It's been a hot minute since I've had a new model for the blog. They're getting fewer and far between. Still plenty to go though and they're not all solid gold rarities.
This one is about as plane-jane as they go, but still rather uncommon. It's a 1956 Laird... a one year wonder, sort of. Priced at $45 in 1956, that's the equivalent of about $545 in today's currency - so not cheap by any stretch but definitely entry-level by Hamilton standards
The Laird is interesting in that it was previously one of the Illinois models, specifically the Debonair L, introduced in 1954. I haven't come across that model yet so this post is actually a two-fer. Hamilton re-introduced the Illinois brand (that it purchased in 1928) and issued watches with Swiss-made movements. This was sort of a test to see how the market would respond without "risking" the Hamilton brand. When the world kept turning, executives migrated away from the Illinois branding and eventually there were lots of new Hamilton models introduced in 1956.
What's even more interesting is lots of the new Hamilton models were "B" models and in 1957 they dropped the B. For example, the Jason B became the Jason, the Cabot B became the Cabot, et al. The B signifies that the movement changed and the B model had an Illinois movement while the non-B had a Hamilton movement - but otherwise they looked mostly the same.
So the Laird is interesting in that it doesn't have a B version but it does use an Illinois movement like in the Debonair L. I guess because it wasn't planned for 1957, there was no need to make a B version.
What's also interesting is my project watch has a slightly different dial. I would call this a non-cataloged option since it's obviously an original embossed dial.
The case back is stainless steel - also a new attribute for Hamilton watches, at least with RGP bezels. There were earlier all-stainless models, of course. This just underscores the efforts Hamilton undertook to stay cost competitive in an increasingly challenging global market.
Getting embossed dials refinished can be problematic as refinishers can often wear down the figures during the refinishing process. The result is the figures look soft and rounded over - very dissatisfying, in my opinion. This dial shows good, honest dirt that comes with age. I won't even try to clean it.
The inside of the case back makes short work of identifying the model. It says LAIRD right inside the back.
The movement inside is an Illinois branded movement without a caliber reference. The TXD on the balance cock is actually the import code for Illinois - all Illinois models in the 1950s have this code. This movement is based on an A. Schild 1200 and will eventually become the Hamilton 673.
Everything is take apart and cleaned. Time for reassembly.
The last parts to go on (the back anyway) are the balance jewels that are supported by the incabloc shock settings. The balance is actually ticking away without the jewels but only because it's dial down at the movement.
There... the jewels are in and the reassembled movement is ticking away with a nice motion. Let's see what the timer thinks.
Well, not too bad. The beat error is a little high but adjusting that is actually a bit of a challenge on this movement and I'm going to let sleeping dogs lie. I could very easily ruin an otherwise fine hairspring by pressing my luck.
Notice anything odd about the two crystals below? The correct crystal is on the right. The left crystal came with the watch but it's not the correct shape. It has a few cracks as a result, but it was pretty close. The main difference is the corners should be rounded.
With a proper crystal installed, this watch now looks as good as it runs. Not bad for a 70 year old watch.
