WWII USMC Aviators Watch

Hamilton made a variety of military watches during World War II.  In fact, during the years 1942 through 1945 virtually all production was dedicated to the war effort.

The most commonly found military watch is the US Army version with the white dial and a case back engraved with "ORD DEPT".  At any given time there are several of them for sale online.

Hamilton also made watches for the US Navy and Marine Corps.  These watches come in different cases and are engraved on the back with HAMILTON WATCH COMPANY along with the part number that is unique to each watch version.  You can read more about it on this thread.

Among the scarcest are the FSSC 88-W-800 watches, and part number 39102, specifically.  Only 2,926 of these watches were produced for the US Marine Corps, and they were specifically made for aviators.

A number of things make the 39102 version unique.  First of all, it features Hamilton's first 18 jewel sweep second movement... the 2987.  Like the 987S, the 2987 is a hacking watch so the watch will stop when you pull out the crown to set the time.

The watch also features a Wadsworth case - while other military watches were either Star cases or Keystone cases.

I recently scored a 39102 USMC watch and it proved to be a true labor of love.  It arrived as non running but, as you'll see below, it had several issues, any one of which would cause it to stop running.

First off though, you'll note this watch has a black dial.  The US Navy version received a black dial and the USMC version was white.  Naval aviators had a 2987-based watch too though. However, the Navy version came in a Star case with part number 39103 on the back.  You can read more about the US Navy version here.  So this dial is a replacement.

The Wadsworth case should be stamped with a W in between the top lugs, as shown below.

Here's a shot of the case back engraving.  Although the bezel is chrome plated brass, the back is stainless steel.  The back unscrews using a large combination wrench, nothing much to it.

Under the case back you should see a dust cover that snaps onto the movement ring that surrounds the movement inside.

And here's the 2987 movement.  It looks a lot like the 987S, which was also used for military watches.  However, the 2987 adds an extra jewel to support the second hand pinion in the center.  The pinion is also supported by a spring, partly visible under the sweep second wheel.

Winding the watch, I realized the mainspring was broken... as I could wind and wind and wind it without ever hitting resistance and stopping.  So that's one reason why the watch isn't running.  I also noticed the hairspring is a skewed off to the side (toward the balance cock).  That's another reason why the watch was dead on arrival.

The dial has a little bit of rust in the center.  The dial is old and looks like it could be original.  However the mismatched hour and minute hands are not correct for the watch.  The second hand is correct though.  On the black dialed models, the hour and minute hands should technically be stainless steel.  That's an important detail to look for but not a deal breaker.

The crystal that is installed is rather odd.  It has a wide flange so it appears a lot smaller than the bezel opening.  I'll change that out with a proper crystal.

Pulling the gold-colored sweep wheel is a job for a specialized tool made just for this purpose.  It looks a lot like a Presto-style hand puller but one side is split to go over a wheel spoke while the other grasps the hub.

Squeezing the tool will lift the wheel straight up and off so you don't bend the extended third wheel pivot.  Once I got the sweep wheel off, I removed the sweep pinion bridge.  However, I couldn't get the sweep pinion itself out.  It was rusted to the inside of the center wheel.  Eventually I worked it loose and I then ran tiny broach through the inside of the center wheel to open it back up again.  A seized seconds pinion would definitely stop the watch from running.

Once I got the wheels out, I noticed the hack spring had been bent out of the way.  Although it still moved when the stem was pulled out, it was not in the right position to stop the watch.  So I had to rebend it back to the proper shape.

While everything is in the ultrasonic, I'll replace the crystal with a PHD high dome crystal.

That looks much better than the wide-flanged crystal.

I'll prep a new white alloy mainspring for the movement too.

Close inspection of each jewel revealed that the center wheel jewel in the barrel bridge is cracked.  It's the larger of the two jewels below.  The jewel is larger than a 987A's center wheel jewel but it's the same size as a 987S and I happen have a parts watch to use as a donor.

The jewels are held in place with friction and are removed and reinstalled using a staking set and a flat punch.  It's best to replace cracked jewels if you can, as they are a source of friction and wear.

All of the parts are now cleaned, including two potential balance wheels.

While reassembling the watch, I found out the pallet fork arbor was missing a pivot - so that's yet another reason why the watch would not run.  I think I'm up to four different reasons for why this watch movement wouldn't run.

In the end, without the seconds sweep wheel or pinion installed, this movement looks like a regular old 987A.  It's back to running condition now thanks to a new pallet fork, a new mainspring, a new center wheel jewel and a new balance assembly.

Well, it's running alright and dead on from a beat rate standpoint.  The beat error is within acceptable tolerance.  The amplitude is well over 200 degrees so there's a lot of energy in the watch.  The reason the two lines are so far apart is the lower line is on the top of the screen and the upper line is just above the bottom of the screen.  So they're actually much closer than they appear.

I happened to have a spare white dial and hand set up so the finishing touches to this restoration are the dial, hands and a new canvas strap.  It's back to looking just as it would have in 1943.

And here's a final shot of the case back.  This is one mighty rare watch.  I was lucky to find it.  With less than 3,000 made and the rest going into harm's way, I wonder how many are still in existence?  I'm glad I was able to get this one back into wrist-worthy condition.

1952 Franklin

"One year wonders" are always interesting to find.  They are watches that were only made for a single year.  That doesn't necessarily mean the model is "rare" but it does make you wonder why it was produced for such a short period.  Was it a dog? Did they run out of parts?  Did the CEO not like it?

Take, for example, the 1952 Franklin.  It was produced for only that year.

Based on the looks of the model, I would say that it wasn't a "dog" since it looks like a typical tank-style model and reminiscent of some of the popular solid gold models from the time.  The model came in a 10K yellow gold filled case with a white-finished sterling silver dial and solid 18K gold numerals and markers.  It's as fine a watch as any other entry-level US made Hamilton.

One reason for it's short run could be the year it was produced.  1952 was the last year of the 14/0 movements... the 980, 982 and 982M.  They were replaced by the 12/0 movements that same year... the 752, 753 and 754, respectively.  Many 1952 models came in a "-B" version to denote the movement change.  However, it's possible the Franklin was similar enough to other models from the time that the management-call was "why bother making a -B version".  After all, in 1953 Hamilton introduced an entirely new line of watches... the Hamilton Illinois brand.  So they weren't going to be short on model options.

Of course, that's all just a guess.  Maybe it was just a simple matter of poor market performance for the model.  One thing is for sure, there aren't a lot of Frankins out there.

I received a Franklin in a lot of "parts watches" - the sort of pile-o-watches you'd buy to scavenge from.  It was beat up, the dial was stained, it didn't run, you know - just the way I like them.

I took a quick pass at cleaning the dial before the photo below and I though I might just pull a rabbit out of my hat but alas - it was really too far gone to save.  If I was to clean off the upper right I would have lost more of the printing in the upper left.  So this is a good candidate for a refinish.

The crystal is totally trashed, inside and out.  That's very odd.

Well, I'm going to guess that whatever compromised the inside of the dial also got under the dial and rusted the barrel arbor into the main plate.  This movement looks very dirty from the dial side.

The backside of the movement isn't as bad - I'm sure it's dirty inside but the back looks nice.  Hamilton did a nice job detailing even their most basic movements in the early 1950's.

With the barrel bridge removed and the barrel taken out and flipped over, you can see the rust on the inside of the barrel cavity.  I should be able to clean up the main plate well enough but I'll just replaced the entire mainspring barrel assembly with a different one along with a fresh white alloy mainspring.

Everything is cleaned and dried.  A new glass crystal is ready to be glued into the bezel.  I'll let the glue set up under a UV lamp while I reassemble the movement.

Success - the balance is vigorously swinging away.  That's a good sign that I did a thorough job cleaning.  Now to check it out on the timer to see how the balance and hairspring are behaving.

Looks good - nice amplitude, acceptable beat error (could be less but why risk screwing it up?) and it's running 30 second fast per day without other extraneous noise.  It will likely settle down after it runs a while.

Now onto the other side.  There's still a tiny amount of staining from the rust but the vast majority of it is gone.  The stem, clutch, set lever, yoke and the winding pinion are lubed with microgliss lubricant.

My refinished dial (wow, that was fast) is ready to be reinstalled.  (Actually, I started this project in November and finally finished it now)

A fresh lizard strap completes the restoration and this uncommon Franklin is ready for some more wrist time.  Another parts-watch saved.

1959 Cascade / 1960 Sea Cliff

There are a few situations where a Hamilton model had two different names.   Several are from the 1930's but one in particular from the 1950's is the 1959 Cascade.

The Cascade was part of a his & hers set and paired with a ladies model called the Cassie.

However, in 1960 the Cascade was renamed the Sea Cliff.  Why it was renamed is a mystery to me but Hamilton was a bit sea-crazy in the 1960's as there are over 40 "sea-somethings" in Hamilton's lineup.

Oddly enough, the his and hers pairing continued with the Cassie.  The Sea Cliff was produced through 1961.

The Cascade (aka Sea Cliff) was produced in a 10K yellow gold filled case.  It featured a sterling silver dial with solid gold numerals and markers.

Tucked inside the Cascade is Hamilton's US-made 22 jewel 770 movement, their flagship grade.

The Cascade is one of Hamilton's asymmetric models and as a mechanical asymmetric, it's very popular with collectors.  If you look closely at the model, you will note that the bezel is wider at the top than the bottom, making the crystal and dial off center.  The lugs on the top are hidden under the case so it looks like it only has the two bottom lugs.

It's a very funky looking design and mixture of traditional watch design with Hamilton's modernistic flair.  Who said round watches had to be boring?

I recently scored a Cascade project watch.  It cost me a pretty penny but I think I still got a bargain since it wasn't in the greatest shape.  I thought the dial looked good though so I dug a little deeper than I usually do.

The case is a one-piece design and the watch opens through the crystal.  The back of the case is a little oddly shaped to accommodate the hidden lugs.

With the crystal removed, the dial and movement come out the front to reveal an empty cavity for a 12/0 movement.

The 770 is a common movement and was used in high end models all the way down to lesser expensive gold filled models.

Everything is completely taken apart and cleaned before being put back together with fresh lubricants.

If all goes well, I can tear down, clean and rebuild a basic mechanical watch movement in under an hour... as long as all goes well.  Here the reassembled movement is happily purring away so it's off to the timer.

Uh oh - there's a little bit of noise going on inside the movement.  Perhaps there is a piece of lint or something on the hairspring.  I'll have to reclean it and inspect it very carefully.

Ah, that's much better.  Two parallel lines running fairly close together.  The slight upward slope indicates that it's running slightly fast at 7 seconds per day.  Good amplitude and an acceptable beat error.  I'll check it in other positions before declaring it's good to go.

The crystal that was on the watch was okay but way too small.  So I'll replace it with a proper fitting crystal.  Although the Cascade has a sub-second hand so it's a lower profile than a sweep second model, it's still a little too tall for a low profile crystal.  So I'll install a high dome in 28.3mm.

The dial and hands were perfect after a gentle cleaning.  Everything gets cleaned up and put back inside the case where it belongs.   A new black lizard strap completes the overhaul and this Cascade is ready for some well deserved wrist time.