As is known in many quarters, I am a confirmed and unrepentant "Watchaholic", known to espouse on most anything that sounds good and might even be true of the watches I love to restore and which set my dream world alive with thoughts of their trials, travels, victorys, and travails.

Well, after getting the wreckage of a interesting watch and struggling for three weeks in July 2010 to locate a Main Spring, 1 plate screw, 1 correct Balance Staff, 2 plate Jewels and one top Staff Pivot Jewel, I cleaned, Poised, Timed and re-assembled a watch first Ordered with a double signed dial and movement by Mr B Forscheimer & Co from Mr Deuber, a.k.a. Hampden Watch Co. . . . which I protected with one or Mr William D. White's fine Crystals.

When finished with restoral and after admiring the work and works of this fine Hampden Model 1 16s Lever setting movment, I put it in a favored spot on top of my dresser and started it up . . .

Mr. Forscheimer would be proud to know that it has been ticking away most happily in company with the highest grade examples of Hamilton, Waltham, Elgin, E Howard, and the like for nearly a year now.

The end of the story is only the beginning. It just dawned on me that I have only re-adjusted this watch once (when it ran down) since I started it in July 2010! There MUST BE a story behind this watch.

Beautiful watch.Must have been restored by a highly skilled craftsman.Regards.Norm

All I can say is WOW!!! Roger

That is one awesome watch. The two tone movement is nice. Strange for most people today to think that companies in the past would spend so much time to make what was hidden behind covers so beautiful. Thanks you so much for sharing it with us Dave

Really nice work on a nice old Hampden Dave!Those who snicker at Hampden watches should pay attention to this, you set the bar pretty high on the accuracy scale!Thank you for sharing it, Ted.

This watch deviates within +/- 1 to 1-1/2 minutes over weeks long periods and always "comes back in" after its forays into "other times".

Very nice job, David, but I have to say that given this watch has been on your dresser and that..

quote:

it has been ticking away most happily in company with the highest grade examples of Hamilton, Waltham, Elgin, E Howard, and the like for nearly a year now.

...you must have an awfully noisy dresser top!!

The dresser probably "blanks" some of it but I like the soft ticking. I regularly "cycle" the "Hard Core" collectibles a few at a time to keep their "juices cookin".