1964 Dateline A-579

It's interesting to note that if you research the "Hamilton Pan Europ" you'll likely find the interweb thinks the origin is the 1971 Hamilton Chronograph, or more specifically, the Chronomatic D.

This model utilized the Caliber 11 movement that was also shared with Breitling models.  The Caliber 11 is a micro-rotor powered automatic chronograph developed by Buren, which was owned by Hamilton at the time.  It was such a popular model that new models were introduced in the last 10 years that were inspired by the colorful design.

However, although the Chronomatic D said Pan Europ on the dial, the first use of Pan-Europ was the 1964 Dateline A-579.  So it makes me wonder what the original purpose of the Pan-Europ logo was.  I suspect that it was a series of models, along with the Estoril line, for use outside the US - but that's just a guess.

The Dateline A-579 was introduced in 1964 and produced through 1967.  The model was cased in stainless steel and features a calendar complication at the 6 position.  There are similar models that are not in the catalogs, including a very similar model without the calendar complication - and that's part of my rationale for saying there was a non-US model line.

The Dateline A-579 is a cushion-shaped model, similar in shape to Hamilton's original men's wrist watch from the 1920s.  In this case, the cushion shape comes from a snap-on bezel that attaches to the case and surrounds the round crystal.

The case back shows the model number 64017-3 - it also shows a plethora of scratches from someone trying to get the back cover off.  The cover says Hamilton paneurop and "model depose" - which is a French phrase that translates to "registered design" or "patented design".  The Pegasus logo is interesting - it reminds of an Omega Seamaster rear cover.  There was also a Hamilton Pegasus model - it's one of the Electric models.

Fortunately the rear cover didn't give me too much of a fight.  It opened to reveal the Hamilton 694A movement used in the Dateline Accumatic models.

The movement is held inside the case by a couple of braces that screw into the main plate and attach to the movement ring.

Uh-oh, the brace is missing from the crown-side of the movement.  All I see is a broken screw head and no brace.  Hopefully I'll be able to get the screw out.

With the dial and hands out of the way, you can see the business end of the date complication.  There are actually different calendar wheel options, depending on where the design places the dial opening.  Since this watch has the window at the 6 position, the number is upright at the 6 position.  If the window was at the 3 position, it would be a sidewise 14.  The movement functions the same, regardless of the printing on the wheel.  Once the hands pass 12:00 midnight, the wheel indexes clockwise one position.

The 694A is based on the Hamilton 64 and in this case the main plate is stamped A as well.  I have heard that the A represents "anodized" and that the barrel is anodized on the 694A but not anodized on the 694.  There's also a difference to the shape of the automatic framework.

All the parts are cleaned and accounted for - even the pesky U shaped spring that likes to disappear if you're not super-careful with it.

I was able to back the broken screw out of the main plate - so if I have an extra brace I should be able to secure the movement with two braces and not just one.

It took me a while to get the balance in position and to start running.  The position of the hairspring stud looks out of position to me, and very close to the regulator.  That would introduce a significant beat error and make the watch run very slow.  The timer will tell me for sure.

Yikes!  The watch is ticking but the timer can't pickup a clean rate.

Eventually I decided to use my best guess for where I though the hairspring stud should go and gave the timer another shot.  Now it's running with an excellent beat error but it's still a little slow.

Okay - now we're talking... a tweak here, a tweak there, and I got the timing right in line now.

Notice the change in position of the regulator and hairspring stud now... it's very different from what I started with.  You'd never be able to make these sorts of adjustments without a timer and a little experience. 

Next, I'll install the dial and slowly advance the time until the date wheel indexes.  Now I can install the hands at 12:00.

I happened to have the correct brace and a screw to secure it.  Now the movement is installed and properly held in the case.

One of the challenges with this model (and those similar to it) is the shape of the lugs.  They are very short and require a curved spring bar.  If you use a strap, it has to be unpadded in order to curve to fit the contour of the case.  

I looked online and was able to spot the correct Kreisler bracelet that was original to this model (see the catalog add).  When it comes to bracelets, there's a lot that goes into it - including the shape of the ends to fit the case - in this model, they have to be curved.  There are similar bracelets out there but the ends are straight and won't work.

This was a challenging project but with a proper bracelet and a fresh crystal, it now looks as good as it runs!