1941 Gilbert

Sometimes watches remind me of other things... like the movie "Young Frankenstein", where Igor drops the brain he was sent to collect and has to substitute another in its place.  He came back with the brain of Abby Someone... or was it AB Normal?

The same is true for me with a few fine Hamilton watches that all start with Gil... is it the Gilman, the Gilbert, or the Gilmore?  There are only three, why do I always get them confused?  Am I the only one?

To be fair, the Gilbert and the Gilmore are pretty closely related.  They look almost identical but the Gilmore was introduced in 1953, produced for a single year and cased in solid 10K gold.

The Gilman was introduced in 1938 and overlapped in production with the Gilbert.  They're similar really in name only.

The Gilbert was introduced in 1941 and produced through 1951 - that was a really long run for a Hamilton model, with a short pause for WWII.

A lot was going on in 1941, namely the inclusion of some Coral models using rose gold and the "new" 982M or medallion movement was introduced for solid gold models.  The Gilbert was offered in solid 14K yellow gold with a sterling silver dial set with solid 18K gold numerals.  The code price 24 equated to  $85.  That's about $1,900 in today's dollars... try finding a new solid gold top quality watch today for $1,900!

10 years later, the Gilbert was offered at $125.  Adjusted for inflation, that's actually about $1600 in today's dollars.

The movement inside is the 19 jewel 982M movement, which is basically a 982 movement with extra finishing and tighter tolerances.  Starting in 1941, solid models with a 14/0 movement received the 982M.  14K gold filled models would get the 982 and 10K gold filled and stainless models would receive the 17 jewel 980 movement.

A recently received a nice Gilbert that was running oddly.  A lot of times that's just a sign that it's time for some maintenance.  All mechanical watches require regular maintenance.  Back when this watch was made, the recommendation was to have the watch serviced every year... of course, that was back when there was a watchmaker in every jewelry store.  Not so much today, but with modern lubricants, the recommendation is now every 3-5 years, or if you get moisture inside it.

I put the watch on my timer to see what I was starting with.  Normally I don't do that, it's going to be taken apart and cleaned anyway - if it has issues, I'll find it later.

Oddly enough, the timer wasn't even registering but after a while did get a screen that showed the shotgun pattern of noise... there's a big difference between a ticking watch and a watch that is keeping time.

The inside of the case back is unremarkable other than this is the first time I've seen a prior watchmaker's service mark on the wall of the case, there are a couple of others on the back surface.

The earlier 982M movements have a solid gold medallion on the train bridge.  I think that's an interesting touch, considering only a watchmaker would have been likely to see it.  Eventually in the later 1940s the medallion was removed in favor of an engraved circle with an H inside.  Not quite the same but still a 982M.

The serial number of this movement dates to 1941 - making this a first year example of the Gilbert.

Tucked inside the barrel is an old style blue mainspring.  It's more than likely set into a tight coil and has lost most of its potential energy.  That's not the cause of the running poorly issue though.  This spring will still power the watch but likely for less than a full day.  A fresh mainspring will power the watch for close to 40 hours on a full wind.

Yup - called it.  A fresh mainspring is definitely in order.

While everything is being cleaned I'll prep a new glass crystal for installation in the bezel.

Everything is cleaned and ready to be put back together.

You can tell by the blurred balance wheel that the watch is now ticking away with a brisk motion.  Time to see what the timer thinks after a cleaning.

Not too shabby, the beat error is at the high end of my specs but the little voice in my head is warning me to let sleeping dogs lie.  I could attempt to reduce the beat error but one false move and the balance could be ruined and I'd be back to a poorly running movement again.  I've learned over the years to pay attention to the little voice when it speaks up.

The finished watch looks great with a fresh crystal and it's now running as good as it looks... not bad for an 85 year old watch.