1953 Elgin Black Knight

Say what?  What's an Elgin model doing on a Hamilton blog?

Elgin collectors and Hamilton collectors joke with each other like the "Hatfields and McCoys" feud.  However, deep down inside there is a mutual respect and appreciation for each brand.

Vintage Elgins are fine watches and I thought it would be interesting to show some of the basic similarities and differences.  Plus, I think the model I've chosen is very cool - so cool that it could almost be a Hamilton.

The Elgin National Watch Company was started in 1864 - almost 30 years before Hamilton, and it ceased production in 1968, one year before Hamilton stopped production in the US.   Elgin National Watch Company was headquartered in Elgin, Illinois.

Unlike Hamilton, when Elgin called it quits in 1968 it really was quits.  The brand name "Elgin" traded hands many times before eventually being acquired by a company who made watches in China.  

You can pick almost any genre of watches to compare the two watch companies and arrive at a vigorous debate of which was better (of course the answer is almost always Hamilton).

The one area that Hamilton would not perform well is entry level watches because Hamilton didn't compete in that market.  Elgin made loads of models with jewel counts as low as 7 jewels.  Other than the very early years, Hamilton's most basic models featured at least 17 jewels.  Furthermore, Elgin introduced models with rolled gold cases with stainless steel backs much earlier than Hamilton did.  So the range of prices in Elgin's line up was broader than Hamilton's and there are WAY more vintage Elgin watches out there than there are Hamiltons.

As a result, there are many intriguing Elgin models and even more not-so-interesting ones.  My interest in Elgin was originally piqued by their presence in WWI trench watches.  Elgin and Waltham made loads of attractive trench models.   In fact, if you're interested in this era of watches, check out Stan Czubernat's website -  LRF Antique Watches.  Stan has also authored a couple of books on the subject that you can purchase from his site.

Elgin made very interesting Art-Deco era watches, they made WWII military watches, and they even made futuristic models in the 1950's, just like Hamilton.  One thing Elgin has over Hamilton is Elgin made some (but not all) of their self-winding movements in the US while Hamilton imported all of their automatic movements.

The watch I chose for this post is a 1953 Black Knight.  It features many Hamilton-like attributes and it even came with a matching ladies model called the Ladies Elgin Midnight, just like Hamilton's his and hers models at the time.  Beyond having a really cool name, the Black Knight has a sibling with a golden dial called the Eldorado, which is also a cool name.  So if you see a Black Knight with a golden dial, it's really an Eldorado.

If you see a Black Knight with a golden dial, it's really an Eldorado.

The Black Knight comes in a 14K gold filled case with uniquely-shaped lugs.  The dial is textured and is almost golfball-like in appearence with funky applied numerals and triangular markers.  My project watch has a little wear to the high points of the bezel but it looks to be in decent shape overall.

The back of the Black Knight is gold filled too.  So it was a mid-to-higher end model in the line up and competed directly with Hamilton models at the time.

With the bezel out of the way you can see the unique texture of the dial.  It's actually the opposite of a golf ball as the dimples go outward rather than into the dial.

I would assume the number 4814 is the model number for the Black Knight and could have been used back in the day to order any parts needed to maintain it.

Behind the dial is an 8/0 sized 21 jewel 680 movement.  It's very similar to Hamilton's 8/0 sized 747 movement but features 4 additional cap jewels.  What it lacks is the detailed damascening that Hamilton added to it's US-made movements.  So the 680 isn't as pretty to look at as a 747 but the 680 features more jewels.  Neither movements are shock jeweled at the balance.

The finishing on the dial-side of the movement is less glamorous as well.  However all movements look alike when it comes to this perspective.

The mainspring in the watch is a white alloy design.  I will take it out, clean it and reinstall it after the parts are cleaned.

One of the interesting features of the Black Knight is it has a conical crystal and comes to a point in the center.  My project watch lacks this feature.

The proper crystal for this model is relatively hard to come by.  From the front it looks like an ordinary round glass crystal.

From the side, however, the crystal has a much different appearance.

Just like my Hamilton projects, this Elgin movement is taken fully apart and thoroughly cleaned.

The watch is running but the amplitude is a bit low.  Typically I suspect the mainspring or barrel is the issue when I see this as the watch is lacking power - assuming the movement is clean.  A dirty watch will have low amplitude too.

When I went to investigate the mainspring, it turned out it was broken!  So I will have to replace it in order to complete the watch.  That, in a nutshell, is why I focus primarily on Hamiltons - it's much easier to build a stockpile of parts for one brand than to do the same for several brands.  I'll need to investigate what mainspring would be appropriate for this grade and try to find one.

With that in mind I can still complete the assembly of the watch.  Paired with a fresh 18mm lizard strap and a proper conical crystal, this example of the Black Knight turned out great.  The crown disintegrated during the cleaning and had to be replaced too.  The only one I had on hand was a little smaller that what was on beforehand but I think it still looks good.

It's hard to photograph black-dialed watches.  So here's another shot from a slight angle.

In this shot you can see what the conical crystal does for the model's design.  It's an important attribute that is lost if you install a flat crystal.

1937 Bentley

I've bet I've come close to covering all of the more common1930's models by now.  There are a few that are harder, or more expensive, to come by.  I'm definitely close to covering all the 14/0 sized models and now I can check another one of the list.  It's a 1937 Bentley.

The Bentley is a very unique looking model with tubular lugs.  It was produced from 1937 through 1939.  If it looks familiar it may be because there's a similar gold filled model called the Bowman from 1939.  The Bentley came in solid 14K gold so it's much harder to come by.  It's also easy to distinguish from the Bowman by the rectangular dial.  The Bowman is a little more barrel shaped and has a round second hand register.

Being made prior to 1940 and in solid gold, you should find a 19 jewel 982 movement inside the case.  Gold filled models received the 17 jewel 980.

I've seen the occasional Bentley come up for sale but not too frequently.  When it does come up, it usually sells for good money... maybe $800 or even more if it's in good shape.

I recently got lucky and snagged a Bentley for a more reasonable, but still high, price.  It looked to be in very good shape though, so I pursued it hard and was victorious in the end.  The bracelet it came on is a nice design but much too small for me and probably too large for my wife.  Maybe this was Goldilock's watch?

The back of the case is a typical 1930's snap back design with a little lip to pry the back off.

I saw in the purchase listing the dial had some schmutz around the 4 and 5.  I was hopeful that it was just superficial dirt.  Even in the somewhat blurry photo below you can see the tiny notch in the dial near the crown that indicates this dial has been refinished at least once.  I'd rather not have to do it again although I'm sure it could be redone perfectly.

The 19 jewel 982 movement has a serial number that dates the watch to 1937, just as it should.  Based on the dull brass color of the jewel settings, I'd say it's been a long time since this watch saw a watchmaker's bench.

One thing to appreciate about solid gold cases is they never show any signs of green verdigris.  There are couple of watchmakers' marks inside so this watch did receive some care at some point in the last 80 years.

The back of the dial confirms this dial has been refinished at least once, probably multiple times.

Early 14/0 movements had a split set bridge and yoke.  On later 980 and 982s it's a one-piece design.

This watch is going to need a new mainspring.  You can see in the shot below that the old mainspring is set and has lost much of it's energy.

A new white alloy spring will give this watch 40+ hours of reserve.

Everything is cleaned and dried.  The plastic crystal wasn't too bad so I will reuse it while I order a new glass one.

The watch is running with nice motion.

What the heck?  This watch appears to be making a lot of noise and not registering anything but I think it's just running super fast.

I fussed and fussed and fussed with the balance but just couldn't get it to run well.  There's a big difference between a ticking watch and a watch that keeps accurate time.  Eventually I threw in the towel and installed a balance from a donor movement.

Oops! After I was finished I noticed there was a timing screw in my cleaning solution.  It must have vibrated off the balance wheel while in the ultrasonic.  That would dramatically lower the mass of the balance and speed the watch up accordingly.

Timing screws are positioned symmetrically on the balance to keep it in poise.  It's not hard to see where the missing screw should be installed.

Since the watch is running nicely with the donor balance I will not try my luck by replacing it again.  I'll save the original balance for another day.  The finished project turned out fantastic.  The case is sharp where it needs to be sharp and smooth where it should be smooth.  I may have to find either a good hiding place or a short 16mm strap, because if my wife sees this watch she may want to keep it.

1961 M 59-1

From 1961 through 1967 Hamilton made a special line of watches for an unknown nation-wide outlet.  The men's models had M-names and the ladies models had F-names.  The names were comprised of the retail price and a dashed numeral to represent the sequence the watch arrived on scene.  They only showed up in the 1964 catalog so identifying models from the other years can be tricky.

A good example of a tough model to identify is the 1961 M 59-1.  As you can see by the name, it's a men's model priced at $59 and it was the first M-series model at that price.

I don't have a catalog snip for the model (yet) but I have it on good authority that my project watch is an M 59-1.  It has a very familiar dial with a distinctively shaped numeral 4 and concentric rings around the numerals and markers.

I knew the dial looked familiar and I realized it's very similar to the 1960 Thinline 5000.  I happened to have a Thinline 5000 project watch waiting it's turn at the spa so I can compare the two models directly.  You can't see in the photo but the crystal is a bit scratched up and it looks like the I in Hamilton is missing.   It's actually there, as you'll see later.

The M 59-1 has a two piece case with a 10K RGP bezel and a pop-off stainless steel back.

The Thinline 5000 has a one-piece case and opens through the crystal.

The Kreisler bracelet on the M 59-1 appears to be original and it's in decent condition but very dirty.  We'll have to see what it looks like after it's cleaned.

The dial finish on both of my project watches leaves a little to be desired.  The M 59-1 is a little compromised from the 2 around the 6 and up to 10.  From 11 to 1 it looks like it should.  I don't know if there's just some funk on the dial or if the finish itself is impacted.  I suspect the latter.

There's a Hamilton 673 movement behind the dial.  That's different than the Thinline 5000 - it has a very similar, but thinner, Hamilton 676.

I can tell from the inside of the case back that this watch has been to a watchmaker at least twice in the last 50+ years.  It's arguably long over due for a cleaning.

The M 59-1 has a very low profile and a sub second hand so I will try a 30.1mm PK low profile crystal.  It will look sharp as long as the minute hand doesn't rub it.  Otherwise I'll go with a PHD high dome crystal.

Everything is cleaned and dried before being reassembled with 4 different lubricants.

The reassembled movement is ticking away with good motion.  That's a promising sign.

A slight tweak to the regulator is all this watch needs to keep perfect time.

I treated the dial to a "poor man's refinish", meaning I cleaned it and sprayed it with a light coat of clear lacquer.  It's definitely not perfect but it is a nice looking watch, especially from more that a foot or so away.  The bracelet cleaned up great a most of the marks you see are just reflections.

And for direct comparison, here are the two project watches side by side.  The Thineline 5000 has luminous hands and markers.  The font on the dial is different with the M 59-1 featuring the new stylized H logo that Hamilton lifted from their acquisition of Huguenin Watch Company in March of 1959.  (Notice the "I" in Hamilton on the Thinline has magically reappeared)  The shape of the lugs is obviously different between models.  The dials look almost identical although the shape of the 6 might be different.  Lastly, the Thinline has a slightly larger crystal by about 1mm.

Overall they're a nice looking pair of watches.   Don't you agree?