Melamine or LaRose ???

August 11, 2009, 14:04

Phillip Sanchez

For some reason I have a terrible time identifying these dials.

These are two dials that I intend to sell either here or on Ebay.

Help me out here. We need to run a thread just on dials. Fake or real. Including those paste on paper dials that Roy came up with.

August 11, 2009, 14:16

Lindell V. Riddle

Hi Phil,

Those are both correct, original melamine dials.

The top one is a 121 and that is a Full Numerical 379 on the bottom.

Put them in separate IHC185 Auctions and I bet you will be pleased with the outcomes.

Lindell

August 11, 2009, 16:06

Mitch Markovitz

I think Mary Ann is looking for one of those for the movement she bought from me.

August 11, 2009, 18:32

Mary Ann Scott

Thanks, Mitch, for thinking of me. I have one coming from John Flahive. And I bought a set of hands from Larry Buchan that will be here soon.

I, too, like Phil, would like to see a thread showing pictures of the different type dials for 992B's, Bunn's, etc. that include the dial name and/or number and the years that it would have been appropriate. The pictures and data are already here but not in one place.

The same type thread with information about hands for these would be helpful, too.

I would be willing to help do this but will need the expertise of our members to be sure the info is correct.

August 11, 2009, 20:33

Wayne Hanley

Imagine that! The items that Mary Ann mentioned, would be a great time-saving authentication tool. This idea may motivate alot of sellers go sign up for integrity lessons. And yes, the data would take alot of time to authenticate and QA. But that would really be worth the time.

Thanks Mary Ann

Wayne

August 11, 2009, 23:30

Jerry King

I whole heartedly agree with Phil on this....and the thourghness that Mary Ann suggested....

Wayne is totally correct in his opinion that it would be a great authentication tool....

I'll bet there are a lot of folks out there waiting to join up with us if such a list were to majically appear one day....

Regards,
Jerry

August 12, 2009, 01:05

Mary Ann Scott

I know pictures and dates for 992B dials, for instance, are all here but are in many different posts. Pulling it together would be a great reference tool.

I envision something like this....

992B Type I (example)

Dial A picture
dial model/name....used 19xx-19xx....porcelain or melamine

Dial B picture
dial model/name....used 19xx-19xx....porcelain or melamine

Dial C picture
dial model/name....used 19xx-19xx....porcelain or melamine

Please feel free to throw out suggestions on layout and data included.

I realize there are a lot of gray areas and the lists would be for dials that you would expect to see on 992B models, Bunn's, etc. for a specific time frame and type.

Let's hear your thoughts and ideas!

August 12, 2009, 07:24

C. Keith Johnson

I don't see any feet on the top dial. Am I missing something? Did Hamilton have a special way of installing some of these Melamine dial

I apologize for asking dumb questions but factory dials without feet is something new to me.

August 12, 2009, 08:07

Phillip Sanchez

Hi Kieth, There are the usual 992b feet on this dial the picture takers fault not that of the dial. It is also double sunk, that too is very hard to see.

Thank you Lin, for answering my questions. Are all of these melamine dials painted black on the back?
Are the LaRose dials colored differently as in plain brass?

August 12, 2009, 15:40

Lindell V. Riddle

Phil,

Originally the melamine dials had a black matte, meaning dull finish on the back. When the folks at S. LaRose had replacement dials made in Switzerland they were on brass discs that will usually have some white over-spray on the back of them. Those points were helpful in identification.

Unfortunately there are tricksters now making inferior quality dials that have only one intention, that of deception, those cheaply made dials also employ a brass disc. In their highly misleading eBay auctions those fraudulent dial makers claim their dials are "melamine" which is entirely false. We can usually identify dials... until they are placed on a movement and then it usually becomes far more difficult. Dials are becoming nearly impossible to sort out because the level fraud is so deep and the practice becoming so rampant.

We have previously gotten into what Mary Ann suggested and she is entirely correct, the information is here on IHC185 but scattered. Recently in "Identify Your Hamilton 992 Series Factory Case!" Mitch Markovitz began an attempt at melding the comings and goings of dials along with cases. This is a complicated subject that is not easy to define with a high degree of precision, Mitch deserves a great deal of credit for trying.

In that topic I responded to a question about what years certain cases were used. The closest I could come was to try and identify the introduction years, it is important to realize they were offered for sale until phased out. Dials are slightly easier to quantify, but there is a great deal of over-lapping on the various dial designs.

Very interesting subject!

Lindell

August 12, 2009, 22:47

Mary Ann Scott

Thank you, Lindell, for reminding me of Mitch's list of dial specifics. He went to a lot of trouble to pull that information together and it something that has been needed.

I think it would be neat to somehow pull the dial info Mitch assembled with pictures of those dials into some sort of list. And if not too complicated, to incorporate your case info as well. I'm just having trouble trying to visualize how it might look.

If nothing else, have pictures of each of the dial styles in one thread with the dial name/model number.