1969 Mystery Model

 I think it's interesting to imagine day to day life in the Hamilton factory in 1969... especially if you worked at the company for a long time.

For example, in 1929 Hamilton produced 11 different wrist watch models, arguably more if you consider the variety of gold / gold filled types.  They also manufactured a myriad pocket watch movements and models as well.

By the end of the 1960s, the factory in Lancaster, Pa was turning out over 180 different models, with other plans on the way.  You can imagine the factory was a hectic place to work.

The Hamilton Watch Company was more than just watches though.  It had diversified into several areas and had acquired other companies along the way.  One of the companies acquired, Buren Watch Company, was the Swiss maker that manufactured the micro-rotor automatics and some of the manual movements used in the Thinline model line.  Hamilton executives decided to cease production efforts in Lancaster and move production to their Swiss factory.  This was the end of the golden era of watchmaking in the United States.

You know that wasn't a quick decision and I'm sure the impact within the factory, and within the surrounding Lancaster area, was profound.  That was a LOT of change to digest, no doubt.

One of the things you'd have to consider would be what to do with the significant inventory of work in progress from Lancaster that didn't make it into finished goods?  Surely, a good portion of inventory would be maintained to service and maintain existing customer sales, but that's more of a spare parts thing.  What about completed movements?

I think one of the prevailing theories is Hamilton created, or licensed, several uncatalogued models that utilized excess US-made inventory.  Probably the best known example of this is the Liberty Coin.

The Liberty Coin is well known and documented.  It was offered in solid gold as well as in an rolled gold plated case.  One of the many unique features of the Coin is there is no second hand.  However, another interesting point is the dial calls out the number of jewels in the movement - 22 jewels, indicating the 770 was used.  Referencing the number of jewels on the dial was not a common occurrence.

Over time I've come across a number of mysterious Hamilton models, like this one using a 736 movement that feature the number of jewels on the dial.  The cases are often marked Hamilton but lack the details that are typically included within the case - like "Hamilton Watch Co, Lancaster PA".

I recently came across another example.

Like the Coin, this watch says Hamilton 22 Jewels on the dial.  The dial is embossed (stamped), with a nice radial finish.  Oddly, the crown sticks out from the case like it wasn't fitted properly.  It looks like it's in the setting position but this is actually the winding position.

The back of the case says 14K Hamilton, and the font used for Hamilton is similar to other "mystery" watches I've seen.

This watch came in an authentic Hamilton box and is paired with a period-correct Hamilton strap.

The watch opens through the crystal so the first step is to separate the two-piece stem.  The female side is retained in the crown.  There's still some thread showing in the stem hub and the crown has a long tube, so I should be able to shorten the assembly to tuck the crown closer to the case.

I'm not sure what style I would describe the hour and minute hands, they're sort of a mixture of styles, but they match and that's all that's important.

The only 22 jewel men's movement was the 770 and that's what you'll find behind the dial and within a movement ring to secure the assembly in the case.

The inside of the case back is unremarkable, other than a serial number.  There's no case maker or even evidence of prior service marks.  Typically I'd expect to see at least "Hamilton Watch Company, Lancaster PA" or I'd suspect foul play - but this is typical of watches like the Liberty Coin, et al.

The 770 is an interesting caliber.  It's regarded as the best that Lancaster ever produced.  What I find interesting is over the 15 years that the movement was manufactured, the balance was changed.  Earlier movements used a traditional weighted balance and in the mid 1960s the balance design was changed to a weight-free Glucydur balance.  What's interesting is other movements made the same change - but thier calibers were also changed.  For example, the 730 movement became the 731, and the 735 movement became the 736.  Why wasn't the 770 movement renamed something like the 771?

While the parts are in the ultrasonic, I'll work on the crown.  The first step is to make sure the crown will actually sit closer to the case.  There's a lot that goes into selecting a crown, especially a waterproof crown.  It has to sit on the stem tube so the gasket will seal.  This one appears to sit fine, so it's really a matter of stem length.  Hopefully I can shorten it a little further.

Everything is ready to be reassembled.

Check out the underside of the Glucydyr balance.  It was dynamically poised at the factory with tiny amounts of material removed to ensure the wheel is perfectly balanced.

The reassembled movement is ticking away but the beat error is way out of spec.  I'll have to remove the balance and adjust the hairspring to better align the impulse jewel with the pallet fork.

Adjusting the beat error is tricky business, especially on a movement with a fixed hairspring stud.  I was able to get the beat error down to 2.5ms and that's within my personal specs of 3.0ms or less.  Every attempt risks disaster and I've learned over years of experience to quit while you're ahead.  Now I can tweak the beat rate down a smidgeon and get it closer or zero seconds per day.  The amplitude is fine, without a crown, I haven't wound the movement fully yet.

The reassembled watch is all cleaned up and looks as good as it did when it left the factory, or whatever body assembled all of these watches, when the factory closed up shop.  There's no production details for these types of watches but based on the scarcity of the Liberty Coin, I think this is a very rare Hamilton model.