945 Pocket Watch Conversion

It's time to celebrate!  This is my 200th blog post.  To be honest, I'm surprised I've made it this far without running out of steam.

But, as Monty Python would say, "And now for something completely different".

My latest project is probably a little controversial.  I've always thought it would be interesting to convert a pocket watch to a wrist watch.  Specifically one of Hamilton's 10 size movements.

What makes it controversial is from a purist's perspective this is purposely creating a franken.  In addition, pocket watches aren't designed for the rigors of wrist-wear.  They were designed for being vertical and somewhat protected in a pocket.  The main concern is the larger mass of the balance wheel and the non-shock protected balance staff pivots.

So, let me first start off by saying that no watches were irreparably harmed in this conversion.  What has been done can be easily undone.

The first step is to decide what movement to use.  Hamilton's 10 size movements start with the 17 jewel 917, the 21 jewel 921, the 23 jewel 923 or the 23 jewel 945.  They are all the same size but they vary based on the jewel count (obviously) as well as the decorative aesthetics.  Generally speaking, the higher the jewel count, the higher quality the movement grade.  All of Hamilton's watches had a minimum of 17 jewels so even the most basic grade was a very high quality movement.

For my project I decided to go with a 23 jewel 945.  The 945 is an interesting movement.  It was introduced in 1955 and replaced the 923.  It's basically a "pimped out" 917 with finer details and six extra jewels.

I chose the 945 because my project watch has a display back and if I have the opportunity to enjoy seeing the movement, why not see the best one I can get?

Here's the pocket watch I started out with.  Obviously it's really nice already.  My picture doesn't do it justice.

It's a presentation watch to a GM employee.  There's no date but I suspect it's from the 1960's.

Here's the first glimpse of the movement that is protected under the back cover and the dust cover beneath that.  If you look closely, you'll see that something is missing.  There's no serial number on 945 movements.  So I can't use that to date the watch either.

The movement comes out of the case just like a wrist watch... pull the stem and remove the two case screws and it comes out the front.

With the dial and hands removed you get to see what makes this a 23 jewel watch.  You can see three cap jewels covering the balance staff (top center), the pallet fork (middle) and the escape wheel (left).  In addition, the arbor for the mainspring barrel is also jeweled (below right)

On the back of the movement, the mainspring ratchet wheel is jeweled (top right).  The escape wheel is cap jeweled (left) and under the balance wheel you can see the other side of the pallet fork is cap jeweled as well.

I won't go through the overhaul process for the movement since it's the same as any wrist watch, just the parts are a lot larger.

I cleaned and oiled the movement and then I installed it in my project case with a new dial with the stem at 3 (instead of the stem at 12 with a pocket watch).

I purchased the case, dial and new hands off of eBay from a supplier in China.

Everything fit nicely into the case using the movement ring supplied with the kit.

I had two problems with this project.  First, the crown that comes with the case isn't tapped to match the threads of a standard 917 watch.   I contacted the seller in Hong Kong and he's sending me a matching stem free of charge (that was really cool of him). Second, the hands I purchased weren't very high quality and the holes weren't quite the right size.  I broke one of them trying to open the holes a bit... my fault entirely.  Other than that it went together very nicely.

Here's a shot of the installed movement, purring away nicely beneath the glass display back.

Here's the front, safely protected by a sapphire crystal.  I picked out the dial from my supplier in Hong Kong and I used some spare hands I had from a 917 movement.

Here's another shot to showcase the engine turning of the dial.  You can see my hands have a little "age" to them in this shot.

And finally, here's a wrist shot.  This is a BIG watch at 45mm wide.  I can't wait for my new stem to arrive so I can wear this watch more often!

This was a great project - I'm generally pleased with the results.  The hands were a bummer and I wish I knew I needed a special stem but other than that this project was really fun!

1955 Grenadier

In 1955 Hamilton introduced two very similar models... the Grenadier and the Grenadier II.  Both watches were produced through 1957.

Both models came in 10K yellow gold filled cases with stainless steel backs.  Both feature stainless sterling silver dials with solid gold applied markers.  The Grenadier is unique in that it also came in a left handed version with the crown on the left side for folks who prefer to wear their watch on the right wrist.

The principal difference between the Grenadier and the Grenadier II is the movement inside.  The Grenadier features a sweep-second hand while the Grenadier II has a sub-second hand.  So inside the Grenadier you will find an 8/0 sized, 18 jewel Hamilton 748 or a 735 movement.  The latter features incabloc shock jewels on the balance wheel - otherwise it's identical to the 748.

I recently landed a Grenadier project watch.  It was in the typical, "just-found-in-a-desk-drawer" condition and in need of an overhaul.

I find the variety of case backs Hamilton used to be interesting.  Some are easier to open than others.   There are screw-off case backs with flat sides for a traditional wrench or various hole patterns or grooves where a special wrench in needed to unscrew the back.  And of course, some are designed to pop-off.

With the movement out of the case, you can see the dial is actually in good shape.  If you read the catalog ad, this watch has "Silhouette Hands".  That means that there is radium underneath the hands.  Radium is radioactive and it radiated a material that would glow all the time.  So these hands would constantly glow onto the dial and back light the hands.  The dots outside the seconds track would also glow.  So I imagine this was a very cool looking watch in the dark.

Radium occurs naturally in the environment and is pretty much everywhere.  In fact, if you have the issue of radon gas in your area, it's thanks to radium being under your house somewhere.

Although the material that glows burns out after a while, the radium continues to radiate for about 1600 years.  It will eventually burn the dial and you can see in the photo above the center is a little more toned that the outside.   I washed off the radium in my ultrasonic cleaner.

With the 735 movement serviced and running well, I reinstalled everything into the freshly polished case and added a nice lizard grain strap.  I think this project watch turned out great.  Now it can enjoy some time outside "the drawer" for a while.

1956 Automatic K-406

Automatics were introduced into Hamilton's line-up in 1954 and they really took off from there.  New models were added every year and although some models stuck around for a few years, many were just produced for a couple.

Take for example the Automatic K-406.  It was only available in 1956 and 1957.

The K-406 came in a 10K yellow gold filled case with a white-finished dial with embossed numerals and markers.  The dauphine-style hands are luminous and the dial has corresponding dots at the hour markers.

I've only come across one K-406 in my travels.  I don't know if that would make it rare or uncommon but it does make me wonder a little.  The lugs on the case are somewhat delicate and the example pictured below has an old repair to the lug on the top right.

The gold filled back screws on in a fashion reminiscent of Hamilton's military watches from WWII and Korea.  No special wrench is required, just your standard-issue adjustable wrench is needed to peek under the hood.

Inside you'll find Hamilton's 17 jewel 661 movement.  This was one of the more frequently used Swiss-made movements in Hamilton's automatic model line during the mid-1950's.  It's a KF (Kurth Freres / Certina) movement.  It's a pretty thick movement and would be replaced in a couple of years to allow for much thinner automatic models.

If you're wondering what the little "switch" is near the center of the rotor with the arrow just below it, it's a toggle that allows you to remove the rotor from the carrier below it.  There are a number of gears under the carrier that are turned when the rotor moves.  The gears engage the golden wheel in the upper left of the photo - which, in turn, wind the watch.  Or you can just wind it by hand too.