Here is another one in that collection I have that is a Hamilton 992 21J with a case stamped Elgin R.R.

Sorry for the poor photos, any information on this one?

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Hi Tim,

Is that case Gold Filled or Base Metal, I have a couple which are heavy alloy, very nice cases and good wearing in the alloy type.

Cheers,
Bila

This one is gold filled Bila. Thanks!

I haven't been pulled deep enough in to the 992 circles to remember what the movement to case rules are for this model.

Is the Elgin RR case an accepted home for this movement?

Thanks,

Paul

Paul

Not a correct combination - case to movement

nor, hour and minute

Still trying to figure things out. So it is not the correct case, right? Are there other things not right too? Do you mean the hands? Thanks guys!

Tim,

There are many things you can do to get pretty close. (self help) if you will. And then from there, ask these guys for clarification or validation...

I generally start with an internal search here at the club site... just punch in Hamilton 992... this is a very popular watch... there will be technical discussions, assessment of auction postings. Tons of pictures of hands and cases, frequently breaking down what year groups the dials fall in to and style of hand changes...

Like the Waltham Crescent St. I was working on last week... did it need the dagger minute hand or the necktie looking baton hand... by looking at a ton of pictures and running serial numbers... I was able to figure the transition year on the hands with-in a year or two and determine that my watch was more correct with the sexier dagger hand.

My current project is a South Bend 299. I am on the hunt for a "script" dial for it. One that hasn't been through three wars... OK, one that has been through three wars... but don't look like it.

The next thing I do is an auction search... in the case of the 299, that search came up empty... but if I select "completed" auctions... it gives me a list of all 299's that have sold in recent months. In this case, my watch is there, a movement and another watch. I get to look at all three in great detail, compare hands, compare dials... is it single sunk? or should it be double sunk??? Script or Block letter...

The watch before that was an 1898 12s Elgin. As it turns out, Elgin changed dials every two to five years in the late 1800's to early 1900's... the dial on the watch checked out to be the correct dial, but it was saddly chipped... so, I ended up with a 1902 dial as a compromise until an 1898 dial comes available.

Basically, the way I was able to determine year groups of the various dial variations was by opening a ton of listings, looking at the dials, running the serial numbers on the movements to find the date... after looking at a few dozen... the patterns become pretty clear and can be narrowed down pretty tight.

I'm kind of all over the place, buying anything that strikes my fancy... other guys specialize in a narrowly focused area of interest and become very knowledgeable in that select arena.

I deliberately avoid most of the Hamilton RR's Balls, Sangamo's, Veritas... Those watches need to be too perfect to make the grade. Which means to me that they come at a premium and it is hard for me to find an upside on resale. I'm real interested in the Maximus series... but just have not been able to pull the trigger.

Just buying the correct dial and hands for the Crescent St 6p I just finished, on top of the purchase price for the movement and re-assigning a very nice RR case from a pedestrian movement... I'm in it at too close to retail to really cash out. Fortunately, as a hobby, all I need it to do is be self supporting. You can visit my Crescent St. here: https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/f...313902187#2313902187

I am real lucky to live close enough to one of these guys to be able to visit and get some mentoring and hands on experience.

Thank you so much Paul. Yes, I will look into doing some better research. I appreciate your response

Paul - you and I have been on the same pathway to learning, it seems. And your writing was clear and easy to follow on that score, by the way.
We each have our own taste in timepieces, of course, but I agree with your approach. Also suggest some good books to drill down for info, such as the Illinois watch "bible," the Waltham serial# id book, and other watch company brand-name books by Roy Ehrhardt. Just ask Lorne, who picked up a bushel bag full of them. I'll bet he's getting more KNOW-ledgable by the day!

kh