1958 Khyber - Asymmetric

Hamilton's asymmetric models from the 1950's and '60s are some of the most popular and collectible models.  Some watches that sold initially for under $100 can sell for north of $2,000 today.  Of course, not all asymmetric models are that expensive but they all seem to command a fair premium, relative to other period watches.

One of the more obtainable asymmetric is the 1958 Khyber.  It was produced through 1962.  Initially the Khyber was offered with a white dial with embossed numerals and markers.

Then, in 1960, the dial was changed to a traditional dial with solid gold markers and numerals.  So you'll see two different dial patterns out there and can date the watch relative to the dial it has.

Regardless of year, the Khyber comes in a 10K yellow gold-filled keystone-shaped case that is wider at the top than it is at the bottom.

Behind the dial you will find Hamitlon's 17 jewel, 8/0 sized, American-made 730 movement.

I recently landed a Khyber project watch and a couple of last-second snipers made me pay dearly for it (thanks for nothing - ha ha!).  It was very grungy, the crystal was beat up, the dial is spotted and it didn't run - but other than that, it was great!

With the bezel removed, you can see the white dial has a lot of spotting.  I'm skeptical that it will clean up but it's not horrible either.  Maybe just a new crystal will help it's aesthetics.  You can tell by the green funk on the right side that this movement is very dirty.

The 730 movement won't wind and a little trouble shooting revealed that the winding wheel is frozen by rust.  The winding wheel is the smaller wheel next to the crown with the two screws holding it down.  Water must have gotten in there and rusted it solid.  Fortunately I have a parts movement to donate a new barrel bridge.  Since 730's don't have serial numbers, one bridge is as good as another.

The back of the dial has some numbers scratched into it indicating that the dial has already been refinished once.  So that makes getting it redone an easier decision.  A nice looking refinished dial is better than a lousy looking refinished dial.

While all the parts are busy being cleaned in the ultrasonic machine, I'll polish the case and install a new glass crystal.

Everything gets cleaned, dried, lubricated and reassembled.  The now-running watch is running great.

All cleaned up and paired with a vintage strap, it's clear that a refinished dial will complete the restoration.  Everything else looks and runs fantastic so getting the dial refinished to look like-new is a no-brainer.

UPDATE:

Here's what the watch looks like after getting the dial redone.  Much better now.  Don't you agree?

1955 Russell

Hamilton re-used a lot of model names in the 1950's that were first used 20 or so years earlier - which in hindsight doesn't seem like a long time but I guess in watch-years that's long enough for past models to be forgotten.  Usually there's nothing in common between the models, other than the name.  In fact, some names were used multiple times with only a few years separating them.

Take for example the 1955 Russell.  It was produced for three years.  The original Russell was introduced in 1940 and had flexible lugs.  Other than being 10K gold filled, the two models are completely different.

The 1955 Russell has a lot going on with it.  The case has a number of angled features and the sterling silver dial with solid gold numerals and dots has radiating grooves that originate at the 12.  It's really a pretty cool looking design, in my opinion.

Behind the dial you will find an 8/0 sized, 17 jewel, American-made 730 movement.  The 730 is a shock-jeweled replacement for the 747 and was introduced in 1955.

I recently picked up a Russell and until I had it in my hands I didn't realize that the dial had grooves.  I thought is was just a plain white dial.  Like most project watches I purchase, this one was very dirty and needed some attention - but that's the way I like to find them.

With the crystal out of the way, the details of the dial are much more apparent.  It's rather dirty too - I'm hopeful that it will clean up.

The 730 is a great movement.  It's probably one of the easiest movements to take apart and put back together.  Other than the shock jewels to protect the balance staff, it's identical to the 747.

While everything is being cleaned I'll replace the crystal with a new acrylic version.  I normally use glass but the price was right for this crystal.  Glass is harder to scratch but once it does, the scratches are permanent.  Acrylic is easier to scratch but it can usually be polished back to scratch-free.  So deciding which one to use is really a personal preference.

A thorough cleaning restored the movement to good running condition.  A little tweaking to the regulator was all that was needed to bring the beat rate in line.

And here's the finished product, paired with a new lizard strap.  The original dial didn't get perfectly clean.  I'd say it's a 50:50 mix of original luster and mild patina.  I wouldn't want to clean it any further though as that would risk losing the printing.  I don't know how well a grooved dial like this would respond to being refinished.  It's certainly not bad enough to refinish at this point.  In fact, I think it turned out rather well.

1960 Carson

The 1960's offered a broad array of watches - more than any other decade.  There were electrics, automatics and manual winders.  There were models in solid gold, gold-filled, gold plated and stainless steel.  Dial options ranged from very plain to ornate textures with multiple colors.  There was something for everyone, it seems.

A good example of an unusual 1960's watch is the 1960 Carson.  It was the second model to bear the Carson name and it was produced for three years.

The Carson came in a 10K rolled gold plated case with a stainless back.  The dial is white with a yellow gold embossed band / rim but you'll also find white rolled gold versions with a silver-colored theme.

You'll also find later Carsons have a cut-away for the second hand, while the early Carsons have a straight line across the bottom of the gold rim.

Under the dial you will find Hamilton's 17 jewel Swiss-made 673 movement.

I just received a Carson project watch and it had a number of issues.  First, you might note that the crown is missing.  I have it, it's just that the stem broke off inside the movement.  The hands are an incorrect "baton" style… they're okay but a nice set of pointex (aka alpha) hands would be better.  The crystal is also heavily beat up.  And finally, the case back falls out of the front very easily - so I'll need to figure out how to tighten that up.

Oh, and I suppose I should get it running too.

Here's a shot of the 673 movement.  There are actually different sized 673's out there and this is the larger 11.5 ligne version.  Basically the outside of the movement comes in different chamfers so you need to be careful is you intended to swap 673 movements and make sure you get the right size.

A new stem is needed for this watch which means it needs to be trimmed to the correct length so the crown rests in the right place against the case.  I'll do that after I get everything else working correctly.

Getting the movement to run well was harder than I thought.  I had to ultimately replace the pallet fork - I couldn't tell what was wrong with it but it wouldn't run cleanly until I replaced it with a spare.  Then it was just a matter of regulating the hairspring - as shown below.  The screen represents about 30 seconds of run time and the different angles of lines reflect me moving the regulator.  The left side of the screen is where the watch leveled out at 17 seconds fast per day.

And here's the finished watch, with a new crystal and appropriate hands.  It looks a lot better with a crown too.  And best of all - it works!