1957 Cullen

I've been collecting Hamiltons for about 6 years.   That's not really a long time compared with other collectors I know.  Although I know a lot about Hamiltons, I don't know that much about other brands.  One thing I do know, however, is that new collectors always seem to follow a similar path.

Once a new collector catches "the bug", they will often make rookie mistakes and buy a watch that is overpriced or something that isn't even an authentic model at all.  There aren't a lot of "fake" Hamiltons out there but there are plenty of incorrect dial refinishes and recased watches that often come with pretty pictures and high price tags.

If you ever see a red, blue, green, or otherwise colorful dial on a Hamilton, you may want to do a little more research before you pull the trigger.

After a couple of minor mistakes, a new collector will go down one of two paths; first, they decide to only buy very nice examples or, alternatively, they decide to buy inexpensive watches that they can "fix up".   Each path has it's drawbacks, but the former path is more prudent than the latter, in my opinion.

There are additional phases to collecting but I thought I'd briefly opine on the difference between a very nice restored example and  pursuing a fixer upper.

I suppose you could say the main difference is the time and effort needed to make a project watch a restored watch.  So, really, the question is what does it typically take to restore a watch?

First, you need a project watch.  The best project watches are the ones that come in an above-average case.  If the case is worn through or otherwise damaged, it's likely better suited to donating it's parts so another watch might live.  Restoring a damaged case is very expensive - assuming that it's even plausible.

For example, your typical gold filled case has a gold layer that is 5% of the thickness of the metal (that's what the "1/20 10K gold filled" means).  Rolled gold plated cases usually have a much thinner layer... maybe 175 microns thick.  That means a sheet of paper is about 40 times the thickness of the gold layer in a rolled gold plated case.

If you want to get a gold filled or RGP case replated, the applied layer will be probably 5 microns thick and typically it's closer to 2 microns.  That's not a lot of gold and it will be easily worn through if you polish the watch or wear it very often.  It will also cost you potentially $100 or more.  So avoid cases with extensive wear or other damage, as that's an additional cost you should be able to easily avoid.

There are four things you'll likely need to invest in when you purchase a project watch.

1.  You need to have the movement overhauled.  That means it should be completely disassembled, thoroughly cleaned and then reassembled with fresh lubricants.  Watches from before 1950 will also likely need a fresh mainspring.

You will find some sellers take short cuts and partially disassemble the watch and called it "serviced" or they just add fresh oil without cleaning the watch at all.  I consider that the equivalent of putting on fresh deodorant instead of taking a shower.  You may smell clean but you're not clean.

2.  You're probably going to want to new strap.  A new strap isn't always needed but, in general, a new strap is nice way to personalize a watch for the new owner.

3.  90% of the time a project watch will need a new crystal.  That can be an easy do-it-yourself project but sometimes it's best to let an experienced person do it for you.  A new crystal can make a dramatic improvement on a project watch.

4.  Finally, the fourth thing that a project watch will often require is to get the dial (and possibly hands) refinished.   This is totally optional and personal judgement call.  In my experience, a nicely done (and correct) refinish is preferable to an ugly original dial.  If an original dial is a distraction then you won't enjoy the watch as much.

Some brands (like Rolex) are heavily penalized by a refinished dial - so never buy a project watch that requires a redial if a redial will kill the watch's value.  Hamilton's do not suffer from the same snobbery... a refinished dial is fine.  In fact, it used to be a typical part of the overhaul process and many people's "original" dials are actually very old refinished dials and they just don't know it.

Adding that all up reveals the difference between a project watch and a nice restored example.

An overhaul can run you in the neighborhood of $100 or more, depending on who you use and what the watch needs.  A new crystal can be $30 or more.  A fine strap is usually $20 or more.  A redial can run you $70 or more... usually more with postage, etc, factored in.  So that's $220 plus the acquisition cost of the project watch.  If you're crazy enough to pursue original bracelets you can add another $100 or more to the tally.

The moral of the story is to be careful what you buy when you first start collecting.  Like most hobbies, buy what you like, not what you think other people like.  Don't assume every project watch is a diamond in the rough.  Sometimes buying an already-restored watch is the more prudent path to building a nice collection.

With all that said, I recently purchased a project watch for about 2X the cost of my typical project.  I bought it from a fellow collector and I figured if someone outbid me then he would make more money and I wouldn't overpay.  I ended up winning it - but I was okay with that because it was...

• In a nice case
• with a nice glass crystal
• with a new genuine lizard strap
• with a nicely refinished dial

In other words, I just needed to overhaul it.

The model is a 1957 Cullen.  It was produced through 1960.  Originally it came on a strap or a bracelet.

By 1960 the strap option was removed and it was a bracelet-only model.

The Cullen was a mid-grade watch in Hamilton's line up.  It came with a 10K gold filled bezel and a stainless back.  The dial is sterling silver with a butler finish and featured solid 14K gold numerals and dots.

Tucked inside the case is Hamilton's flagship movement, the 22 jewel 12/0 sized 770 grade.

As received, the Cullen reminds me a little of another model from the 1940's called the Dyson.  However the Cullen features lines that radiate out of the center of the dial.  It's also a little larger than the Dyson.

The stainless steel back is unengraved and looks almost new with a brushed finish.  Stainless steel is a great choice for watch cases because it is really tough.

The only distraction on this watch is the crown.  It is well worn and will need to be replaced.

The seller listed it as needing to be serviced and I can tell from the timer that it's running several minutes fast per day.  The watch is very easy to set, too easy, as there is no resistance whatsoever when turning the crown.  I wouldn't be surprised if the watch appears to run slow because the cannon pinion slips.  In other words, this watch needs some help.

The dial is a refinish.  I can tell this from three things... first, there's a tiny notch on the edge by the 3 marker (you can't really see it in the photo).  Second, the line going through the 7 marker isn't perfectly aligned with the marker - but it's close.  Third, the finish on the dial looks like a recently refinished dial.

The 770 is a fine movement and easy to work on.  It will be interesting to see what an overhaul does for it.

Everything is disassembled, cleaned and dried before being reassembled with fresh lubricants.

It's the moment of truth - time to put the balance back on.

Success... still running a little fast but I can tweak the regulator slightly to slow it down a smidgen.

From there it's just a matter of putting the dial and hands back on but I still had to tighten the cannon pinion and fit a new crown.

My finished project watch looks pretty much the same as it did when I received it.  However it's now running as well as it looks and the new crown completes the restoration.

As you can see, the new crown is much nicer than the previous version.

1949 Norde

An interesting bit of Hamilton trivia is the CLD-line (or "sealed" line) of models all ended with -don. Croydon, Langdon, Reardon, etc, all except two of the first models... the Lange and the Norde.  Those two models didn't end in -don because they were solid gold versions of gold filled models named Langdon and Nordon.

The Norde was introduced in 1949, one year after the 1948 Nordon, and produced through 1952.

The Norde came in a solid 14K yellow gold case with your choice of two different butler finished sterling silver dials... one with solid 18K gold numerals and markers and the other with luminous numerals and matching hands.

Tucked inside the case is an 18 jewel 8/0 sized 748 movement.

The case featured gaskets around the glass crystal, the bezel and the crown so that it was effectively "sealed" from the environment.  It wasn't marketed as "waterproof" but it was one of the earliest models in Hamilton's lineup to feature gaskets.

You very rarely see Nordes in the wild.  I think I've seen two or three - tops.  So when I saw a beat up Norde on eBay I decided to through caution to the wind and pursue it.  Fortunately no one tried to out-snipe me and cause me to pay dearly for it but it didn't come cheap.

It arrived with several easy to identify but fixable issues.  First, the crown is an obvious and incorrect replacement.

The second issue is the crystal is highly domed and looks pretty goofy, in my opinion.  That will definitely have to go.

The case back is engraved with a presentation from Carlisle Tires - that company is still around today.  You can see in this shot that the crown doesn't even cover the stem tube - but I'm glad to see the stem tube is still there, as it's needed for when the correct crown is installed.

With the bezel removed, you can see the dial and hands are in decent shape.  I can tell by the finish that this is a refinished dial.  You can also see the two-piece stem that allows the movement to come out the front.  The male portion is in the movement, the female side is in the crown.  The joint must be visible so you can lift the movement straight out, as the female side isn't designed to flex at all.

Here's a better shot of the male and female sides of the stem.

The 748 is a compact movement and the only one with five wheels in the train.  Normally there are only four.  This can be a very challenging movement to reassemble.

One of the things I like about solid gold cases is they never show verdigris, or the corrosion you'll find on gold filled cases.  A little polishing and this case will look much better.

As suspected, the dial has been refinished.

Everything is cleaned and dried.  After I took this photo I realized the balance and pallet fork weren't in it.  They were still in the hairspring cleaner and I forgot to take them out.

I happened to have the correct crown for a CLD model of this type - that was one of the reasons I bought the watch.  These crowns are pretty hard to come by.

I have found a GS PA318 crystal is a good choice for a drop-in replacement of what would have originally been a double-thick glass crystal.

The movement has been reassembled and it's running but it doesn't "look right" to me.  We'll see what the timer has to say about it.

Yup - it's full of extraneous noise.  I'll reclean the hairspring and see if that fixes it.

The noise is gone but now I can see that it's running well but with a high beat error.  5.8ms is too high to let go.  Ideally it would be zero but I'll accept anything less than 3.0 when it's a balance of this type.  The beat error is a measurement of how centered the impulse jewel on the balance is with the pallet fork.  If it's off to one side or the other, the balance will swing further to one side or the other and ultimately stop sooner than a watch with a low beat error.

Adjusting the beat error on a balance of this design is tricky business and not for the faint of heart.  First I'll need to figure out what side the impulse jewel is on.  To do that, I'll set the regulator so that the fork lines up with the pallet fork jewel.  You can see the two gold dots of the fork directly in line with the line between the balance jewels and the pallet fork (and escape wheel in this case).

I can tell the impulse jewel is off to the right side of the regulator fork.  So I'll need to move it counterclockwise a smidgen.  To to that, I need to remove the balance from the balance cock and then gently rotate the hairspring collet on the balance staff.  Did I mention this is tricky business?  It's a great way to ruin an otherwise-okay balance.

Success... the beat error is down to 2.3MS and well within my "acceptable" range.

All that's left is to put the dial and hands back on and then tuck it all back into the case.

As you can see the new crystal is a vast improvement over the monstrosity that was installed previously.  The correct crown and a vintage genuine tortoise strap are the perfect complement to this newly restored watch.

1955 Traffic Special II

Pocket watches largely fell out of favor with the advent of wrist watches in the 1920's.  However they continued to be made through 1969.  In fact, excess inventory of pocket watch movements continued to be sold into the early 1970's.

Pocket watches tend to fall into two categories... dress pocket watches and railroad pocket watches.  Railroad pocket watches required a number of different attributes in order to be "railroad approved".  You could argue there's a third category of utility pocket watches.  Utility pocket watches have the appearance of a railroad pocket watch but, for whatever reason, are not railroad grade.

In 1955 Hamilton introduced an entry level line of pocket watches called the "Traffic Special".  That line was also used in the 1920's with certain size 16 pocket watches that were used on trollies and street cars.  The Traffic Special line in the 1950's was priced at about 50% the cost of a railroad approved 992B model.  They were intended for "working men" who wanted an accurate and easy to read pocket watch but without the price tag of a railroad grade model.

Two models were introduced in 1955, the Traffic Special I in a stainless steel case and the Traffic Special II in a yellow rolled gold plated case.  Both are size 16 watches and feature a Swiss-made Hamilton 669 movement with 17 jewels.  Apparently the only dial option was a single sunk heavy gothic design.

In 1958 the models evolved slightly and although the names stayed the same, the models appear to have swapped crowns.  The Traffic Special I received the half onion style crown that was on the Traffic Special II prior.   Then in 1960 another dial option was added, a single-sunk Montgomery dial.  Both models continued to be produced through 1965.

In 1966 the model line evolved again with the introduction of the Traffic Special III and IV.  It's hard to tell what changed in the line though.  I can't really tell from the catalogs alone.  I believe the main difference was the utilization of a new Swiss movement, the 670 grade.  The model line continued through 1969.

I don't tend to pursue pocket watches very often.  There are a lot of different models, just like with wrist watches, but pocket watches have limited utility.  Given the choice of pursuing a pocket watch project watch or a wrist watch project, I will choose the wrist watch every time.

That said, I recently acquired a Traffic Special because the price was right and I wanted to see what the model line was all about.  I'm not really sure of it's age though.  It has an early crown but the Montgomery dial.  There are no serial numbers to date the watch so it's really a challenge to be more specific.

The bow on my project watch is a little different than the catalogs too.  Perhaps it's a replacement?  It's tight and certainly appears to be original but I can't be entirely sure.

The case back shows some wear, especially near the crown.  RGP cases are no where near as sturdy as gold filled cases.  That said, a light polish will do a lot for this case's appearance.

The 17 jewel 669 movement looks like a giant version of other Swiss-made manual winding movements from the same period.  I'm not sure who the maker is though.  I did not see any marks under the balance to denote the Swiss company.

The movement is positive set, like a wrist watch, so a set lever screw allows the stem to be removed.  Then the two case screws can be removed and the movement drops out the front of the case.

With the dial and hands removed, the front of the main plate looks like a giant manual winding movement.

Removing the two screws holding the set bridge down allows all the setting parts to come off.

On the reverse, the first things off are the winding and ratchet wheels.  Then the barrel bridge can be lifted off.

Without the barrel bridge in place, you can see the mainspring barrel contained within.  That stores the energy of the mainspring and powers the watch.  Next off is the train bridge supporting the center wheel, third wheel and fourth wheel.

Now you're starting to see how the power from the mainspring is conveyed to the balance wheel.  Next off is the escape wheel bridge.

Now I'll remove the balance wheel.  One screw holds it's bridge in place and then I'll lift the lot off as an assembly.

With the balance out of the way, you can now see the pallet fork.  The pallet fork flips back and forth with each pass of the balance and meters out the power of the mainspring one tick at a time.

The back of the main plate is now clear of parts so it's now ready to go into the ultrasonic.  One reason I don't tend to do pocket watches is they are too large for the baby food jars I normally clean parts in.  For size 16 watches I need to move up to jelly jars.

While everything is being cleaned, I'll turn my attention to the acrylic crystal.  It's a bit hazy and scratched but a few minutes on the polishing wheel will bring it back to new life.

Laid out in the photo below, you can see that a pocket watch looks pretty much the same as any manual winding watch.  The only difference is the size of the parts.  Pocket watches are much larger and probably a little easier to work on.

It's all back together now, just by putting each part back on in the reverse order I took them off.  The only exception is the balance, I put that on last after winding the watch a little.

The watch is now ticking away so it's off to the timer to see how it's doing.

Pocket watch movements always make my timer look so small.

Looks like it's running fine.  A slight tweak to the regulator will speed it up slightly.

Now that the movement is running great all that's left is to put the dial and hands back on and tuck it back in it's case.  With a freshly polished case and crystal, this watch looks as good as it runs.