1957 Sir Echo

I find it very interesting that some models had very short production runs (like only a single year) while other models seemed to evolve over several years.  What was it that prompted Hamilton executives to "cut bait" on certain models while at the same time tweaking the design of others?

One of the models that had a good long run with multiple design tweaks is the 1957 Sir Echo.  It was produced through 1964.

Initially, the Sir Echo came in the "plain" variety as well as a "diamond-set" version.

I say the 1957 Sir Echo came in a "plain" version but that's a bit misleading.  The Sir Echo came in solid 14K gold in either white or yellow gold.  The sterling silver dial had three different styles of solid 14K gold markers.

The lugs on the case are very unique and sculpted in a manner that is difficult to describe in words... the seem to flow out of the case and somehow manage to firmly hold the spring bars of the wrist strap.

The bling-ed up version of the Sir Echo featured 2 diamonds set at the 6 and 12 position in the place of the two round markers used on the "plain" version.

In 1959, the round dots on the dial where replaced by numerals at 12 and 6.  So if you see a Sir Echo with dots, you know it's a 1957 or 58 model.

Also in 1959, the diamond-set model got even more diamonds - one at each even numbered position.

Finally, in 1960, Hamilton introduced a ladies version of the Sir Echo, simply named the Echo.  The two go together "like peas and carrots", to quote Forrest Gump.  The Echo and Sir Echo are one of several his and hers models that Hamilton produced.

In all of the Sir Echo versions you will find Hamilton's premier movement, the 22 jewel 770 grade.  This was Hamilton's top of the line movement and it went in a broad variety American-made models from gold filled to platinum.

I recently scored a Sir Echo diamond-set model of the 1959 variety.  It is inscribed on the back with a presentation from 1962 for 30 years of loyal service... those where the days, huh?

As received, I could tell from the listing photos that the crystal was beat up and I suspected the finish on the dial could be compromised.  It wasn't too obvious though so I hoped I might get lucky and not have to refinish the dial.

Without the bezel and crystal in the way, you can see the finish around the circumference of the dial is a different tone - sort of golden color.  There's a little corrosion by the 10 ands 11 markers too.  I will try to very gently clean the dial and hopefully not make it any worse as getting this radial-finished dial redone could be tricky.

The movement is held in place with what appears to be a solid gold movement ring.

The inside of the case back is unmarked.  I don't think this watch was ever presented to a watchmaker for service - or if it was, the watchmaker didn't indicate it by marking the inside of the case back.  After 50 years, this watch is long overdue for a cleaning and oiling.

All of the parts are disassembled, cleaned and dried before being reassembled with fresh lubricants.

The running watch goes onto the timer to see how well it's running.  I can tell just by looking at it that it's running fairly well but a timer is really needed to diagnose anything that might be going on inside.

It's running a smidge fast at 90 seconds fast per day but a slight tweak to the regulator will bring it back in line.  The amplitude is over 200 degrees, which is good and the beat error is within the acceptable range.

As suspected, it didn't take much of a tweak to the regulator to slow the watch down.

A new crystal will make a vast improvement to the look of the watch.  Since the Sir Echo has a sub-second hand, I'll try a lower profile PK-style crystal in a 29.5mm diameter.

A new brown lizard strap completes the restoration and I have to say that I'm pleased with the results.  I was able to tone down the color of the compromised lacquer on the dial.  I also gently brushed some fresh lacquer over the bare areas to keep them at bay in the future.  The corrosion at the 11 is still visible, but it's not bad enough to risk getting the entire dial refinished.  It looks much better than my unforgiving camera makes it out to be.

1968 Mystery Accumatic

There are three reasons for not being able to identify a Hamilton model;
    1.  The watch was made by the awards division and not catalogued
    2.  The watch was an export model and sent outside the US
    3.  The watch isn't an authentic model.

You don't tend to see "fake" Hamiltons but you will find Hamilton movements that have been re-cased by a jeweler.  That was done more frequently with ladies watches but there are plenty of non-authentic watches out there.  Jewelers often would re-case a movement from a gold filled model into a solid gold case with decorative elements like diamonds, etc.  That way the jeweler could make more money than they could with the gold filled model alone.

In addition, Hamilton movements were so well made that they often out lasted their original cases.  You will sometimes see 987 movements from the 1920's and '30s in what appear to be 1950's cases.  I suspect that is because the original owner realized it was less expensive to get a new case than it was to get a new Hamilton.

Watches with re-cased Hamilton movements are typically easy to spot though... they usually look too gaudy to be original with diamond-numerals on the dial, or they say "17 jewels" on the dial, or they come in a rolled gold case with a stainless steel back.  One thing is for sure, legitimate pre-1969 Hamiltons will  normally say Hamilton Watch Co, Lancaster PA inside the case back (although there are some exceptions to the rule from the 1930's).

Anyway, what's all that have to do with my latest project?  Well, I'm not really sure if it's the real deal or not.  It sure looks like it should be, but as you'll see below, it's debatable.

My mystery watch appears to be an Accumatic from the late 1960's, maybe the very early 1970's.  The dial looks like a legitimate Hamilton dial and the crown has a Hamilton H on it, as you would expect.

A detailed review of the catalogs revealed that the closest model that matches the design is the 1963 Dateline A-576 - it was made through 1965.  However, it's a calendar model and has a date window at the 3:00 position.   The case, dial markers and shape of the hands is very similar though.

Since the case is stainless steel and it's an automatic, I would surmise that my project watch would be in the Accumatic family and would be a model in the 500 series.  But there's no exact match for it in any of the catalogs.  There is no presentation on the case back - so it's not an awards division model, either.

The case back unscrews and it doesn't say Hamilton on the outside - that's unusual.  There are numbers on the back though...  4048-3.  Stainless steel Hamiltons with case numbers typically got a -3 to denote stainless steel (a -4 would be yellow RGP).  That's a clue that it's a legitimate model.

The inside of the case back is devoid of any markings other than a serial number.  Why doesn't it say Hamilton though?  That's a sign that it might not be legitimate.

Tucked inside is a 17 jewel 689A movement.  It's well fitted to the case and it looks like it belongs there as it isn't installed with an ill-fitting generic movement ring.  That's a nod towards legitimacy.

The movement and dial come out the back when the stem is removed and the two retaining clips are loosened.  The dial is very clearly an original Hamilton dial, right down to the Swiss marking under the 6 marker.

The crystal has a reflector ring and a special decorative ring installed inside the bezel.  Once the crystal is removed, all of the parts can be separated so they can be cleaned and polished.

This is a special crystal of some sort... probably a PA-style in the GS line.  The reflector ring snaps into the inside of the crystal and the assembly is pressed into the bezel.

All of the parts are disassembled, cleaned and dried before getting reassembled.  I decided to polish the crystal as best I could - as replacing it could be a challenge.

The reassembled movement goes onto the timer.  It's running well but the beat error is a little high at 2.6ms.

Fortunately this movement incorporates a moveable hairspring stud - so I can easily adjust the beat error by tweaking the hairspring, as shown below.  Just a little tweak will do the trick - I just need to go the right direction.

Well, after a few tweaks, I was able to tune the beat error down to 0.2ms - it doesn't get much better than that.

I also took the time to re-lume the hands.  I stick them in pith wood until the paint dries.  You apply the luminous paint from the back of the hands so they look perfect from the top.

The rotating oscillating weight goes back on to the movement, along with the dial and hands.  Then it all goes back into the case.  I did a good job polishing the crystal - it's not perfect but it's not too bad either.  A new genuine lizard strap completes the restoration.

I can't say with 100% certainty that this a legitimate model - but it sure looks like the real deal to me.

1953 Adrian

They say necessity is the mother of invention.  But survival is the mother of re-invention and the 1950's was the beginning of Hamilton's period of re-invention.

If Hamilton watches were like people, the early 1950's would have been their "pre-teen" years... also known as "the ugly stage"... buck teeth, big ears, the works.  Some watches from this era are more odd looking than others - but one thing is for sure, Hamilton designers were pulling out all the stops when it came to watch designs.

Cases started to get funky lugs with ornate shapes and sometimes even the matching bracelets got into the game.

An example of this unique 1950's trend is the 1953 Adrian.  Originally it came with a leather strap and looked fairly traditional but the case shape was starting to "bulge" a little here and there.

Then in 1954, a bracelet was added and the watch seemed to take on an entirely different look... don't you think?

The Adrian was only available for two years and you don't see the model too often - at least relative to all the other models out there.  It's an interesting model in that it came in a 10K gold filled case but had a 19 jewel movement inside.  Normally 10K gold filled cases got 17 jewel grades and 14K gold filled got 19 jewel movements.  But like I said, the early 1950's was an "awkward time" as the company was evolving.

Tucked beneath the sterling silver dial with a two-tone white / butler finish is the 12/0 sized 19 jewel 753 movement.

My Adrian project watch arrived in rough shape.  It ran as good as it looked - and it looked like crap. I think this little watch had a long but tough life.

With the bezel out of the way, the dial is definitely dirty but looks to be original.  I'll see how it responds to being cleaned.

Once the movement is removed from the case back, there's no difficulty identifying this model.

The movement looks right and shiny in my photo but in reality it looks rather dirty.

The center wheel and the third wheel are "stuck" in their train bridge jewels.  That's from the oil inside turning to a gel.  They'll pop out without much difficulty.

Once a glass crystal gets scratched up like this there is really only one option for it... replacement.

I clean parts in three steps... cleaner, rinse and rinse.  Each step is a separate baby food jar in a water batch in my ultrasonic.  You can see by the clarity of the cleaning solution that this movement was very dirty - it was clear when I put in the parts originally.

While everything is being cleaned, I'll prep a new crystal for installation in the bezel.

All the parts are now cleaned, dried and ready to be reassembled.

The running movement goes on to the timer and the results reveal a little more effort is needed.  It's running a bit too fast and the beat error is on the high side.

A tweak to the regulator slows things down a bit but the beat error is still to high.  I'll have to remove the balance and turn the hairspring collet on the balance staff to change the position of the impulse pin.

Oops!  It's supposed to get smaller.  6.4 milliseconds is the wrong direction.

Alright, that's much better.  Adjusting beat error like this is very tedious, and very risky so 1.4ms is more than acceptable.  I often don't even both reducing it if it's less than 3.0 but the closer you can get to zero, the longer the watch will run on a full wind.

The dial and hands get reinstalled.  The case is a little beat up but its not heavily worn.  The dial cleaned up nicely - it's not perfect but it's original and looks like it goes with the case.  The new glass crystal and a fresh lizard strap make a HUGE difference.  It actually looks a lot better than my camera makes it out to look.  My camera can be brutally honest sometimes.