1941 Lexington

One of my favorite models is the 1941 Lexington.  I suppose that's for a few reasons.  

First, as a former naval officer, the name reminds me of the USS Lexington(s), of WWII.  The original USS Lexington (CV-2) was the second aircraft carrier built by the US Navy.  It was sunk in the battle of the Coral Sea.  Another carrier was already being built (the Cabot) CV-16 and was renamed the USS Lexington while under construction and served during WWII, then off and on until it was finally decommissioned in 1991, while I was in the Navy.  I remember seeing it the fleet, it was the training ship for naval aviators.  It's a museum now in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Second, the watch was intended for use with service members.  The Endicott and Sentinel were similarly marketed and those are personal favorites too.  I find that very interesting, since WWII didn't actually begin for the United States until the very end of 1941, after the watches came out.  So it gives you some insight into the political climate prior to WWII with war on the horizon.

The 1941 Lexington is also a milestone model for Hamilton.  It was the first model to utilize stainless steel.  Up until 1941, Hamilton never used stainless steel for any wrist watch model.  It also never used rolled gold plated cases.  So that's a great insight to know if you see a Hamilton wrist watch with a 987 movement in a case with a stainless steel back or a RGP bezel... it's not an authentic model.

The code price of 12 equated to $42.50.   That's the equivalent of about $940 in today's currency - so it was not an inexpensive watch.

The Lexington is very distinctive looking with a black dial (uncommon prior to 1941) and slender white baton hands.  It's not luminous but the black dial with white letters is very easy to read.  The stainless steel case is solidly built and although the watch is very small by modern standards, it feels substantial in the hand.

My project watch looks like it's never been altered in the past 85 years.  The glass crystal has plenty of bumps and bruises.  Stainless steel can take a beating and this case shows some wear but a thorough cleaning will do it some good.  The baton hands look exactly as they should.  This is a model where the hands are really important.  Any other style of hands would look out of place, in my opinion.  The scale of the hands seems to match the font size of the numerals and width of the hour 5 minute indices, don't you think?

The back of the case is nicely engraved with the initials (I presume) of the original owner.

The black dial seems to have a dusty-looking patina.  I'm going to let sleeping dogs lie though.  Black dials are very hard to clean as they seem to turn grey if attempt even a gentle cleaning.  That said, they will often look better if you get them wet, so sometimes I will spritz them with a light spray of clear lacquer and make a faded dial look much better.  This one is perfect, I wouldn't change (or risk) a thing.

Tucked behind the dial is a 14/0 sized, 17 jewel 980 movement - exactly what you'd expect to see.  

Check out the crown... it has a prominent long post.  This crown design accommodates the shape of the case opening (or stem tube).  One of the most common questions I receive is "what crown do I need" and that's a surprisingly complicated question to answer.  

How would you describe this crown?  There's the material of construction, the diameter of the head, the length of the post, the diameter of the post, the thread for the stem, etc. etc. etc.   It's really one of those "you know it when you see it" things.  Sometimes the Hamilton parts manual specifies the crown for specific models, but often times it doesn't and in those situations you really have to give it your best guess.

Once the dial is lifted out of the way, I can see that the arm on the set bridge / yoke has broken off.  This little arm is the detent that keeps the stem in either the winding or the setting position.  I'll need to replace this part to keep the watch from accidentally going in to the setting position while it's being worn.

The watch was not working when I received it and here's one of the reasons... the mainspring is broken.  It's also fairly "set" and would have needed to be replaced anyway.

Everything is cleaned and dried.  This can be a challenging movement for beginners to reassemble thanks to the train bridge design but after 1,000 attempts you get the hang of it.  When I first started working on watches this design, the 982, and the 748 movement would almost drive me to tears.

The reassembled movement is ticking away with a nice motion.  Even the balance is blurred by the camera.

It's running a little fast but that should be easy to adjust.

Okay - that should do the trick.

My posts may make it look like every watch goes perfectly.  That's not always the situation though.  In full disclosure, this movement ran great... until you moved it crown down, then it locked up.  Obviously watches need to run in all positions but they may run differently in certain positions.  Wrist watches were typically adjusted to three positions... dial up, dial down, and pendant (crown) up.  If you look at railroad watches, they're adjusted to the other positions that you might find a watch in your pocket... pendant to the left, pendant right, etc.

So what would make a watch stop in a certain position? Great question... really it could be anything.  Every wheel (and the pallet fork) rides on two pivots.  Dial up or dial down they're riding on only one, depending on the orientation.  However, rotate the movement on it's side and both pivots are in use and if any of them have an issue, it could stop the watch.

My experience has been it's either the pallet fork or the balance.  Usually it's the balance.  It could be the pivots or it could be something else that gravity effects only in a certain direction.

Anyway, I ended up taking the movement apart and checking everything very closely, ultimately resolving the issue after replacing the balance assembly.  Now it runs great in all positions.

I replaced the beat up crystal with a fresh glass crystal and now the watch looks as good as it runs.  This is a great watch and easy to see why it's a personal favorite.

1955 Automatic K-403

The first automatics in Hamilton's lineup were originally branded as Illinois watches.  Interestingly, they used ETA movements.  

Within a year or two Hamilton-branded automatics were introduced.  The earliest models used Eterna movements but those were rapidly replaced by Kirth Freres (Certina).  The model line was aptly named the Automatic K-series.  Although the K-series continued to be made in the 1960s, by the end of the 1950s two additional automatic model lines were introduced... the Accumatic series and the Thin-o-matic series.

The K-series is probably my favorite of the three.  That's mainly because they are big and chunky and each one is a little different.

A good example is the 1955 Automatic K-403.  It was produced for three years. 

As you can see the catalog depiction, the K-403 was available on a bracelet or a strap.  It features a 10K yellow gold filled case.  The dial is embossed with numerals and markers with a pearled track.  It's "waterproof" but I wouldn't put that to the test.

My project watch is in very good condition.  The dial is a little toned from the luminous paint on the hands but nothing too distracting.  The bracelet is nice but it's not original, so I could take it or leave it.  Personally, I'm a strap man.

The case back is engraved with a somewhat cryptic presentation from 1956.

The inside of the case back makes identifying the model easy - it's stamped right inside the case back.  The movement is in excellent condition.  

Everything is cleaned and readied for reassembly.  There are a lot of parts to an automatic but this movement is very straightforward to put back together.

The basic movement, sans the automatic bits, is back together and running nicely.  Let's see what the timer has to say about it.

It's running a little fast but it won't take much of an adjustment to slow it down a smidgeon.

There... a tweak here, a tweak there, a tweak here again, eventually I get it in the ballpark.  I'll leave it a little fast for now.

The finished watch looks fantastic, partly due to having a fresh crystal.  This is a sharp watch with an interesting design.  I like the shape of the lugs and the accents around the perimeter.

1966 Thin-o-matic T213

 I love a good mystery, and when it comes to Hamilton watches, there are occasionally mystery watches that eventually get identified.

A good example, is the 1964 Fairlane.  It was a mysterious watch that was eventually identified because an example was found with it's original box. 

Another example is the 1928 Oval.  It wasn't cataloged but was shown in advertisements.

Some hard to identify models are actually awards division watches.  They weren't shown in the retail catalogs but they're easier to spot because they often will say "masterpiece" on the dial or have they typical engraving pattern on the back denoting who it was presented to.

I recently had the opportunity to identify another mysterious model.  I consulted with my friend Andrew Krug, author of the Hamilton Field Guide (hamiltonfieldguide.com).  The 1966 price list shows a model that is not presented in the 1966 catalog.  Based on all that is known and by process of elimination, we agreed that the watch in question is a 1966 Thin-o-matic T-213.

How did we arrive at the conclusion?  The type of movement would imply it's a Thin-o-matic.  The case is solid 14K so that means it's a T-2-something.  The case back is not stainless steel so it's not a T-25-something, plus there are no T-25 somethings.  All of the T-2-somethings are identifiable.  Now, it's possible that it could be a T-212 but there is no mention anywhere of a T-212... the price lists go from T-211 (and T-211B) to the T-213.   So we landed on this watch being a T-213.

As received, the watch is in typical "as found in a dresser drawer" condition.  The lugs have a slight groove from being paired with a metal bracelet.  The dial on this watch is very interesting.  It has a raised wall around the perimeter that integrates with the hour markers for 1, 5, 7 and 11.  The luminous markers are 12, 3, 6 and 9 are the same style but the markers are 12 are flipped to form a shape resembling a heart.  I think it's really a great dial design!

The solid 14K gold back has notches to accept a case wrench and unscrews.

Tucked inside a pink micro-rotor movement, specifically the 666 caliber.  I think this caliber is aptly numbered, as it can be devil to reassemble if you're not familiar with it.  The movement is secured in the case with two screws and retainer clips.

The case back is properly marked and clearly an authentic Hamilton model.  This watch has been serviced several times over the last 60 years.

Here's a better shot of the dial.  I believe it's both embossed and has applied gold numerals / figures.

Everything is cleaned and ready to be reassembled.  It always feels like there are twice as many parts to a microrotor movement than an other typical Hamilton caliber.  There's a specific order of assembly to follow but it will all go back together smoothly.

The reassembled movement comes back to life once the balance is reinstalled and the balance jewels are closed within the incablock springs.  It's off to the timer to listen to the ticking.

Not too shabby at all.  I'll leave it here for now.

A new crystal completes the restoration of this fine watch.  I love solid gold Hamiltons.  My advice to new collectors is to focus on solid gold (or platinum) models.  All of the models are exquisite and although the size of the collection will be smaller, the cost to maintain the collection will also be smaller.  Of course, there are some really great models that aren't cased in solid gold, so there are exceptions to the rule.  But you really can't go wrong when it comes to a solid gold Hamilton.

 

1970 FAPD 5101 Type 1 Navigators Watch

If you're into Hamilton military watches, perhaps your holy grail would be the 1970 FAPD 5101.

This watch is unique in a variety of ways, and it's arguably the most sought after authentic military watch that Hamilton produced.

What makes it so special?  Several things.  First, it was only issued in September of 1970.  It was specially designed for Air Force navigators and it was intentionally larger than other watches at the time.  It also used a Hamilton caliber that was only used in this watch... no other civilian or military models used it.

It would be easy to confuse the FAPD 5101 with other military models like the GG-W-113 until you placed them side by side.  The FAPD 5101 is considerably larger.

You'll see them for sale occasionally and, if you're lucky, you might be able to score one for a few hundred dollars.  However, if you truly had your heart set on one, you'd probably want to develop a war chest of a couple of thousand, to make sure you could land one.  They're pretty rare.

I recently had the opportunity to check one out for myself and see what all the fuss is about.

As received, the watch looks like it's seen some things.  The crystal is very beat up but the parkerized case is built like a tank and looks ready for more action.

The case back screws off with the assistance of a case wrench.  They all have the same info stamped on the case back.

Under the cover is an antimagnetic dust cover and a rubber o-ring.

Lifting off the dust cover reveals the heart of the watch, the 17 jewel 684 movement.  This movement looks like a garden variety 688 movement or the 649 movement used in the GG-W-113.  However, it has a different hacking mechanism and the balance has a micro-adjustment screw.  It also has a very long power reserve - like 47 hours long.

The only thing that catches my eye is one of the case screws isn't catching the movement ring.

The movement is running fairly well but it's unknown when it was last serviced.

I was recently chatting with a friend at Hamilton in Switzerland about the second hand on military models... were they painted or were they lumed?  This one is clearly just painted, but often you will see other models with lume on the second hand, either the arrow tip or the whole arm.

This is a first for me... the dial actually has a backer plate, presumably to stiffen it up.

The dial feet are heavy duty and extend through the backer plate. They hold the dial onto the main plate using two equally heavy duty screws.

I'll replace the beat up crystal with a GS Evr-Tite sized at 31.5mm.  It has a silver reflector ring and will be pressed in place.

In this shot you can see the hack mechanism is activated by the tip of the stem and a spring.  Pull the crown out to set the time and the hack lever will swing over and stop the balance from moving.  Notice  the main plate is stamped with 684.

All the parts are laid out to dry and are ready to be reassembled.

The reassembled movement is ticking away with a smooth motion.  Let's see what the timer has to say.

Looks about the same as what I started with.  The amplitude is a little low but I haven't wound it all the way yet.  I'll see if I can reduce the beat error to zero and fine tune the timing.

Well, that's pretty good.

The movement is bright and shiny and goes back into the case.  This time both case retainers are in place to secure the movement to the movement ring.  I'll put some silicone on the o-ring, reinstall the dust cover, and close up the watch.

A new crystal makes this watch look brand new.  The most challenging thing with black dialed watches is to make sure there's no dust inside the crystal.  Even dust on the outside of the crystal is obvious on the black background.  The case as integral bars for the lugs so a NATO strap is the obvious choice to pair with the watch.

And for comparison's sake, here's the FAPD 5101 in between the 1980s Mil-W-46374D (left) and a modern Hamilton Khaki Mechanical (right).  The FAPD case is 36mm side to side and noticeably larger than a classic military watch but it's smaller than the modern Khaki.

I think for the money, the modern Khaki Mechanical offers the most bang for the buck.  It's a nice size (by modern standards) and is 100% maintainable.  The Mil-W-46374D or GG-W-113 are the only military watches that I would recommend.  The 46374B is pretty much a disposable design, in my opinion.  The FAPD 5101 is in a class by itself.  Certainly on par with best of them and it's unique size and features would make it the crown jewel of any Hamilton military collection.

1936 Clark

 Long and skinny was the fashion of the late 1930s.  Slender watches of all sorts populated the Hamilton lineup thanks to the 14/0 movements that were introduced in 1935.  Watches were long enough that the cases were marketed as "curved to fit the wrist".

One of the early watches was the 1936 Clark.  It was introduced in 1936 and produced through 1938.  After a year off, a very similar model called the Yorktowne was introduced.  The principle way to tell the difference is the Clark has a 14K gold filled case, while the Yorktown has a 10K gold filled case.

You could get the Clark with an applied gold numeral dial or with an inlaid black numeral dial.  Although the applied gold numeral dial features solid 18K gold numerals, you tend to find the black numeral dial is more sought after by collectors.  That's probably because you see it much less often.

I was recently asked to overhaul a Clark and I think it's a really nice example of the model.  As received, there are a couple of noteworthy aspects to it.  First, it's using an unusual style of hands.  This style is called Moderne, or sometimes Plume.  This style was used on some models but typically you'll find the Clark with Spear hands.  The second hand is a Spear style so I suspect at some point the hands were swapped for something that looked nicer.

What's really noteworthy is the case is in excellent condition.  It's not usual to see the case back with a lot of wear to the edges or around the lip for opening the case.  This one looks fantastic.  The engraving is a 1937 presentation to Arnold from Gyspy - how cool is that?

Once the back is separated from the bezel, you can see the dial.  I don't see any obvious tells that it's a refinished dial.  The numerals are a bit tarnished but I should be able to brighten them up with some rodico putty.

The 17 jewel 980 movement inside dates to 1936, making this a first year Clark.  Since Feb 1937 wasn't too long after 1936, it's a safe assumption to state this is the original movement.

Although the 14/0 sized movements were produced through 1953, the earliest examples of the 980 and 982 had a split yoke.  In about 1938 the design was changed to a single bridge that covered the minute wheel and the yoke.  In the photo below you can see the two parts.

I find that about 9 out of 10 14/0 movements have an old style blue mainspring.  These typically "set" into a tight coil and lose most of their potential energy.  Lets see what happens when I remove the spring from the barrel.

Yup, no surprise there.  I'll replace it with a white alloy Dynavar spring and it will be good to go for a "lifetime".

One of the reasons the case is in nice shape is it has a large plastic crystal installed.  It's not the correct style but it's prominent enough to keep short sleeves from rubbing the gold.  I'll replace it with a proper glass crystal.

This type of crystal is called a "cylinder" because of the high walls that arch from top to bottom.  Some models used a cylinder as part of their design but not this model.

A simple mineral glass crystal is all that's needed and was the original style used at the factory.

Although the size is "close enough", with glass crystals you typically have to shape them with wet sand paper so they fit the bezel opening perfectly.

The perimeter of the bezel has a fine layer of UV glue and once the crystal is installed I'll leave it in the sunlight to cure while the rest of the watch is completed.

Everything is cleaned and readied for reassembly.

A fresh Dynavar mainspring will power the movement for 36+ hours.

Part by part, the movement goes back together.  It doesn't look like it but the balance is swinging away with a nice motion.  Time to see what the timer thinks of it.

It's running a little fast but that's an easy adjustment.

There we go... I'll leave it here for now.

The finished watch looks much better with a proper crystal.  The bezel has some dings here and there but it doesn't show the typical wear through that you'll find with this model.  This is a great looking watch, even with the Moderne hands.