1955 Grenadier II - Restoration

In 1955 Hamilton introduced the Grenadier II.  They also happened to introduce the Grenadier the same year - which sort of makes you wonder why they had two Grenadier models at the same time.  My guess is they shared the same case but the Grenadier has a sweep second movement while the Grenadier II has a sub-second movement.

Both models were produced for three years.

The Grendadier II comes in a 10K yellow gold filled case with a stainless steel back.  Sometimes this case is described as a "flying saucer" and reminiscent of the 1950's sci-fi movies.  The silver dial features solid 18K gold numerals and luminous dots.

Under the "hood" you will find a 17 jewel, 8/0 sized Hamilton movement... either a 747 or a 730, depending on when the watch was produced.  The 730 is virtually identical to the 747 except for  shock jewels added to protect the balance staff.

The hand style is called "dauphine" and they are solid.

What's that you say?  Why have solid hands but luminous dots?  How could you tell the time in the dark without lume on the hands?

Well, to explain, let me show you a recent restoration of a Grendadier II.  As received the dial was incorrectly refinished at some point and the lacquer on the dial was flaking off in the center.  It turns out that the hands had radium under the hands so when they glowed they would illuminate the dial.  The hands would be dark silhouettes on an illuminated dial.

Radium emits alpha rays 24x7 for about 1600 years so after a while that takes its toll on the dial surface.  Fortunately the watch case and crystal block alpha rays so the "danger" is minimal.  But that's how the illumination of the dial occurred.

If Radium concerns you, and it probably should, then be sure to have your house checked for radon gas - as Radium is naturally occurring in many places around the world and leaks out of the ground as radon and into your basement or crawlspace.

This dial was toast though so it had to be redone.  During the process I removed the radium in my ultrasonic and returned it to the earth from which it came.

And here is the watch after having the dial professionally refinished by International Dial Co.  They did an awesome job, as usual.

One final bit of trivia is on the movement.  If you look closely below, you may note an irregularity.  No, it's not that one of the 7's in 747 is missing it's black enamel (although that's true).  Around the mid-1950's Hamilton stopped putting serial numbers on their movements so this movement has no serial number where earlier 747's do have one (on the barrel bridge).

Anyway, this Grenadier has been returned to "almost new" condition, but with only luminous dots.  The best this watch can do now is allow you to find it in the dark.  You won't be able to tell the time.

1957 Colby - Overhaul

If you follow my blog you may have wondered, "What has HandyDan been up to lately?"  The truth is I've been taking a little break from watch collecting and the few watches I have been working on have been repeats of other watches I've already showcased.  So the few postings I've done lately are only "new" things I have to share.

However, I have recently obtained a few more project watches that are models I haven't seen before so I'll have more to share with you later this month.

Just to start things off, here's a 1957 Colby.  It was only produced for two years and you don't tend to see them very often.  In fact, I had to look in the catalogs for quite a while to identify it.  Here's why...

In 1956 Hamilton introduced the Colby B.  You may recall from the Paxton that I posted last month that there was also a Paxton B.  I posted a Cabot B in October.  The Cabot, Colby and the Paxton are three of a few models where there was a B model in 1956 and a "regular" model in 1957.   Oddly, the Colby B and Cabot B have Illinois movements while the Paxton B had a Swiss movement - it makes me wonder if maybe I have the Paxton models backwards but I'm pretty sure (based on my memory) that the Paxton B I had a few years ago had a round Swiss movement.

Anyway, unlike the Paxton and Cabot though, the Colby and Colby B have different dials - which is why I had a hard time identifying my Colby.

The Colby comes with a 10K rolled gold plated bezel and a stainless steel back.  The Colby B has an Illinois movement while the Colby has a Hamilton 673 movement.  The dial is butler finished with embossed gold-colored markers and numerals.

My project Colby was very dirty when I purchased it at a local shop.  If you've got an eye for details you'll probably note that this watch still has it's original bracelet!

The dial is excellent - just a little dust to remove, otherwise it looks like new.

The Hamilton 673 was made by A Schild, a Swiss manufacturer and is identical to the AS 1200.  In fact, you can still buy a brand new AS 1200 today - it wouldn't say Hamilton on it though.

I'll spare you the blow-by-blow details of how I took it apart, cleaned it and reassembled it.  But suffice it to say that it turned out great and here it is running on my timer at about 9 seconds fast per day.

Once it was all cleaned up I'd say it's a night and day difference.  The glass crystal has a couple of scratches but otherwise this watch turned out fantastic.

1953 Medford

The Hamilton Medford was introduced in 1953 and only made for two years.  It's a classic tank-style, rectangular watch with a contoured case.

The case is 10K yellow gold filled and two dial options were available.  Both dials are sterling silver with 18K gold numerals but you had your choice of a butler finish or a finish in black and gold.

Under the dial is a 19 jewel, 12/0 sized 753 movement.

Black dialed watches are typically less common than silver-colored (butler finished) dials and thus typically command a premium.  I was lucky to find a black Medford very early in my collecting days and I've tried to land a silver Medford a number of times but I haven't landed one yet.  I think it's a desirable model and usually draws a premium.

Update:

Here's a white-dialed version of the Medford that a friend of mine recently gave me.