1939 Foster

One of the more popular 1930's and 40's models is the 1938 Linwood.  It was perhaps the most dramatic "curvex" models - or curved to fit the wrist.  Some folks think the Linwood is rare but I don't have that opinion.  Maybe it's "scarce", but I've seen quite a few - especially since it was produced for four years.

What's considerably more scarce the Linwood's slightly younger brother - the 1939 Foster.  It shares a lot of the same features as the Linwood except it's cased in solid 14K gold.  The Foster has a similar case design to the Linwood but the lugs flare out a little where the straps attach whereas the Linwood is a consistent curve.

Both models feature a "spherical dial" which means it curves in all directions from the center.

The Foster was produced for only two years and priced originally at $80, it was considerably more expensive than the Linwood's price of $52.50.  So unless you really wanted a solid gold case, I think the Linwood was probably purchased more readily.

One of the distinctive features of the Linwood and the Foster is they both have a special marker at the 6 position.  That was pretty unusual as dials with applied gold numerals tend to skip the 6 position as it competes with the second had.  However, the dials on the Foster and Linwood are so long the have lots of extra room - or at least just enough - for a marker.  The Linwood has a gold star - very cool and the only model to feature a star, if I recall correctly.  The Foster, on the other hand, just has a simple gold dot, or round marker.  You may be wondering why you don't see in the photo below - that's easy, it's not there!

The back of the case is solid gold so there's little chance to see wear through like you'll often see on the Linwood.  The case curves dramatically "to fit the wrist" and it's fairly comfortable to wear as long as you don't strap it down too tight.

This is interesting... the strap is Hamilton branded...

... but it's also marked 14mm so it's not that old.  Originally the Foster would have had a 9/16" strap, which equates to 14mm.  Based on the pattern of the leather I thought this was an ostrich strap but I was close - it's an American Emu.  I can't say I've ever seen an Emu strap - have you?

With the bezel and the crystal out of the way, you can see a tiny hole where the gold dot should go at the 6 position.  Based on the missing marker ant the tiny notch at the 3 position, I'm very confident this is a refinished dial.

My advice to any new collector is to focus on solid gold models.  Your collection will be much smaller but every watch will be special and distinctive.  There is just nothing like a solid gold case.

Tucked behind the dial is a 19 jewel 982 movement. The 982M didn't come out until 1940 and up until then, the 982 was used in solid gold models and the 17 jewel 980 in the gold filled cases.

Sure enough, the back of the dial shows several sets of numbers.  That's a good clue that this dial was probably refinished more than once.

Despite several sets of watchmaker marks inside the case back, the mainspring is a blue steel design.  I'm sure it's "set" into a tight coil and lost most of it's energy.  It would probably power the watch for a few hours, but not many,

While everything is in the ultrasonic, I'll see if I have any dials with round markers.  I have several candidates and several sizes to choose from.

I'll also prep a new white alloy Dynavar spring.  The white alloy springs will last a "lifetime".

Everything is ready to be reassembled.  Check out the coil of the new mainspring as compared to the old one above - quite a difference and the new one will power the watch for upwards of 40 hours.

It doesn't look like it in the photo below but the watch is ticking away with a nice motion.  The timer will tell me how well it's really running. 

You really can't do this kind of work without a timer.  It listens to all the ticking and can tell you all sorts of information that you just wouldn't get otherwise.  On the screen below you see two parallel lines (that's good).  The slope is upward so you know it's running fast... 63 seconds per day, that is.  You want to two lines to be close together and although they look fairly close, in reality they're very far apart.  The line on the top is actually on the bottom.  The distance represents the beat error and numerically it's 7.1ms.  That just means one side of the balance swings further than the other side.  Ideally it would swing equally side to side and be perfectly centered with a beat error of 0.0. 

7.1ms is too high for my standards.  I'm happy with 3.0ms or less.  In order to adjust it I have to remove the balance wheel from the balance cock and rotate the hairspring collet.  It doesn't take too much and every attempt risks disaster. It's very delicate business and I usually develop beads of sweat on my forehead while I do it.

In order to do it, you have to choose the right direction (or you'll make it worse) and then you need to adjust it the right amount.  After my first attempt I got it down to 3.9ms.  Still too high, so I'll press my luck and do it again the same direction and the same amount.

Alright!  Pretty much right on the money.  Still running a little fast but that's an easy adjustment of the regulator.

A tweak here, a tweak there - eventually I dialed it in to just a smidgeon fast per day.

Voila!  The watch now runs great and it looks great too - especially with a round marker at the 6 position.  This watch is ready for another 80+ years of service - as long as it gets overhauled again in a few years.

1938 Linwood

Thin was in, in the 1930s as was long and lean - and that required a watch case that would curve to accommodate a curved wrist.

As a result, in the late 1930s Hamilton introduced several "curved to fit the wrist" models.  One of the most dramatic was the Linwood.  Introduced in 1938, the Linwood was produced for four years.

There are a lot of interesting trivia points about the Linwood.  One is that it has a spherical dial - which means that it curves in every direction, top to bottom, side to side, corner to corner.  As a result, it's actually thicker in the center than it is at the sides.

In addition, the Linwood is cased in 14K gold filled and spans the years before and after 1940.  That is when the 982M movement was introduced.  So in 1938 and 1939, the Linwood was powered by the 17 jewel 980 movement.  In 1940 and 1941 the Linwood received the 19 jewel 982 movement - as the 982M was devoted to the solid gold models.

Another interesting factoid is the Linwood is the only model to feature a solid gold star marker on the dial.

My project watch arrived after being stashed away and lost for almost four decades.  The owner sent it to me for repair after they located it.  It was his grandfather's and for many years it was presumed to be lost.

As received, it is missing it's crown and the stem appears to be snapped off.  The crystal is a little scratched but not too terrible.  The dial is an old refinish and it's close but not a perfect match to the original pattern.  The gold star is also missing, and has been replaced by the a gold dot instead.

The movement inside is a 980 caliber but the serial number dates to the early 1940s - so I suspect it's a replacement.  Perhaps the original movement suffered a fatality.  There's no crown to wind it but I was able to wind it using the arbor screw and it's not running.  Hopefully it just needs a good cleaning.

The hands are a mismatched pair of different styles... the minute hand is an alpha or pointex style and the hour hand is moderne.  I could replace them but the hands are part of the heirloom and only a purist would really care that they aren't original.

I removed the broken part of the stem.  Looking inside the barrel, the old blue mainspring will likely need to be replaced.

Sure enough, the mainspring is set into a tight coil and has lost most of it's potential energy.

Everything is cleaned and dried.  Time to reassemble it but with a new stem and replacement crown.

Success... it's running with a nice motion.

A slight adjustment will slow it down but the new white alloy mainspring is powering the watch with a great amplitude.  Unfortunately, when I move the movement around to different positions, it stops.  It stops only in one position - and it's an unusual angle, like if you had your hand on the steering wheel at 10:00.  After looking very closely at all the parts, I couldn't find anything amiss.  I ended up replacing the balance with a donor from another movement and it runs fine in all positions now.  It happens.

I replaced the crystal with a blemish-free new glass crystal and the finished project looks and runs fantastic.  In this photo you can see the dot marker at the 6 position.  Originally this would have been a gold star, but at least it has a marker - often there is just an empty hole.

1939 Foster

Watches "curved to fit the wrist" were in style in the late 1930's,  Sometimes the cases curved dramatically while other models had flexible lugs so the watch could be worn on the side of the wrist.s The latter are often called driver's watches.

Movements started to get smaller too and by the 1940's there were many men's models that were tiny, especially when compared to today's standards.  Ladies watches got smaller too - so small that it's often hard to tell the time, but all the diamonds that adorned them made up for that.

One of the innovative models that Hamilton introduced in 1939 was the Foster.  It was only produced for two years and although it's not unheard of, it is not an easy model to find.  It's cased in 14K gold and was priced at $80... that was the equivalent of $1,450 in today's dollars, when adjusted for inflation.  It was not an inexpensive watch.

If the Foster looks familiar, it might be because it looks a lot like the Linwood.  The Linwood was introduced the year prior, 1938, and came in a 14K gold filled case.  It's a much more common model and easier to find.  The case has a very similar design with ridges along the sides.  Both models feature "spherical" dials where the dial is curved from top to bottom as well as from side to side.  The easiest way to tell a Foster case from a Linwood is the lugs on the Foster flare outward a little while the Linwood sides are a consistent curve.

The Linwood is an interesting model in that it had either a 17 jewel movement or a 19 jewel movement, depending on the year.  The Foster is also interesting in that it has either a 19 jewel 982 movement or a 19 jewel 982M movement, depending on the year.

Originally the 17 jewel 980 movement was used in gold filled models and the 19 jewel 982 was used in solid gold models.  In 1940 the 19 jewel 982M medallion movement was introduced for solid gold (and platinum) models.  Then the 982 was used in 14K gold filled cases and the 980 went into 10K gold filled (or stainless) cases.  That's an interesting bit of trivia.

My Foster project watch is already in pretty good shape but could still use a little TLC.  The lug width is 9/16" or 14mm so getting a strap for it can be a challenge.  This watch has a long bracelet that's not original but seems to look okay.  I don't like the spring loaded ends of the bracelet though, they will eventually wear grooves into the inside of the lugs.

The back of this watch is unremarkable and doesn't show too much wear..

One way to tell a Linwood dial from a Foster dial is the marker at the 6 position.  The Linwood should have a star and the Foster has a gold dot.  Of course, that assumes the marker isn't missing or hasn't been replaced.  The Linwood also has a barrel-shaped outline surrounding the seconds register while the Foster has just a circle.

I can tell this dial has been refinished in the past. It looks fine but the notch on the side by the crown is an obvious tell that it was previously redone.

The movement is a 982 and the serial number dates to 1938.  That indicates this is an early Foster.  Hamilton watches were introduced in the Fall of the previous year, sort of like cars, so you could buy a 1939 model in October of 1938, for example.

Wow! There are a LOT of watchmaker's marks inside this case back.  I didn't count them but there's hardly enough room to add another one.  I find watches like this to be interesting... this watch has been well maintained but you never know what prior people have done to the movement along the way.

The glass crystal has a couple of cracks in the corner and the inside of the lip on the crown side appears to be bent inward.  I might be able to straighten that out later.

One of the dial feet screws is missing.

The mainspring inside the barrel is a white alloy design but the end of it looks a little unusual - like it's set up for a T end or a Swiss-style tang end.  I suspect it's not a Hamilton spring but more of a generic spring.  As long as it's the appropriate strength it should be fine and not need to be replaced.

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

The reassembled movement is ticking away with good motion.

Looking good... just a minor tweak to the regulator to speed the watch up a little will be needed.  The amplitude of 250 and the low beat error are perfect.  So the mainspring is good to go.

The finished watch looks great.  I need to replace the crystal though, I find the cracks in the corners to be a minor distraction.  It will look as good as it runs once it has a new crystal.

1938 Linwood

I think the "cat daddy" of the Hamilton curvex line up is the 1938 Linwood.  I don't know the production stats but I believe it is also the rarest model in the line up as well.

The Linwood has a steep curve to it and it's a fairly long watch at 43mm lug tip to tip... even longer if you take the curve into account.  It's surprisingly comfortable on the wrist though.  You would almost expect it to dig into your skin - it's that curved.

One of the very interesting facets to the Linwood is the "spherical dial".  The dial curves in both directions as if cut away from a sphere.  The dial is sort of an elongated barrel shape and the seconds register is also barrel shaped.  The Linwood dial has a gold star at the number 6 position and you will often (seems more times than not) see that the star is missing on Linwoods and either have nothing at all at 6 or maybe another marker like a round dot.

Produced for four years, you'll find the Linwood with two different movements.  Early models will have the 17 jewel 14/0 sized 980 movement under the hood as the 982's were used only in the solid gold models.  In 1940 Hamilton introduced the 982M (medallion) movement and the higher end gold fill watches like the Linwood got the 982.

The 14K gold fill case came only in yellow.  The stepped sides add a dramatic flair to the case and it's a real eye-catcher.  The case can often be found with a lot of wear to the lug tips where the case comes together in four sharp points.  Gold loss to the front bezel near the crystal corners is also fairly common.  Usually it's the back that takes the beating though.

The Linwood is an excellent Hamilton watch and certainly one of the crown jewels of any collection lucky enough to have one.

Note this example below has a refinished dial with a gold dot on the dial at the 6:00 position

Here's another one I recently completed as a project watch.  It has a very nice original dial.

Wishing You and Yours a Most Merry Christmas ...

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men...  Luke 2:14

For 2000 years Christians have marked the anniversary of Christ's birth with celebration.  In modern times the celebration has included the giving of special gifts to loved ones.

Receiving a Hamilton watch - especially during the Great Depression - was definitely something special and you can gage how much they were cherished by how worn-through the cases became.

To me, there's nothing more special on a Hamilton watch than a sentimental engraving marking it as a Christmas gift.  Here's some examples from my personal collection...

This is a family piece given to a great aunt, I suspect by her husband.

Here's a 1931 Raleigh Plain

A 1932 Webster with enamel dial.

A 1933 Grant

A 1939 Wilshire

A 1939 Linwood

And a 1942 Ashley...

I find it fascinating to see how Hamilton marketed watches throughout it's history.  You can readily find  Hamilton advertisements in Life Magazine.  They really pulled out the stops during the holiday season as well as in Spring for high school and college graduations.

Check out these examples - starting with December 1936 and ending with December 1966.