Gun. Taking photos and comparing them to elapsed time was an accurate way of determining if you could hit what you were aiming at.
In 1935 Hamilton provided a variety of 14/0 sized movements for use within the US Navy's training program. These watches are sometimes mislabeled as "bomb timers" but they actually have nothing to do with dropping bombs or detonating them at a precise time.
Instead, the watch was used in conjunction with a camera to take photos and reveal the elapsed time. Using the images along with some math, instructors could train naval gunners to hit moving targets while they were also moving - at several hundred miles an hour.
I posted about this unique timepiece in 2018 and you can read about it here. I recently had the opportunity to work on another, and it's a little different so I wanted to share this one too.
First off, let me say that these were not intended to be worn on a strap. You will sometimes see them with a strap, like my project, but that just means the case has been modified to accommodate a strap.
My project watch arrived dead on arrival, fully wound but not ticking. There are quite a few different dial options for this watch and you can see my project has the same configuration as what's shown in the advertisement above. Unlike the Seckron doctor's watch, this dial has the 12 at the stem side of the dial so it's a little tricky to tell the time when you first look at it.
The case is not fully shut, so I'm definitely walking in someone's footsteps here. Hopefully nothing is damaged. You need to be very careful opening a watch... one false move and you can break something important.
Did I mention this watch is not intended to be worn? One of the reasons is the case was outfitted with a lever that would hack the watch, or stop it, and then start it again when the lever was moved. That lever extended through the case and you can see the hole for in the picture below. It's an open hole now and that means moisture and dirt can get inside the case and go directly to the movement.
Popping the bezel away from the case back, you can clearly see how the 14/0 sized movement fits into the case. The large open space on the left was for the lever that would hack the balance wheel and stop it. That piece is no longer present.
This dial is the D23 version intended for the 980A movement that you'll see in a moment. The difference between the 980 and the 980A is the added complication to move the hour and minute hands upward in order to create two zones - one for the hour and minute and the other for the prominent second hand. If you want to see all the other versions, check out my 2018 post.
One piece of advice I always offer is to check the inside of the case back to verify if a watch is legitimately made by Hamilton. It should say Hamilton Watch Co. The one exception to that advice is in the 1930s when often you will see just the case maker's information. So for watches from this period you definitely want to consult the catalogs before buying an unknown model. It wasn't unusual for a Hamilton movement to outlast it's case and jewelers would simply recase the movement in an aftermarket case and give the movement additional life. Every watch collector has been fooled by this practice... the trick is to not be fooled twice.
There are two versions of the offset hour hand 14/0 movements - the earlier one is the 980A and the later version is the 980B. They are very similar but the B version has some improvements. I have found that the 980A often has a serial number that starts with G, just like the regular 980. The 980B has a serial number that starts with A, go figure.
Anyway, based on this serial number, this watch dates to 1935, just as you'd expect. It's wound tight, hopefully it's just gummed up.
The 980A and 980B have an extra layer of parts on top of the main plate so the movement and dial assembly is thicker than usual. I suspect this case is thicker than my other version I posted in 2018.
With the dial and hands removed, you can see the business end of the movement and the additional parts needed to relocated the hour and minute hands. This is very different than the 980B.
Without the spacer plate you get an uncluttered view of the main plate. Starting in the center, there's a much shorter cannon pinion where the hour and minute hand traditionally attach. The cannon pinion drives two minute wheels, one above and one below to the left. The upper minute wheel drives another cannon pinion for the minute hand and the hour wheel for the hour hand. The other, traditional, minute wheel, is simply used as part of the keyless works to set the time. Pull out and turn the crown and all of these wheels will rotate.
Just for comparison, check out this photo from a 980B used in the second version of the Seckron. It's quite different.
Getting the special cannon pinion off is a job for my Bergeon levers.
The mainspring in the barrel is an old blue steel design and has likely set into a tight coil. I'll replace it with a white alloy spring.
This watch arrived without a crystal and I have three potential options. The dimensions of all three are the same, 27.3mm x 15.4mm, but that's only part of the story. Crystals can be complicated.
The Federal crystal is actually contoured a little. This might be appropriate for the later Seckron.
The WC crystal is flat on all four sides.
Comparing the crystal to the bezel, it looks like the bezel is flat on all four sides so the WC is the better option to go with. The Perfit would work too. This bezel has almost no ledge to glue the crystal to - it will have to be a precise fit. Glass crystals have to be shaped by hand so I have a good 30 minutes ahead of me to get a new crystal in place and glued.
Here's my fresh mainspring - ready to be installed in the barrel.
Apparently I forgot to take a photo of all the parts after being cleaned and dried but they all got reassembled with fresh lubricants and the ticking movement is now sitting on the timer. It's running a bit fast but the rest looks great.
The regulator was already set to slow and I didn't have much room for adjustment but I was able to get it within 30 seconds fast per day. It should settle down a little bit too. That's not too shabby for a 90 year old watch!
Everything goes back onto the main plate, including a little spring arm to keep the minute wheel down. That was eliminated in the 980B.
The trick to putting the hands back on is to be sure to align them at 12:00.
The finished watch is now ticking away safely in it's case and protected by a new glass crystal. The strap on this watch is permanently attached to the case so I wasn't able to do much to clean the case but it looks fine. I don't think it should be worn too often anyway seeing as how there's a hole in the side. It's a pretty good conversation piece though, don't you think?
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