1948 Dunham

After over 475 watch posts I'm occasionally surprised when I realize there are still some models that I've seen in the past that I haven't put on the blog yet.  For example, there's the 1948 Dunham, I've restored several of them over the past few years. but this is the first post on the model.

The Dunham was made from 1948 through 1951 and you'll see them for sale fairly often.  It think is easily confused with other models like the Dexter and the Darrell (which is another model I've restored several times and haven't written a post on... go figure).

The Dunham came in a 14K gold filled case with a silver butler-finished dial featuring solid 18K gold humerals and markers.  Inside the case is a 17 jewel 747 movement.

I recently landed a Dunham specifically to write about and at first I thought it might have come with an original bracelet.  However, it's not original.  It's probably from the period though and was made in post-WWII Japan.  The photo looks a little blurry but that's mostly because the crystal is totally frosted over.

The case back is unengraved and doesn't show too much wear but the back of the lugs show some wear.

No debate about the benefit of replacing this crystal.

The 747 is a nice movement and this one is in great shape - it just needs a quick trip to the spa and some fresh lubricants inside.  The serial number dates the movement to 1949.

The mainspring inside the barrel was an older style blue steel spring.  Eventually the 747 and 748 got white alloy Dynavar springs but this is either the original spring or it was replaced with a blue steel version along the way.

I prefer to use white alloy springs Dynavar springs whenever I can get them.

A new glass crystal will make huge difference in this watch's appearance.

Everything is cleaned and dried.  The 747 is a breeze to work on compared with the automatic models.

The watch is now running with good motion - it's off to the timer to see how well it's running.  Notice the regulator is a little off center towards Fast, that's not a big worry but you'll see below that it's a factor.

The watch is running just over a minute fast per day.  The amplitude and beat error are excellent though.

Just a slight tweak to move the regulator back to center and the watch is right on the money now.  It doesn't get better than this.

The dial and hands go back on and everything goes back into the case.  A fresh genuine lizard strap completes the restoration.  The dial is original and has a nice even golden patina.  This is a sharp looking, classic 1940's watch.

1954 Leslie

Men's watches in the 1940s got to be very small... sometimes so small that you'd think they were ladies models.  The Elliott and Norman come to mind, but there are several tiny watches.

In the 1950s watches started to get a little larger but there are a few hold outs with 1940s styling.  One of them is the Leslie.  It was produced from 1954 through 1956.

Initially the Leslie had a 19 jewel 753 movement.  It features a 10K gold filled case with a two-tone white and butler finished dial with solid 18K gold numerals and markers.

In 1955 the Leslie received the 22 jewel 770 movement.  It's funny that it's not called the Leslie B since the movement changed but since the 753 and 754 are both 12/0 sized movements, there's no change in the case at all.

I don't think you tend to see Leslies very often in the wild.  Probably because they are very small... pretty much the size of the 770 movement itself.  I did eventually find one though and although the crystal is rather beat up the rest of the watch is in good shape.

The watch is engraved with a name and date from 1960 - four years after production ended.  So I guess this watch waited around in the jewelry store for a while.

Without the crystal in the way, you can see that the sterling silver dial is in good shape and appears to be original.

Looking at the movement, it's in good condition but the dull finish is a sure sign that the watch hasn't been cleaned in a long while.  Can you see the dial on the other side of the movement?  Just a little corner of it is visible so the dial is arguably the smallest 770 dial I've ever come across.

The model is easily identified by the mark in the case back.  I only see one service mark inside the case so this watch hasn't seen a watchmaker too many times over the last 60 years.

A new glass crystal will make a nice improvement to the watch's aesthetic.

Everything is cleaned and dried.

The freshly reassembled movement is ticking away so it's off to the timer to see how it's doing.

Running a little fast and the beat error is a little too high at 4.2ms.  So I'll take it apart and try to move the hairspring collet.

Oops... wrong direction.  7.3ms is way too high.

There... 0.6ms is excellent so I'll stop there.

The dial and hands go on and it all goes back into the polished case.  It's a nice looking watch, even if it is a smidgen too small for my tastes.

1960 Automatic K-417

It's interesting to see how the number of models in Hamilton's lineup increased over time.  I suppose some of that phenomenon was the result of technological advancements... if all you have are manual winding movements then you need X-number of models. When you add automatic movements, you need X+Y models.  Now you have Electric movements so you need to have X+Y+Z models.  By 1969 there were over 200 models in Hamilton's men's watch line.  When you add the ladies models into the mix, it's a ponderous array of complexity to maintain.

I wonder to what extent the market tolerated such a diverse model line?  Was there enough volume to justify the overhead of so many different designs?  Would Hamilton executives have been better off focusing on fewer models and developing economies of scale?

Not all models stuck around for long.  1960 had a number of one-year wonders, or watches made for a single year.  One of them is the Automatic K-417.

The K-417 came in a 10K yellow gold filled case.  You had an option of a white radial finished or black dial.  It came in a one piece weatherproof case with either a bracelet or a strap.

Behind the dial is a Hamilton 667 movement.  This Kurth Freres-based Swiss-made grade replaced the 661 movement used in previous K-series automatics.  The two movements are very similar and share a lot of parts... best I can tell is the rotor shape is slightly different on the 667, otherwise they seem identical.

Anyway, I was recently sent a K-417 project watch from one of my Hamilton collector friends.  It's good to have friends with an interest the same as your own - as you get to live vicariously through them sometimes.

As arrived, the watch was not running.  The dial has an odd haze to it and is a mere shadow of what would have been a sparkly past.

The case is engraved on the back with initials.  They're a little hard to see here but they'll be much more visible once I polish the case.

With the crystal lifted out of the way you can see that the dial is fairly complicated.  There is a pearled track of small gold dots.  Every 5 minutes there is a larger dot with luminous material and a line.  The Hamilton H logo appears to be printed in gold.  The hazy patina is probably the result of a failed lacquer finish.  I could probably remove it but the odds would be extremely high that I'd lose the printing too.  This is not a dial I'd like to try to get redone, so I will try to brighten it up with very gentle cleaning but nothing to significant beyond a quick rinse.

The movement is very dirty, which explains why it's not running.  Based on the rust on the female side of the two-piece stem I can safely say that moisture has gotten into this "weatherproof" case.

Everything gets thoroughly cleaned and dried.  It all looks to be in good shape so I'm optimistic the watch will run once I put it back together.

The watch is bright and shiny now and although my camera has frozen it in time, the watch is ticking away with good motion.  So it's off to the timer now.

Not too bad... running just a little fast but everything else looks great.  I can easily slow it down with a minor tweak to the regulator.

There...  over 24 hours this watch should be right on the money.  Now I just have reinstall the dial and hands and put the oscillating weight back on.

And here's the finished project, complete with it's original Kreisler bracelet.  I had pretty good success with cleaning the dial up.  It's not perfect but it looks a little better.  I'm sure my friend will be pleased with the results, I know I am.