And the winner is....

Thanks to the generosity of 41 donors, we have, collectively, raised over $3,000 for the NAWCC For All Time Endowment and Capital Campaign!  Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who participated.

Although I didn't reach my stretch goal of $5,000, I originally started the campaign with the hope that I'd raise $1,000 - so I'm delighted to have exceeded my original objective by a factor of three.

I got my start in the hobby of horology thanks to the generosity of others and I know many folks  have gotten their starts thanks, in some part, to me and my HamiltonChronicles.com blog.

One of the ways that I have learned is through the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors (NAWCC).  This year the NAWCC is celebrating it's 75th jubilee and I wanted to see if I could raise a combined contribution through the generosity of my blog's fans.

The NAWCC is a resource for all - and it exists solely by the generosity of enthusiasts like you and me.  Hopefully it will continue to support watch and clock collectors for generations to come.

I've been a member of the NAWCC for almost 10 years.  I joined originally because as a member you can borrow books from their extensive library and that was a great way to borrow Rene Rondeau's original reference book (it's been out of print for a long time).  The NAWCC  museum in Columbia, PA is awesome too... and it's a wonderful way to spend a super-hot afternoon (like it is today).

As part of the campaign, I offered every donor a chance to win a 1913 Hamilton 972 Pocket Watch that I restored earlier in June.  In fact, every $25 donation was an opportunity to win - so there were over 120 chances entered to win - pretty good odds, I think.

Well, it's now July 1st, the campaign is over and it is time to select the lucky winner of this wonderful time piece.

To make the process completely random, I entered every donor into a spreadsheet with each row representing a chance to win.  Then I entered random numbers in each row.  Finally I sorted the rows three times, with each time creating a new random number for each row.  The name in the top row at the conclusion of the third sorting would be the winner.

And the winner is Tom Eanes!

Thanks again to everyone who participated.  If you'd still like to contribute, the campaign is currently active but the raffle is complete.

https://www.gofundme.com/friends-of-hamilton-chronicles

I plan on going to the NAWCC Jubilee Celebration in Columbia on July 18th - maybe I'll see you there!

1971 Dateline LA-5600

I don't often work on ladies models.  The market isn't as popular as it is for men's models.   I suspect there are several reasons for that.  First off, they are so small that they all tend to look alike.  Second, I don't think there are as many female watch collectors as there are male - although I know plenty of women who do collect watches.  There just aren't as many as there are collectors of the masculine persuasion.

Just because ladies models aren't as collectible, doesn't mean that they aren't equally interesting.  In fact, I find ladies models to be extremely challenging because they are so small.  That's the main reason I don't work on them... they're more difficult.

I recently took on an interesting project though.  When I looked on eBay for comparisons, I found that this particular model sells for "good money" - well north of $200.  It's a ladies dive watch, the 1971 Dateline LA-5600.  It was produced for a couple of years and sold originally for $110.

My project watch has a definite issue.  When I wind it the hands just whirl around.  I found that sometimes I could wind it and it would run but other times the hands just spin.  That tells me the escapement isn't being engaged but the issue could be anywhere in the train.

From the outside the watch the looks like it could be a man's model.  However the size of my fingers give you a perspective that this watch is actually quite small.   There's little lume missing from the second hand but other wise the watch looks like it should clean up well.

The watch was originally rated for 600ft although I would keep this and any vintage watch away from water.  The number 79004-3 is the model number for the Dateline LA-5600.

Although it's not shown in the catalog, I suspect this is the original bracelet.  It's definitely a Hamilton bracelet anyway.

Did I mention this watch was small?  Here it is next to a penny.

Inside the case is a 17 jewel Hamilton 693 movement.  You might be able to tell by the shape of the rotor that this is an ETA movement, based on the ETA 2551.

Once the movement is outside of the case, it turns out the movement is actually smaller than a penny. That's really impressive... an automatic movement with a date complication that smaller than a penny!

Without a dial, the movement looks very similar to a men's movement.  The process from here is just like a larger movement - only everything is a lot smaller.

I go to my light tent to remove the spring-loaded parts.  That way I won't lose them.

Without the oscillating weight and it's framework in the way, you can see the back of the movement looks like a typical ETA movement too.

Everything gets cleaned and dried.

Well, I found out why the movement wasn't working.  The 4th wheel in the center of the movement has too much end shake.  It's what the second hand attaches too.  It slides easily up and down and can come disengaged from the escape wheel, causing all the mainspring energy to release.  I'm not sure what the issue is... it could be the wheel, it could be the main plate and it could be the train bridge.  I suspect it's the wheel or the main plate - years without lubrication may have worn the bearing surfaces down.  This watch is not jeweled at the center.

As long as the as 4th wheel is in the correct spot the watch will run.

Not too shabby... if the second hand would hold the 4th wheel in the correct position this watch could stand a chance of working but any end movement at all will either stop the watch or release the mainspring.

Putting the parts back onto the front of the movement is a bit tricky because they are so small but time and patience prevail eventually.

Although the watch runs, I'll need to replace a few parts in order to get it back into wrist-worthy condition.  However, it looks like it will be a great little watch once I get it ship-shape again.

1956 Landon B

B-models were typically used (starting in the 1950's) when a model got a movement change that required a different case.  So you will see a lot of B models in the 1952 timeframe when Hamilton transitioned from 14/0 sized movements to 12/0 movements.  You will see them again in the 1956 timeframe when Hamilton introduced the 12/0 sized 770 movement that replaced the 8/0 sized movement in some models.  If the 770 replaced an earlier 12/0 movement like a 753 or 754, the model name stayed the same, since the case didn't have to change.

In those situations the regular model came first and then the B model came later... for example the Austin was followed by the Austin B and the Parker was followed by the Parker B.  There are a buck of models like that and, with a coupe of exceptions, you can't tell a B model from the earlier model from the outside.

However, in 1956 there were also a variety of B models that were introduced when Hamilton decided to discontinue the Hamilton Illinois line.  The Illinois line was introduced to test the market - and see if Hamilton buyers would turn up their noses at Swiss-made movements.  First it was the Illinois line, then the Hamilton Illinois line and, when all hell didn't break loose, Swiss movements entered the Hamilton line.

But what to do about all the extra Illinois-branded movements in inventory?   Well, use them up in B-models and once they're exhausted switch over to new Hamilton-branded Swiss-made movements.  A good example is the 1956 Landon B.  It was made for only one year and then in 1957 & 58 it was known as the Landon.

It's interesting to note that the two models are almost identical but they're not completely the same.  Other than the movement inside, the only other difference is the Landon B has dots at the even numbered hours and the Landon has wedge-shaped markers.  The prices were the same though but they did have different product numbers for the strap and bracelet-equipped options.

Knowing how to spot the difference between a Landon B and a Landon, you can quickly determine that my project watch is a Landon.  You might also be able to tell that the crown is an obvious replacement.

The case on the watch looks really good - almost unworn.

The casebook has the classic 12/0 sized cutout and is clearly marked Landon "B" inside.  The number inside the case is a unique serial number for the watch and doesn't mean anything other than there's probably a Landon B out there somewhere with a serial number ending in 486 or 488.

The movement inside the Landon B is an Illinois branded ETA 1220.  It didn't get any special markings other than the Illinois name.  The TXD on the balance cock is the import code for Illinois so all Hamilton Illinois movements have TXD on them, regardless of grade.

Notice how long the stem tube on the crown is.  That means the stem on the movement is very short and I'll have to find a better looking dress crown with a long tube or I'll need to replace the stem too.

Most Swiss-made movements are stamped under the balance with the makers mark in a shield and the number of the caliber.  If you look closely you can make out ETA and 1220.

Everything is taken apart and cleaned.  It's been a while since I've worked on a basic manual winding movement - so this is like a mini-watchmaking vacation for me.

Although the listing for this movement said it was "serviced", I think the parts look a lot shinier now than when I started.  I think some people think "serviced" means additional oil has been applied to the jewels.  The watch is now properly overhauled now so it's time to see what the timer thinks of it.

Well, not too shabby but the beat error of 3.9ms is a little higher than my upper spec limit.  The closer to zero the better, below 1 is good and between 1 and 3 I'll live with.  Unfortunately, although this is an ETA movement and usually ETA movements are easy to adjust, this is an earlier ETA grade and it's even more difficult to adjust than US-made Hamilton movements.  The regulator fork need to be opened in order to free the hair spring and the closed after the adjustment - so that's two great opportunities to screw up the hairspring if you're not extremely careful (or even if you are).

Phew!  I was able to dial in the beat error to under 1.0 and that's plenty good for me.  I can easily slow it down now.

Now, what to do about the crown?  I don't have a replacement stem but what I did find is a stem extender.  This sort of solution rarely fits the bill but it's perfect for this scenario.  I just thread the extension onto the existing stem and them trim the extension to the proper length for the new crown.

I don't know about you but I think the new crown makes all the difference in the world on this watch. It looks great now.  Of course, a little polishing and a nice strap didn't hurt.  I believe the dial on this watch is original and the toning in the corners is just enough to give this 60 year old watch a dignified, authentic, vintage watch look.