1941 Gilbert

August was a banner-month for Gil-watches it seems.  Early in the month I purchased a 1953 Gilmore thinking it was a Gilbert.  Then I got a 1938 Gilman later in the month.  And then, finally, I closed out the month with the purchase of my original target - a 1941 Gilbert.

The Gilbert was introduced in 1941 just before the start of WWII and reintroduced after the war.  It was produced through 1951.  It came in a solid 14K yellow gold case with a sterling silver dial and solid 18K gold numerals.

Tucked inside is a 19 jewel 982M medallion movement.  The 982M was the 14/0 sized movement used mainly in post-1940 solid gold models (although some gold filled models got them in 1952 when Hamilton switched over to 12/0 grades).

As received, my project watch arrived in decent enough condition but was not running.  The Speidel expansion bracelet needed to go - as it's definitely not original.

With the bracelet out of the way, I can see one of the lugs is bent inward slightly.  I should be able to tweak that carefully back into it's proper place.

With the lugs now straightened, you can see the case back is unengraved and looks good.

Without the crystal and bezel blocking the view, the dial looks to be rather old.  It appears to be original to my eye - at least I don't see any obvious signs of being refinished.

This 982M is the older style of the grade with a solid gold medallion inset into the train bridge.  It's a little dirty but not too bad - definitely ready for a trip to the spa.  Later 982M's lost the medallion and got an engraved circle with a M inside instead.

The back of the dial in unremarkable and looks as authentic as the front - so I would say this dial is most likely original to the watch.

Everything is thoroughly cleaned and set out to dry before being reassembled.

A close look at the balance reveals that the impulse jewel is off to the side.  It's at about 4:00 in the photo below.  This explains why the watch wasn't running.  It should be pointed at about 1:00.  So the roller table is either loose or the hairspring collet needs to be turned about 90 degrees.

The roller table was definitely loose, as I could rotate it easily with tweezers.  I lined it up using a "best guess" and a few gentle taps to a punch on my staking set will properly seat it back in place.

The movement is ready to receive the balance assembly - let's hope I lined up the impulse jewel well.

Success!  The watch is running now... it's a wee bit fast and the beat error is acceptable but a little high.  First I will try to slow it down...

A few tweaks to the regulator brings the beat rate in line.  Since I've gone this far I might as well try to lower the beat error a little more as well.  That means removing the balance assembly again adjusting the hairspring collet so I can change the position of the impulse jewel relative to the pallet fork.

Third time is the charm... I'll leave the watch running a smidge fast but the beat error is right where I like to see it.  It could be less but anything under than 1ms is beyond fine in my book.

With the movement running just as it should, the dial and hands go back on and the assembly is reinstalled into the freshly polished case.  A new genuine lizard strap completes the restoration.

This watch turned out great.  You can probably see why I confused the Gilbert and the Gimore - they are very similar!

1938 Gilman

I think it's very interesting how some vintage Hamilton watches make their way to distant lands.  It's not surprising, of course, but it does make you wonder how they got there.

For example, I recently purchased a watch that came all the way home from England.  It is a 1938 Gilman - and I wonder how long it was expatriated?  Did it go over there for WWII?  Did a UK collector buy it from someone in the US in 2008?  Who knows?

Anyway - the Gilman was introduced in 1938 and produced through 1946, excluding a slight hiatus while production was dedicated to the war effort.

The Gilman sort of reminds me of a solid gold version of the gold filled 1938 Dickens.  The Dickens is a bit longer and more curved to fit the wrist though.

The Gilman came in a 14K solid gold case with only an applied gold numeral dial.  So it's a pretty straightforward model.  Tucked inside you will find a 19 jewel 982 movement in the 1938 and 1939 model.  In 1940 and later, the Gilman received the 19 jewel 982M medallion movement.

My Gilman project watch caught my eye mainly because it was in serious need of some love.  Fortunately the interest from other collectors must have ceased at the melt price of the gold - as I was able to land it for a very reasonable cost, just above scrap.

As received, it was really beat up and filthy.  This watch had definitely seen a lot of use but it was still running.

The corner of the bezel has a hole worn clear through to the inside.  Hopefully my local jeweler will be able to fill that for me.

The back of the watch is so dirty that I really can't read the engraving on the back very easily.  It has a nice presentation though - and that caught my interest too.  This watch was obviously very special to the recipient.

With the crystal out of the way, you can see that the original dial shows it's age.  Some folks like this original patina'd look.  Me, I'd rather see a nicely refinished dial once an original looks like this.  Dials like this can be redone to look like new and getting dials like this refinished was often a part of the general overhaul service, back in the day.

The 982 movement is in decent enough shape to run but can still stand to be cleaned and oiled.  The serial number dates to 1938, just as you'd expect, based on the engraving on the cace back.

The movement is completely disassembled, cleaned and then set out to dry before being put back together with fresh lubricants.

A little tweaking to the regulator brings the beat rate right in line.  I tend to leave watches running just a smidge fast.  The beat error of 3.3 is on the high end of acceptable.  I could probably reduce it but that's tempting fate with old balances like this.

A new crystal and a vintage Gemex strap almost complete the restoration.  Now that the watch is running great, I'll send the dial out to be refinished and I'll take the bezel to my local jeweler to fill in the wear hole.   I'll post an update when I get it all back together.

With all the dirt and funk removed, you can now read the engraving.  This was a very nice keepsake for Mr. Drinkwater from his friends... where ever he may be now.

A little googling of James D. S. Drinkwater revealed a couple of patents for construction equipment on behalf of Link Belt Corporation.  Maybe he received this watch for his 1938 Trough Washer Patent.

UPDATE Sept 12, 2014

Well, I got the case repaired and the dial refinished.  I think it turned out great.  If you look closely you case see where the jeweler filled the hole but it's way better and sealed off from anything getting inside the case.  The best part is that I was able to save this interesting watch from being melted down for the gold!

1964 Sea Ruler

1964 was a banner year for Hamilton, it seems.  There were a number of new models introduced into the line up.  One of them was the 1964 Sea Ruler - it would continue to be produced though 1969.

 Like a lot of the Hamilton's from this period, the Sea Ruler came in a 10K rolled gold plate case.  The one-piece case opens through the faceted crystal to provide access to the Swiss-made Hamilton 686 movement tucked safely within.

I recently scored a project Sea Ruler, complete with it's original box and bracelet.  It arrived in typical fashion - rather grungy, but operable.

Aside from a layer of funk, the case is in good shape overall and should clean up well.

With the crystal out of the way, the dial is very nice.  There are a couple of minor scratches on the dial from a past watchmaker removing the hands - but other than that the dial looks new.

The 686 is an ETA-based movement and it's still bright and shiny.  However, based on the outside of the watch, I bet it's been a long time since this watch has visited the spa and had a thorough cleaning.

Everything is cleaned and readied for re-installation.

It's always a bit of relief when I drop the movement back into place and the watch starts running.  It's rare that it doesn't start running - but that's part of the thrill of restoring these fine timepieces.  Seeing the watch kick back to life is very rewarding.

The watch is running slightly fast but otherwise looks good.  I can easily slow it down with just a tiny move of the regulator.  This watch also allows for super easy beat error adjustment.

A little careful tweaking slowly brings the timing right in line and I was even able to reduce the beat error.  Nothing shabby about this watch's performance now.

Everything goes back into the case and the crystal is reinstalled after being gently polished to remove a few scratches.  The Sea Ruler only came originally on a bracelet so I'm happy to reinstall it's original bracelet, now that it's been thoroughly cleaned.

This watch turned out really well, I think.  It's too bad about the minor scratches on the dial.  At least I didn't do it.