Hello all.
A customer recently came to me requesting a lower balance hole jewel for a Hamilton 940. All of the lower jewels I sell for 18s Hamiltons are the same size, but I his original lower balance hole jewel for the 940 has a slightly smaller shoulder than what I can supply. The bezels I sell were made with a shoulder diameter of 2.10mm and my customer says his 940 lower jewel has a shoulder of 2.02mm. Therefore the jewel I sold is too large.
Many moons ago, I purchased the jeweling business from Tom LaRose and used to supply S.LaRose (RIP) with their jewels as well as other suppliers. I have all of the original sizes of the jewels and was never told that they won’t fit an 18s Hamilton 940…

So, I guess my question is, is my customer correct with those measurements? If so, it looks like I may have to break down and buy a lathe. I will only be using it for turning down jewels and I’m not sure what I should expect to pay for one plus all of the tools needed.

Would you guys mind giving me a rough estimate of the price of a lathe and tools?