1960 Thinline 5000

There are 86 different Thinline models, if you include the two original Thincraft models introduced in 1957.  That means you could assemble a pretty sizable Hamilton collection by just focusing on the manual wind Thinline models.   If you wanted to add the Thin-o-matic automatic models, you could double your collection!

I think the Thinline models are very interesting, they really do live up to their name and are skinny on your wrist.  I also like them because the wheels in the movement have such short axles that the movement almost reassembles itself.

One of the early Thinline models was the 1960 Thinline 5000.  It was only produced for two years.  It was available with a white dial or a black dial.   I covered the white dialed version 10 years ago.

Like other model lines, the numbers on the Thinline models are driven by the case material.  The 5 in 5000 implies the case is stainless steel.  A 2 would imply 14K solid gold, 3 is 10K solid gold, 4 is gold filled and a 6 would be a rolled gold plated case.

The movements in the Thinline models varied and eventually were produced by Buren, which Hamilton came to own in the 1960s.  Early models used other Swiss makers, like Aurore-Villeret (AV).

My project watch is the black dialed version.  I find that time is very non-forgiving on black dialed watches and eventually the dial can fade to a variant of gray.  You can see my project watch is a good example.

The two-piece stem on this example doesn't want to hold and the crown just comes off if you try to set the time.  That could imply the female side is rusty - which is a common occurence.

The case back is pretty scratched up and I suspect it's from someone trying to open the case with a case knife.  This is a one-piece design though and opens through the crystal.  They didn't get too far and only resulted in scratching the back.

In order to open the watch you have to remove the crystal.  Since the crown is removed, the dial and movement will lift right out now.  This is a good opportunity to see the unique textured dial.  There is no way that this dial could be refinished properly, in my opinion.  So I'll leave it as is.  Trying to clean a black dial is a recipe for disaster.

Tucked inside the case is a Hamilton 676 movement.  This movement was made by Aurore-Villeret (AV), as you'll see once I get it disassembled.  The HYL on the balance cock is the import code for Hamilton Watch Company.  All imported Swiss ebauches used by Hamilton will have HYL on the balance cock.

I've got a new female stem below the existing stem.  They look pretty similar to my eye but it doesn't take much to lose the grip between the male and female sides of the stem.  It's possible it's the male hub that is the issue - I'll have to test it to see for myself.

The new stem goes into the movement and movement goes into the case.  Without the dial installed, I can see how the connection looks.  I can pull the crown and set the time so I think the new stem will do the trick.

All the parts are cleaned and dried.  Now it's ready to be reassembled with fresh lubricants.

Looking closely at the maker's mark on the main plate, the AV in the shield indicates Aurore-Villeret (AV) and the 4201 is the caliber number.  So if I needed to order a part, I could use that information to specify what I needed.

The most difficult part of reassembling this movement is to get the balance jewels back into position.  They are really small, compared to other movements and extremely easy to lose if they flick off into the ether like a tiny tiddlywink.

The reassembled movement goes onto the timer to listen to the ticking...  it looks great, albeit a smidgen fast, but that's an easy adjustment.

A tweak this way, a tweak that way, this way again, oops too much... eventually I get it to the correct position.

A new crystal completes the restoration of this really cool black Thinline.  Black dialed watches are always striking and with fresh lume on the dial and hands, it will be easy to read the time, even in the dark.

1956 Cross Country

One of the interesting niche areas of vintage Hamilton watches are the various time zone models from the 1950s.  One set of models featured an image of North America and England with an hour hand that you could move to the time zone you were interested in... say Greenwich, or East Coast.  These models are in the Transcontinental family, of which there are two members, the A and the B.  They featured an automatic movement and could be considered part of the Automatic K-series, if it wasn't for the funky dial.

The other version is the Cross Country.  Technically the only cataloged model is the Cross Country II, produced in 1956 and 1957.  Although logic would dictate that there must be a Cross Country I, or just Cross Country.

The Cross Country II features an 18 jewel movement so that pretty much narrows down the options to the 8/0 sized 735 movement which was produced at that time.  The case is 10K yellow gold filled with a stainless steel back.  The dial consists of two parts, a silver butler finished outer ring that is attached to the movement and a rotating black disc with colored indices for five time zones... four in the US and one for Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

The Cross Country is identical in all aspects except for the movement inside.  

My project watch is still a mystery to me, as I don't know what's inside yet.  It's a little dirty but I can see the colorful dial with PMC and G showing for Pacific, Mountain, Central and Greenwich.  I presume there's an E under the hour hand but the hand is blocking my view. 

The case back has a very interesting presentation... Bon Voyage Scotty... I bet there's a good story behind that sentiment.  It took some close observation but I finally found a lip by the Hamilton (near Bon) to use my case knife to pry the back away from the bezel.

The owner warned me that it wasn't running well so I figured I'd wind it and see what the time has to say.  Normally I don't bother with this step but curiosity got the best of me.  Based on the pattern, something is making some extra noise inside.  Hopefully a good cleaning is all it needs.

The movement, etc., is retained in the case back once the bezel is lifted away.

I had a very difficult time lifting the movement out of the case back.  Eventually I removed the second hand and minute hand and then removed the central hour wheel and hour hand.  Now I can see the movement inside is an ETA movement, not the US made 735.  So this is clearly a Cross Country and not the Cross Country II.

I carefully pried the dial and movement up out of the hole it was in to reveal a somewhat corroded case back.  It's not bad but the movement was really stuck in there until I broke it loose.  The inside of the case back identifies the model name - so there's no mystery to solve here.

The movement inside is an Illinois Watch Company branded movement.  It doesn't have a Illinois model number, it's simply an ETA caliber, 1180, I believe.  The TXD on the balance cock is the import code for Illinois.

Hamilton purchased Illinois Watch Company in 1928 and the Great Depression facilitated the demise of the brand as Hamilton absorbed what it could.  It still owned the rights though and in the early 1950s Hamilton reintroduced the brand name as a way to test if the market would accept watches that used Swiss-made movements.  The Illinois models gave way to Hamilton Illinois, and quickly just Hamilton after that.  By 1955 the Illinois brand was dropped but Hamilton still had to use up their Illinois inventory. 

The result was a lot of models that had a B after them... Cabot and Cabot B, Jason and Jason B, et al, where the first model had an Illinois movement and the latter had a Hamilton movement.  They looked the same but the internal case setup might accommodate a different movement. 

So why was the Cross Country not also a Cross Country B?  I don't know for sure, but I suspect it has to do with the very different movement the Cross Country II received, being 18 jewels and all.

Anyway, all the parts get ultrasonically cleaned and dried before reassembly.

Piece by piece and part by part, it all goes back together.  Once the balance jewels are back in place the movement comes back to life with a good motion.  Let's see what the timer says now that the movement has been cleaned.

That's MUCH better.  I'll leave it as is for now.  It will probably settle down after a while.

Now to get the dial and hands back on... first the outer ring, then the hour wheel with the hour hand at 12:00.

The finished project turned out great.  It's enjoying a prickly spot in the sunshine but is definitely ready for some more wrist time.  I wonder what Scotty would say?

1964 Fairlane

Hamilton had a very active awards program where they would make models available to companies and organizations to serve as awards or to recognize achievement.  Sometimes the models were based on discontinued models that were slightly modified to look different enough from what you mind find in your local jewelers.  Other times it could be something even more special.

You can usually spot an awards division model when it says "Masterpiece" on the dial.  Other times you can spot it just by the manner and font of the engraving on the case back.

Award watches don't have universal appeal.  Some collectors prefer only cataloged models.  Others don't like the back to have any engraving whatsoever.  Other collectors might find the presentation to be very desirable - like if it's related to a sporting event, school, or a specific company.  One this is for certain, there is something for everyone in the world of vintage watches.

One model that I find interesting is the 1964 Fairlane.  It was produced specifically for the Ford Motor Company to recognize employees with 35 years of service.  That's a long stretch by any standard and definitely worthy of recognition.  The back was nicely engraved with the recipient's name and the signature of Henry Ford II, the CEO at the time.

The model was not catalogued but the model name is known to exist thanks to the Hamilton card originally provided with the watch.

The Fairlane was the name of a series of models Ford produced from 1955 through 1970.  The series got it's name from the Dearborn, Michigan estate of Henry Ford.

The Fairlane looks like it was based on the Stormking series, perhaps the Stormking VIII from 1961/62.  It's presented in a solid 10K yellow gold case and features the 18J 735 movement.

The last time I saw a Fairlane was 10 years ago so I thought I'd feature the model again.  My project watch has seen a well-loved life.  It has had a lot of wear and the dial has been refinished at some point.

The case back has the typical engraving but it's beginning to get worn away so I won't do any polishing so I can preserve what information remains.

The dial has obviously been refinished.  There are several clues.  First, the original finish would have been what I call a "radial finish" where the finish is brushed from the center outward.  The Hamilton logo and printing is a bit heavy.  Lastly the numbers and figures are a little soft.  This dial was embossed and when the original finish was removed, the abrasive process softens all the hard edges.

The watch had a slightly too small crystal installed.  I could spin it with my fingers.  It's supposed to be compressed in place.  Now that the crystal is off, I can separate the stem and pull the movement out of the case.

I use a little lever to carefully pry the crown away from the two-piece stem.  Now I can lift the movement out.

Without the movement, etc. inside, I'll way the case to see how much gold is present.  Looks like 8 grams, which at $55 per gram for 10K is about $440.  This watch is worth well more than that, in my opinion, which makes scrapping watch cases an unfortunate occurence.

The movement is held in the case thanks to a large spacer ring.

The back of the dial has numbers scratched into it, another clue the dial has been refinished.

Everything is cleaned and readied to be reassembled.

The reassembled movement goes onto the timer and things are looking pretty good.  The amplitude is a little low but I haven't fully wound it yet.

A new crystal and a nice strap complete the restoration of this unique watch.  I'm sure any Ford enthusiast would be happy to have it.