1966 Lord Lancaster R

Hamilton made quite a few watches with diamonds on the dials.  At the same time, there are lots of private jeweler-cased, diamond dialed watches with Hamilton movements.  The authentic models are very collectible and the private-cased models are only worth the movement and the value of any gold in the case.  So when you see a diamond-dialed watch you should think… "buyer beware".

In 1963 Hamilton introduced a model line called the Lord Lancaster series with diamond dials and a variety of movements as well as case materials.  So you will see solid gold models, gold filled, and rolled gold.  Most models came in white only but a few came in yellow too.  There are electric, mechanical and automatic versions in the Lord Lancaster line.  They all have black straps in various styles.  They're often diamond-dialed versions of other Hamilton models from the same period.

Lord Lancaster models are known by their letters - so you have models like the Lord Lancaster C,  Lord Lancaster H or the Lord Lancaster K.  In total there are 21 different Lord Lancaster models.

One of the later-introduced models is the 1966 Lord Lancaster R.  It was produced through 1969.

The Lord Lancaster R comes in a 14k solid white gold case.  There are six diamonds on the dial.

Tucked within the case is a Swiss-made Hamilton 680 movement.

I recently purchased a Lord Lancaster R because the price was right.  It was listed as "recently serviced" and was in excellent shape when it arrived.  All I had to do to it was put a nicer strap on it and change out the crown to a correct Hamilton version.

The 680 movement is tiny - about the size of a nickel.  It's actually large for a ladies movement (I've seen a lot smaller) but the 680 is definitely a small movement.  In fact, the Lord Lancaster R is a very small watch and is better suited for a woman than a man by today's standards.  So my new strap is an 18mm short - just right for lady of the house.

The watch is running very well on the timer so I'm inclined to believe the recent service claim in the listing was true.  If you look closely, you'll see the beat rate is 21600 beats per hour - which is 6 beats per second rather than the typical 5 beats per second of most vintage watches.

Today's fine watches have a beat rate of 8 or even 10 beats per second.  You might wonder, "Why so many beats per second?"  Well, it's a matter of "precision".  At 5 beats per second the best a watch can do is measure to 1/5th of a second.  10 beats per second can measure time to 1/10th of a second.  If you think about the recent Olympics - you know that precision of 1/100th of a second can make the difference between gold and silver.  Is a 10 BPS watch more accurate than a 5 BPS?  Probably if you're using it as a stopwatch but other factors can affect accuracy too.  A 10 BPS watch is definitely more precise.

Well, with a new genuine croc strap and an authentic Hamilton crown, this Lord Lancaster R looks as good as it runs.

This watch was engraved to a "diamond jubilarian".  That's a 60th anniversay or 75th!  So whoever received this watch in 1968 started whatever they were doing in 1908 (or even earlier).  Wow!  What a great and fitting tribute.

1919 Model 975 Pocket Watch

The first Hamilton men's wrist watch hit the Hamilton catalogs in 1916.  Only one model was offered, the "Wrist Watch for Men", and it warranted only a description.  Wrist watches were viewed as feminine accoutrements.  But the trenches of WWI would prove the wrist watch's utility and any concerns that they were solely for the fairer sex were quickly put aside.

 By 1919 the first image of the watch was printed in the catalog…

Prior to 1919, Hamilton's line up was predominantly pocket watches.  Models ranged in size from 6/0 ladies pendant watches to 18-size railroad-approved watches with 23 jewels and solid gold cases.

A good example of a "middle of the road" model was the model 975.  The model 975 was produced for a long time - starting just before the turn of the last century and ending in the mid-1920's.

The No. 975 is the same as the No. 974 except it's set up for a Hunter-style case where the movement is housed in a clamshell case with a solid lid.  The pendant on a hunter cased movement is at the 3 position so the second hand is right next to it at 6.  The 974 is an "open face" movement so the pendant is at 12 and the second hand is opposite it at 6.  They are both size 16 movements and will fit either case but their orientation is purposeful.

The same is true with other models in the Hamilton's line.  The odd numbers are for hunter cases and even for open faced cases.  So the 940 is open faced, the 941 hunter cased.  The 992 is an open face and the 993 is a hunter case… and so on.

Originally the buyer would pick out the movement they wanted and the jeweler would then provide a selection of cases to install it in.  But by 1919 Hamilton also offered pre-cased models.  In other words you could buy the movement loose or pre-cased.

You'll find 974's and 975's as both pendant-set or lever set movements… both varieties were offered.

The 975 is not a railroad approved model.  There are a number of reasons why, the obvious one is railroad watches had to be open faced.  But by 1919 they also had to have 21 jewels or more and the 974 has 17.  In any event, it's still a very nice and desirable model, in my opinion.

I have a soft spot for pocket watches.  I'm not really sure why.  I just think they are really cool.  I'd say "the bigger the better" but 18 size watches are really pretty big and I find 16 size to be "just right".

So I had no problem purchasing a 975 model recently because it came in a very nice case with very little wear.  This case really does look like a shell but more like a scallop, I suppose, than a clam.

Hunter cases are typically opened by pushing the crown in a little and this one opens nicely to reveal a beautiful porcelain dial very similar to the one in the catalog image above.  This style of hands are called "moon hands".

The back of the watch is opened with a case knife to reveal a dust cover that further protects the movement.

And here's the nicely damascened movement - it's almost a shame to have to cover it up with two covers - I'd rather look at it though a display back and enjoy watching it tick away.

I removed the movement from the case by removing the two case screws that hold it in place and dropping it out the front.  With the dial removed I can see somewhat fresh microgliss lubricant on the setting parts - so this watch was overhauled not too long ago but I don't know when for sure.  You can tell this is a pendant-set model since there is no lever on the side to slide out and put the movement in time-setting position.  If you look closely you can see that this is a "negative set" model - where the springs inside the movement keep the watch in time-setting mode - note the clutch is up against the setting wheels and not against the winding pinion above it.  When the crown is pushed it, it will overcome the springs and move the clutch up against the winding pinion - so you can wind the watch.

One of the things I like about pocket watches is the parts are so much bigger than wrist watches.  It's very easy to disconnect the hairspring from the balance cock so the balance assembly can be separated or installed while in place.

Cleaning a 16 size pocket watch requires a different set up in my workshop.  I need to use mason jars instead of baby food jars for the cleaning solutions.  But other than that, the process is the same… clean, rinse, rinse, dry, lubricate and reassemble.  Pocket watches can have a few more parts too - since the setting mechanism can be a little more complicated.

Pocket watch mainsprings can "set" as much as wrist watch mainsprings.   Although this one still fills up my palm (instead of being the size of a quarter) - installing a fresh mainspring is a good idea.

These springs can really pack a wallop so you need to be careful handling them.  This white alloy spring comes pre-coiled and I get one shot at installing it in the barrel correctly - otherwise I'll have to rewind it in my "big" mainspring winder.

Everything is cleaned, oiled, and the movement is back to purring away at 5 beats per second.

I can't complain about this time keeping… pretty much dead on with great amplitude (thanks to the new mainspring) and a low beat error too.

Now that the movement is running well, all that's left is to reinstall the dial and hands and then put it back into the freshly polished case.  This Model No. 975 turned out really well, I think.

1958 Harrow

I think it's interesting when models were only produced for a single year while others were made for several years.  Some models, like the Boulton were made in various forms for decades and are still in Hamilton's lineup today!

But there are quite a few "one year wonders" and one of them is the 1958 Harrow.

I think the Harrow may have been a "poor man's Standwick", which was introduced in 1954.  The Harrow came in a 10K RGP case (instead of gold filled) and has an embossed dial (instead of a sterling silver AGN dial).  And both models have central sweep second hands, which is unusual for a non-round watch.

The Harrow uses a Swiss-made Hamilton 671 movement which was made by ETA.  Instead of an American-made 735 movement.

I had never seen a Harrow for sale before I bought a Harrow project watch.  I can't say I've ever looked for one either.   I don't know if I would call it a rare watch but it's probably not very common since it was only made in 1958.  As received, my project watch was dirty but running.  The dial looks to have been cleaned up before but there's still some gunk around the markers.

With the crystal out of the way, the dial has a two-tone look to it but I think it's because of the textured band outside the minute track.  Hopefully I can clean it up a little better but not lose any of the printing in the process.

The 671 movement seems to run fine but you can see by the haze on it that it hasn't been cleaned in a while so a trip to the spa will do it some good.

Hamilton was known to make all of it's parts, including the oil it used for lubrication.  I guess when the market got tough in the 1950's and Hamilton introduced Swiss movements, there must have been a real focus on keeping costs low so they could maintain a competitive price point.  The back of this dial is clearly marked Progressia Nidau, which I gather is a Swiss manufacturer.

Everything is taken apart and thoroughly cleaned.  The haze is gone and everything sparkles.

A little tweaking to the regulator is all that's needed to bring this 671 right in line.

My project watch came on a vintage Kriesler bracelet and although it's not original to the watch, I kind of liked how it looked with the watch.  So I cleaned it up and reinstalled it.  I was able to get the dial a little cleaner too.  I could tell that someone in the past tried to scrape gunk out of the numerals and left some fine scratches as a result but you really can't tell without magnification.  I also replaced the crown with a less-worn example.

Overall I think this Harrow turned out quite nicely.