1910 975 Pocketwatch

Just like dinosaurs once ruled the world, there was a time when pocket watches were the primary portable time keeper for the common man.  If you didn't have a pocket watch, you had to rely on a clock.

Hamilton was formed in 1892 with a singular purpose - to create the best pocket watches possible.

Of course, "best" is a relative measure so perhaps a better objective would be to be best compared to what any other manufacturer could make, when given the same objectives.

The objectives were not always singular.  Sometimes, like on a railroad, the need for accuracy over several days was the objective.  That's a difficult measure to achieve, and not all applications required that degree of accuracy. 

Another objective could be the quality of workmanship and maintainability.  That could include premium materials, like solid gold, or it could include sturdy structures like alloy steel.

Needless to say, the result was a broad array of movements at various price points.  However, the level of quality was so consistent that it was said you could disassemble 100 working movements of a given caliber, mix up all the parts, and then reassemble 100 working movements using all of the combined parts.  That's what enabled watchmakers from around the country to support the regular maintenance needs of the watch industry.

For men, in the early years Hamilton pocket watches came in two sizes... 18 size and 16 size, the latter being slightly smaller.  Size 16 was the minimum size to meet railroad requirements.

The entry-level 16 size pocket watch was the 974 in open faced configuration or the 975 for hunter cased use.  The 974 and 974 was produced from 1900 through 1924.

24 years was a long time and the movement evolved over the years so that not all 974 / 975s are identical.  However, for the most part the majority of the wear parts are the same.

I've had my project watch waiting in the wings for several years and I finally got a spare minute (or two) to service it.

An open faced configuration requires the 12 to be at the pendant position.  This would allow you to look at the hands and the position of the crown and have a relatively quick idea of what time it is.

A hunter cased configuration was typically installed in a clamshell case with a metal cover over the dial.  This type of design protected the crystal and the dial from damage when out in the field.  You'd activate lifting the cover by pressing the top of the crown with your thumb (like a stop watch) and when the cover lifted you'd see the dial with the 3 at the pendant position.  This led to hunter cased movements to sometimes be called "side winders", since the crown is on the side of the dial.

My project watch is cased in an open faced case.  It features a double sunk enamel dial.  That implies the dial has three levels, the outside steps down to center and the center steps down again into the seconds register.  The hands are a very narrow, whip design.

The case back screws on and has a place available for initials but is otherwise decoratively engraved.

Unscrewing the case back reveals the movement inside.  I can tell by the dull sheen of the jewel settings that it's been many years since this watch was cleaned.  I can also see that's it's missing a barrel bridge screw, but is otherwise complete.  The serial number dates this movement to 1910.

The crystal is held in place with a metal bezel that also screws onto the case.  With the bezel removed, you can see some old cracks in the enamel near the 10.  That's not too unusual with an 116 year old dial.  There are two case screws on the back that hold the movement in the case.  Once I remove them, the movement will lift out the front of the case.

The 975 movement is "negative set" which means the stem for winding and setting the time is retained in the case pendant.  The stem is square shaped and fits into similarly square shaped hole in the movement.  It pushes against a rod that presses against springs that move the keyless works from the setting position to the winding position.

One of the evolutions that occurred over time was the number of dial feet.  Originally four feet held the dial in place, like this dial.  Eventually one of the feet was dropped and only three dial feet were used.  This means that not all dials are interchangable.

Getting the movement into the movement holder, I can see the balance cock screw is standing proud of the bridge.  That means the missing screw is actually the balance cock screw and the screw shown would normally be for the open hole of the barrel bridge.  I'll have to look for a donor screw in my stash.

With the dial removed, you can see the keyless works that allows the pendant to set the time.  When not installed in the case, the springs shown hold the movement in the setting position.  You can see the clutch is up against the setting wheels.

Everything is disassembled and cleaned.  I like working on pocket watches, the parts are large and there's a lot of space inside to see what's going on.  They have their challenges, of course, but if you wanted to learn the fundamentals of how a watch works, a pocket watch is a good subject.

Everything gets put back into place with a little oil.  All of the appropriate screws are in their proper spaces.  At this point I can install the movement in the case and use the crown to wind the mainspring.  Then I can add the balance and the watch should start running.

Voila... with the balance in place the watch is now ticking away with a nice motion.  Notice the correct screw is sitting flush with the balance cock.

The movement is installed in the timer and the timer listens to the ticking... everything is looking promising.

A tweak here, a tweak there, and I eventually get the timing dialed in... good beat rate, good amplitude, good beat error.

The reassembled movement goes back into it's case and the watch looks pretty much like it did at the start - however, now it's clean, properly oiled, and running great.  Not bad for a 116 year old pocket watch.