1970 Pan Europ I

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but imitation is also just a form of fashion and style of the day.  So it's interesting to see how Hamilton's watch designs evolved over the years and one could debate "who did it first" and who were fast followers.

For example, Hamilton had a line of rose gold models in the early 1940s, but so did other brands at the same time.  Everyone seemed to drop the trend after WWII so if you see a rose gold watch, regardless of brand, it's probably from the late 1930s or early 40s.

Today, Hamilton is owned by the same company that owns Omega, along with several other highly regarded watch brands... the Swatch Group.  I find that interesting because back in the 1980s Swatch watches were very popular but they were also pretty disposable quartz watches.  It's almost as if Yugo owned General Motors today... that would be crazy!  I think the story is a lot more complicated than just that.  The Swatch Group is more like a conglomerate of brands, acquired over the last 50 years, perhaps with a somewhat humble origin, but certainly now part of a premier family.

Hamilton and Omegas connection goes back quite a ways, certainly to the early 1970s.  In 1971, after production in Lancaster was shut down, the Hamilton brand was purchased by SSIH (Société Suisse pour l'Industrie Horlogère), a Swiss holding company that was originally formed by a merger between Omega and Tissot in 1930.  In 1984, SSIH merged with ASUAG (another major Swiss watch industry group) to form what is known today as The Swatch Group. 

I find it interesting that some Hamilton models remind me of Omega models from the same timeframe.   Is it just a result of the fashion of the times or was there more to it?

A good example is the 1970 Pan Europ I.  It was produced through 1974.  There was also a Pan Europ II, which was similar but cased in yellow gold electroplate.

Originally priced at $100 on a leather strap, in later years the price increased and the opportunity for a bracelet was added.   Its the equivalent of about $850 in today's dollars.

There are several models with Pan Europ on the dial, but only a Pan Europ I and II share the name.  Some Pan Europ models were introduced in the 1960s, so I suspect the line was partly intended for international markets.

My project watch is in decent condition and looks good good overall.  Stainless cases can take a beating, which is a nice feature.

The case back is where I see a similarity to Omega.  Other Pan Europ models have a similar pegasus rendition on the back cover and it always reminds me of the Seamaster logo you'll see on the back of Omegas from the same period.  Coincidence?

Behind the dial you will find the 21 jewel 64A movement.  This ETA based caliber is essentially the same as what was used in the Accumatic Dateline A-series of movements but with four additional jewels in the reversing wheels of the automatic framework.

A couple of screws secure the movement to the inside of the case and then I can remove the dial and hands.  The dial is a complicated design and the chapter ring is integral to the dial.

The crystal is a bit crazed so I will replace it while the movement gets cleaned in the ultrasonic.

The most challenging part of this movement is removing and reinstalling the index lever and spring for the date wheel.  The little U-shaped spring loves to disappear into the ether and if it doesn't disappear, sometimes it sends the lever off instead.  In fact, the lever is missing from my photo and I found it on the back of the date wheel.

Everything gets cleaned and dried before reassembly.

Reassembling the basic movement is very straightforward.  This similar design is still used in modern Hamiltons today, albeit with some improvements here and there.  The balance is reinstalled and comes right back to life - time to see what the timer thinks.

Well, that's not bad at all.  However, I can easily fine tune it from here.

First I'll reduce the beat error - see how the two lines approach each other.

Then I will carefully tweak the regulator to slow the beat rate down to a pure 18,000 beats per hour.

After about 10 minutes for looking for that stupid index lever again, I got the dial back in place and advanced the time until the date wheel indexed.  Then I know it's midnight and can reinstall the hands.

A new crystal completes the restoration of the 50+ year old watch.  It now looks great again and is ready for more wrist time.

1948 Barton

 If I were just starting to get into Hamilton watches, my advice to myself would be, "just focus on solid gold models".  Of course, with gold still over and $4,100 per ounce, that would make solid gold purchases a little on the less common side, at least it's not over $5,000 like earlier this year.  People must be buying diesel, instead.

So why would my advice be that, you say?  It's mainly because the cost to maintain a solid gold watch is the same as the cost to maintain the least expensive RGP or stainless model.  However, the maintenance cost to total value is a lot more favorable.  

If you had a collection of 10 solid gold models, worth something like $10,000.  Assuming you needed to service 2 of them each year (so that all of them are serviced every 5 years), then you'd be looking at an annual service cost of around $400.

If you had a collection of less expensive models, say $400 a piece, that would be a collection of 25 watches.  To get all of them properly maintained every 5 years, you'd have to service 5 per year, costing about $1,000.  That's 2.5 times the maintenance cost on a similarly valued collection.

The other important aspect is solid gold models are really, really, nice.  They are arguably the best that Hamilton made from all of the well above average models they produced - the best of the best.

If you were prudent enough to follow my advice, your collection would most likely include a 1948 Barton.  The Barton is a classic tank-style watch and it was produced through 1952.  It looks very similar to other 1940s models, perhaps most closely to the 1941 Gordon - but the Gordon was cased in solid 18K gold.  You can't go wrong with either, so if possible, why not get one of each?

Being in a solid gold case and a tank-style, you'd be correct to assume that the Barton uses a 14/0 sized Hamilton movement, specifically the 982M.

My project watch is in classic, "as found in a drawer" condition.  It shows quite a bit of wear and is soft on the edges but the best thing about solid gold cases is they don't wear through to show brass.  If you did wear a hole in one, a talented goldsmith could fix it for you.

This example looks pretty good, albeit with a beat up crystal and an unfortunate scratch on the dial.  Still, I hope I look this good when I'm pushing 80 years old.

The crystal is a high walled cylinder style.  It's got quite a few edge chips so I'll replace it.

Perhaps the best part of this example is it's a ghost of Christmas past.  If I had to create a small Hamilton collection, I'd curate one with solid gold watches with Christmas presentations - it doesn't get better than that unless it said something like "To my darling.... " those are always special.

One thing I think is interesting about this design is it appears that the hidden lugs could be flexible.  They're not, but sometimes in watch designs they can be.  The lugs on the Barton are fixed in place.

The crown is a replacement and it's lost it's gold layer on the outer surface so it appears to be silver.  A detail like this is a bit of a distraction to my eye, so I'll install a proper Hamilton crown in it's place.

The inside of the case back is stamped Baron and is presented along with quite a few previous watchmaker's marks inside.  This watch was well cared for over the years.

If the engraving on the case back didn't give it away, this is a 1950 example and by the end of the 1940s the 982M design lost it's solid gold medallion in the train bridge and received an engraved M in a circle in it's place.  It's not as pretty as the earlier version of the 982M but it was still the best the Lancaster factory could produce.

Despite the myriad prior service marks, this mainspring barrel still has a blue steel mainspring inside.  It's likely set into a tight coil and lost most of it's potential energy.  I'll replace it with a fresh white alloy Dynavar spring.

I'll prep a new glass crystal for installation while all the parts are in the ultrasonic.

I'll also prep a new mainspring.

Everything is clean and dry - time for reassembly with fresh lubricants.

The movement is now back together and ticking away with a brisk motion.

Well, that's not too shabby... it's right on the money.

I've been working on building out a collection of Hamilton crowns... I'll post about that in the near future.  In the meantime, here's a sneak peak.  I'll pick a nice 14/0 crown from my stash.

The finished project now looks as good as it runs and it runs fantastic.  This watch is now ready for another 80 years of wrist time.

1938 Gilman

I recently did a post on a 1940s Martin that was outfitted with an early 1930s movement.  That's pretty unusual for sure.  However, taken in the context of the time period, is it really?  We're talking the end of the Great Depression and a world at war.  If you were lucky to have a fine watch, you probably didn't have two.  Getting it repaired to work properly was probably more important than having it entirely correct for a future collector.

My next project could probably tell a similar tale.  It's a Hamilton Gilman - a super nice solid gold model that was introduced in 1938 and made through 1946.

If it looks familiar, it could be due to the close resemblance to the 1938 Dickens produced at the same time.  However, the Gilman is a little larger and cased in solid gold, so it cost about double the price of a Dickens.  The Gilman was equivalent to almost $2,400 when adjusted for inflation.

The Gilman spans the year 1940 so you will likely see one of two movements inside, based on the year.  Prior to 1940 solid gold models received the 19 jewel 982 movement, while the gold filled models were outfitted with the 17 jewel 980.  In 1940 the premier 982M (as in medallion) movement was introduced and solid gold models received the 982M.  That enabled the 14K gold filled models to receive the 982 and 10K gold filled models were powered by the 980.  The 982M and 982 used all the same parts but the fit and finish of the 982M was produced to tighter tolerances.  Given the choice between a 982 and a 982M, I'd probably prefer the 982M because it's prettier to look at.  However, it really doesn't matter too much.

My project watch could tell a few stories, I suspect.  It's not running and it came presented on a solid gold mesh bracelet with an engraving on the clasp from 1948.  It would appear to have been awarded to a fireman.

The upper left of the bezel appears to have a prior repair from damage at some point.  I restored another Gilman in 2014 with a similar issue and the nice thing about solid gold models is they can be fixed by a talented jeweler.

The case back snaps on firmly and looks great.  It has a slight dent near the crown but otherwise is unremarkable.

Well this is interesting... the nicely damascened movement inside is a 980 caliber.  So this is an obvious replacement.  Looking at the serial number, it was produced in 1949.

Check out the back of the dial... I would wager that the original movement was a rusty mess.  It was probably easier to replace the movement than it was to repair what was damaged.

The front of the 980 movement is defect-free so the rust on the dial definitely didn't come from this movement.  What's different between the 980 and 982 (or 982M)?  Simple... two extra jewels that cover the escape wheel pivots.  All of the other parts are the same and interchangeable between the calibers.  So unless this watch was supposed to go into a museum, I wouldn't stress too much over it not having the correct grade movement inside.  It's just a part of this watch's story.  Maybe you could make up a heroic tale like the movement was damaged after rescuing six orphans from a fire in 1949.

The barrel already contains a white alloy Dynavar spring so that's a nice find.

All the parts are cleaned and readied to be reassembled.  The backside of the large ratchet wheel shows some prior rust but there's none on the barrel bridge.. kind of makes you wonder but there's no concern.  It's a good reminder to always keep vintage watches away from water and if you get them wet, you probably should get them serviced.

Assembling the 14/0 movements like the 980 can be a challenge for new watchmakers, especially getting the train bridge to seat properly.  Getting the three pivots lined up can be a challenge if you don't have a gentle touch and a lot of patience.  Once you get all the wheels aligned, they should spin freely and then you can install the pallet fork. 

At this point the movement is back in running order and has a good motion.  Lets see what the timer has to say.

The timer agrees that this watch is running great.  Reducing the beat error to zero would be a nice finishing touch but it's also a great way to screw up a nicely running movement.  The added juice just isn't worth the squeeze, in my experience.

A slight polish to the metal and the plastic crystal and this watch is looking as good as it runs.  Replacing the crystal with a proper glass crystal would be a nice improvement but plastic has it's place sometimes - at least scratches can be polished off plastic.

What's your opinion... should this watch have a 982M inside or is the 980 good to go?