One of the interesting design aesthetics of the late 1930s and early 1940s was the use of rose gold. With the rare exception of the Ventura in the 1950s, rose gold was used predominantly in a handful of models just before WWII. There were solid rose gold Venturas made for the South American market but beyond that, the use was limited to pre WWII.
Another interesting design element is the use of tubular lugs. There are quite a few models from the same period that featured them and I can't think of any other time period that you'll see them. Perhaps its because the featured helps the design to curve with the wrist - that was big in the 1930s. A good example is the 1938 Dodson.
Some other models with tubular lugs include the Sutton, Bowman, and the Medwick. But there are even more.
The Dodson was available with an applied gold numeral dial or black enamel numeral dial. The latter was slightly less expensive but is arguably harder to find. Behind the dial you will find a 17 jewel 987A movement. The 6/0 size is a good size for a wrist watch movement and the Dodson is large by 1940s standards.
My project watch comes courtesy of the original owner's son and that makes it "priceless", even in the condition it's in. The crystal is missing in action and the bezel shows extensive wear through on the tops of all four lugs. The dial is very dirty and has a splotchy appearance. The second hand is an obvious replacement. Lastly, the Speidel bracelet isn't doing this watch and fashion favors. One thing is clear though, this watch was well loved by it's owner.
The back of the case features the current owner's father's name. The back is severely worn through on the edges and shows clear signs of prior repairs, probably to fill a hole or two.
One of the lugs has been worn down to the hole for the spring bar. This would need to be repaired or there's a good chance the watch would come off while wearing it.
The crown is an old replacement of some sort. It has a logo but it's not a Hamilton logo.
The crown is lacking a dust ring. Crowns from this era often had a dust ring that fit into the opening of the case, keeping dirt out and preventing the round movement from rotating out of position. With the dust ring the stem can move up or down a few degrees and make the dial appear crooked.
There are quite a few prior service marks inside the case back. That's always nice to see.
The movement is running but the regulator is set to close to full slow. I'll wind it a little and check it out on the timer to see what I'm dealing with. The serial number dates this watch to 1947.
That's not too bad. I'll take this performance any day, as long as it runs like this in the other positions.
The set lever screw is very rusted. I'd have to loosen this screw in order to remove the stem (to change the crown) and my experience would tell me the screw will break when I try to loosen it.
There's a missing dial foot screw as well. The dial is held on with three dial feet and it's not unusual to see one of the them is missing a screw.
I was hoping with all the prior watchmaker's marks inside the case back that one of my predecessors would have installed a Dynavar mainspring so I wouldn't have to. These white alloy mainsprings are "lifetime" rated and shouldn't have to be changed.
The dial is an old refinish. I can tell by the layer of glue on the back that holds the gold figures in place. Refinished dials don't respond well to cleaning. If you're not careful, or even if you are, all of the printing can come off.
I have to original dials that I could potentially use. I know they are original because they have a the dial number 0139 on the bottom of them. I'll take a crappy looking original dial over a crappy looking refinished dial any day of the week. The one that's in the baggie isn't too bad compared to the other two.
I'll look in my stash of empty cases for better Dodson bezel I can use. I didn't realize when I took the photo that I was staring right at one... can you spot it?
I actually have four bezels I could choose from. I'll closely inspect them to see which one has the best shape and wear patterns.
A new crystal is a necessity on this project - as there wasn't one to start with.
Every thing is cleaned and ready to be reassembled. First I need to address the rusty set lever screw.
One of my favorite tools is my Knipex pliers. Knipex makes GREAT tools. These pliers are large but the tips are so precise that you can actually grab something as small as the rusty nub of a set lever screw.
First I need to find a set lever screw I can steal from a parts movement. This one will do.
I flipped it over and, low and behold, it's another Dodson dial with nicer hands and even has the crown! I can even steal a dial foot screw to complete my project watch movement.
The movement can now be reassembled with the new set lever screw. Once back together, the movement is ticking away with a nice motion. It's off to the timer to listen to the ticking.
Not too shabby. The amplitude is lower than when I started but I haven't wound the mainspring up fully yet. I'll let it run for a while to settle in and then make any final tweaks.
Wow, this watch was one magnificent transformation. This sort of restoration is very challenging as I want to avoid a "ship of Theseus" situation where I change so many parts that it's no longer what I started with. This watch is now what it was when the original owner first treasured it. The worn bezel is replaced with a nice example but the case back is the same. The dial is now blemish-free and protected by a glass crystal. All of the hands, as well as the crown, are proper Dodson parts.
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