1956 Automatic K-455 - or is it?

It's not unheard of to come across a vintage Hamilton that is hard to identify.  It's gotten a lot easier thanks to the HamiltonFieldGuide but sometimes weird things happen.

For example, it wasn't unusual for the Hamilton factory to be stretched in busy times of the year like graduation and Christmas seasons.  It's well documented by former employees that you sometimes had to use what was available when it came to parts like hands, etc.

Of course, a lot can happen to a watch over 70+ years.  Hamilton watches were expensive and if something damaged the case, for example, a frugal owner could simply recase the dial and movement into an aftermarket case.

Fast forward to the 21st century and today's collectors inherit the sins of the past.  Stuff happens.

I recently had the opportunity to help someone with their father's 1956 Automatic K-455.  This model was made for three years.

In 1956 the K-455 was offered in a 10K gold filled case with a stainless steel back.  The dial featured solid 18K numerals and luminous dots, along with a pearled track.  The case is sometimes referred to as a "flying saucer" design, which was a common aesthetic in the 1950s.   It was available on a strap or a bracelet with model numbers for each.

If the case looks familiar, it could be because it was shared with the Transcontinental A that was offered at the same time.  The Transcontinental A featured a rotating dial that moved with the hour hand so you could see the time in whatever timezone was of interest to you.

In 1957 and 1958 a second all-numeral dial option was offered so there were four different model numbers, depending on dial and strap/bracelet configuration.

My project watch is a little different.  Can you spot what's going on?

You guessed it - this is not a dial that was offered with the K-455, or was it?

Turns out, this dial wasn't even offered until 1958.  It was used on two different models... the Automatic K-412 as well as the Automatic K-302.  So what's the story?  Did it leave the factory with this dial or was it added at some time later?

It's not unusual for the luminous material on hands from this time to take a toll on the dial.  The radium in the luminous paint when held so closely to the finish of the dial, for years and even decades, can eventually burn the finish and leave an ugly shadow.  It would be a pretty easy change to just swap the damaged dial with something that looked better.  The same would be true if something else happened to the original dial... water damage, etc.

It's interesting that this watch has been in the same family for 70 years and there's no memory of a change being made.

Anyway - who knows the story?  Does it really matter?

The back of the case is stainless steel and unscrews off if you have a case wrench.

The inside of the case back is stamped "Time Zone A" - I guess that took up less space than Transcontinental A.  There is no model called the Time Zone but it's not unusual to see a K455 with this stamped inside - it was the same case, after all.  I can see several different watchmaker's marks inside so I'm not the first person to open this case in 70 years.

Like most K-series automatics, there's a17 jewel 661 movement inside.  I like this movement - it's big and chunky and built like a tank, in as far as a watch can be tank-like.

Everything is taken completely apart and cleaned in my ultrasonic for almost 30 minutes.  There's a cleaning cycle followed by two different rinses.  Then it's all dried and ready to be put back together.

The reassembled movement is bright and shiny.  It's ticking away with a nice motion but only the timer can say for sure how it's doing.

It doesn't get much better than this.  I hope I'm running this well when I'm 70 years old.

The dial and hands go back on and it all goes back into the case.  The large weight swings around smoothly and winds the watch while you wear it.  However, you can wind it manually with the crown too and the original instructions were to wind it manually before you put it on and the automatic bits keep it topped off from there.

A new crystal and a gentle case polish complete the restoration.  This watch reminds me of an old Corvette I once saw for sale.  It looked great and the sign said "Numbers don't match and Owner don't care".  Does it really matter that this dial and case may be an after-factory marriage?  Maybe if you were running a museum, but it was your old man's then not at all.  It's just part of it's life story.

1980's LL Bean 9931 Field Watch

I remember back in the 1980s, in the stone ages before the internet, shopping online meant shopping via catalogs.  You would peruse a booklet of items and then had call to place an order, or mail an order form.  How barbaric!

LL Bean was, and still is, one of the prominent sellers that marketed it's products in that channel.  The only thing that's different today is you can order or view products online as well.  However, the mailman still brings catalogs to help customers select comfy and cozy items for you and your loved ones.

I also remember seeing LL Bean's field watches listed in the catalogs, but to be honest, they were too rich for likes of a poor college student like me.  I had no idea what the Hamilton Watch Co was at the time but it was important enough that it was listed in the LL Bean advertisements of the time.

The watches offered evolved over time.  Initially they were largely based on the military models like the GG-W-113.  Eventually automatics, calendar complications and dive-like cases were introduced.

The topic of LL Bean field watches brings up another interesting topic that I don't talk much about - quartz movements.  

A watch, or clock, has to have several attributes in order to work.  First, it needs a power source... typically a spring but in situations like grandfather clocks, it could be the potential energy of a hanging weight on a chain.  Next, it needs a mechanism, or series of gears to transfer the power.  Third, it needs a way to display the passage of time in a meaningful manner.  Finally, it needs a way to accurately and consistently meter the flow of power.   Even a sand filled hour glass has these four elements... the power source is the effect of gravity on the elevated sand.  The shape of the glass dispenses the sand to the empty lower chamber.  The lower chamber could have lines to display how much sand has passed through.  Lastly, the size of the opening between the chambers, relative to the size of the sand, meters the rate the sand passes through... voila - a clock.

Mechanical watches use a spring as the power source.  The various wheels (gears) transmit the power.  The dial and hands show elapsed time.  Lastly, the escapement and balance meters the flow of power.  As the watch unwinds the force of the spring can change but the design of the balance accommodates the change in power.

A battery is the source of power in a quartz watch.  The battery provides an electric current to a tuning-fork-shaped quartz crystal that causes it to vibrate at a very high frequency.  The vibrations are converted into a single electrical pulse every second, and a series of gears moves the watch hands.  You can spot a quartz watch by how the second hand moves... it clicks second to second.  It's very different from a mechanical movement where the second hands indexes several small increments from second to second.

When it comes to accuracy and precision, nothing beats a quartz watch.  The quartz crystal vibrates over 30,000 times per second, while the typical mechanical watch ticks between 5 and 10 times per second.

So why aren't quartz watches more popular?

I think the biggest reason is quartz watches weren't a thing until the 1970s and most Hamilton collectors prefer older watches prior to 1969.

Another reason is quartz movements can be very inexpensive and are often meant to be disposable.  The level of craftsmanship required is unimpressive.  The complexity and precision of a mechanical watch receives more respect.

Other factors could include the second hand indexing once a second is visually less appealing than the smooth micro-movements of a mechanical watch.  Similarly, with a quartz watch you don't hear the pleasing tick, tick, tick of a mechanical watch.  Instead all you hear, if anything, is a click once per second.

Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and not all collectors turn up their noses at quartz watches.

I've restored lots of LL Bean field watches, especially the military looking versions.  I recently was asked if I could do another and when it arrived I realized it was a quartz version.  This is the watch offered in the catalog snip above (third from the left).  It has a mineral glass crystal that looks frosted over.  It's not working though, maybe it just needs a battery?

The case is marked 9931 and unscrews with a typical case opener.

To be completely honest, I don't work on quartz movements.  Sometimes they are serviceable but it's not a genre of watchmaking that interests me.  Looking closely at the circuitry, I see a lot of corrosion.

I contacted the owner and told them, "I'm sorry, I don't work on quartz movements" and that I'd send him back the watch.  

One of my personality traits is "I ain't no quitter" and I felt bad that I couldn't do something.  So I investigated just replacing the movement.  The caliber is stamped next to the battery, it's an ESA 955.114.

Turns out, I was able to find a new old stock movement online.  So I rolled the dice the decided to see if I could resurrect this watch after all.

The first step is to remove the crown and stem.  The movement has a little arrow that points to the set lever release.  My tweezers are pointing to it and I'll depress the button and pull the crown out.

With the movement and dial removed from the case, the next step is pull the dial.  There are two J-shaped clamps that secure the dial feet.  I just rotate the two opposing clamps and lift the dial off. 

In this shot you can see the two clamps rotated out.  Notice all the corrosion under where the battery was.  I doubt this movement is serviceable but the cost of servicing it is higher than the cost of replacing it - assuming you can find another movement.

This is not the first quartz movement I've replaced.  I don't do it often but I have learned a thing or two.  For example, the came caliber could have a different day wheel.  It could have or not have a second hand.  So you have to be careful selecting a replacement movement to make sure everything matches.

A new battery is definitely called for.  The SR920 in the old movement is replaceable with a 371/370 battery.

Now I can install the dial and advance the time until the date changes - now it's midnight and I can install the hands.

The new battery is installed so hopefully I'll see the second hand move.

Success - the watch is ticking once per second.  Now I can put it back in the case.

Everything is back in the case and the previous stem and crown in installed.

I replaced the mineral crystal with a new acrylic crystal and the completed watch looks like it's brand new.  A purist might prefer a glass crystal but this isn't a museum piece and another crystal could always be installed later.  Now it's at least functional and I was able to bring it back to life.

What do you think?

1958 Prentice

I've documented over 80% of the men's mechanical models that Hamilton produced.  I'll probably never get to 100% because some of them are super rare and / or super expensive.  That's understandable, all forms of collecting have their "white whales". 

However, there are still quite a few more garden variety models to be found.  One to check of the list is the 1958 Prentice.  It was produced for four years.  In 1958 and 1959 it was offered in a 10K yellow GRP case with a stainless back.  The dial featured embossed numerals and markers.

In 1960 and 1961, the dial was changed to feature solid 14K gold numerals and dots but at the same price point.  This is a fun and interesting aspect to identifying models - sometimes the dial changes depending on the year.

Tucked within the case you will find an 8/0 size 730 movement, regardless of the model year.

My project watch is a 1960 or 1961version based on the dial.  It's a little beat up and dirty but I think it will cleanup well.

The flat stainless steel back is unremarkable other than it doesn't show the typical wear through that a RGP or gold filled case back would have.  Sometimes case backs can be worn all the way through to a hole - but not stainless steel.

The glass crystal is very scratched and hard to see through.  A replacement will make a huge improvement.

The dial has a dusty looking patina but I don't think it's actually dust.  Cleaning dials is something I try not to do because you stand a good chance of making it worse.  For example, I don't want to lose the printing of Hamilton or the seconds cross hair.  Instead, I'll use rodico putty to gently dab the dial and brighten up the numerals and dots.

I like the 730 movement.  It's not bullet proof but it's about as robust as you'll find.  It's essentially a 747 movement but with shock jewels to protect the balance.  It a great movement to learn on.... you can goof it up but it almost reassembles itself if you're careful with it.  It's definitely easier than it's 735 sibling with a sweep second hand.

Everything is cleaned and dried.  Time for reassembly.

The movement is noticeably shinier now that it's had a bath and it's ticking away with a nice motion.

It's running a little fast but the beat error is great.  The amplitude is a little low but it's not fully wound yet.

A quick tweak to the regulator brings the beat rate in line.  It doesn't take much to adjust the timing of a watch... good or bad.

A new glass crystal is definitely in order.  This crystal is 23.5mm by 23.5mm but the shape of the contoured edges is important to match up with the bezel opening.

The finished watch looks great and paired with a nice brown leather strap, this watch is ready for some wrist time again.  The dial still shows it's patina but when you get to be 65 years old you tend to have a few extra spots too.