Hello everyone,

Let me say right off the bat that I just joined the group, payed my dues, and bought my book. So I have not had anytime to navigate this site so this information might be here. If it is I apologize please just point me in the right direction and I'll get out of your hair.

I have been collecting watches for a while now. I am retired now so I have time to see what I can do with them. I see now that I bought a lot of junk (in my opinion) but some of it might be worth quite a bit. If it is I don't know. I have decided on collecting two sizes in three brands. 16s and 18s Hamilton, Hampden and Illinois.

Hamilton is my favorite so I'll start out asking a question about it. Is there anyplace that I can find out which dials were put on which movements for which years. I would also like to find out the same information about the hands and the cases. Now I know this is a very big order so that is why I hope there is some reference material I can go to.

Thank you all in advance,
Harry (hyaduckh)

Harry, welcome to our group. You have made some good choices of collection and with that said, we have a few copies of Michael Harrold's "American Watchmaking, A technical History of the American Watch Industry". I recommend you get one and read it.(Pictured below at the right side)

This reference book gives you not only the history of American Watchmakers but the family tree right to the "roots". After you have read that you will find that your choice of Hamiton, Hampden and Illinois had already expanded to about 10 - 12 other watchmakers to whom these three Wathchmakers owe their very existence.

As for your questions about Hamilton Dials, Hands and so forth, all you need to do is go to the main page and scroll down to the technical research forums and you will find a wealth of technical history data for all three watch Makers you are interested in collecting.

Thank you very much David,

I tried to go to the store to by the book you suggest but it will not let me. I am a paying member but I guess my membership has not gone through. I will try tomorrow. I also saw the tech section you mentioned. I will try it tomorrow also. Seems most of the places I try to go are restricted to paying members. I will have to wait until my membership goes through.

Thank you again for pointing me in the right direction.

Harry

Harry, We are all about people and wtimepieces here.

The good side is that you are manually accepted into the group, a person (not a computer program) confirms your payment and certifies your membership.

The only "downside" is you might have to wait til the people are awake and have had breakfast tomorrow before they have the chance to welcome you in formally.

Welcome to IHC185 Harry. Our Hamilton research forum should be of interest to you. If you browse my Hamilton quizzes in the Pitfalls section, a lot of the finer points of period correct dials, cases and hands on Hamilton railroad watches are explained.

Harry, You'll like it here. I have gained a wealth of information since becoming a member, and people like David and Ed are like encyclopedia resources. Welcome and don't worry---I ask the dumbest questions, so that lets you off the hook.

mike

Welcome Harry. I have learned a ton here. I hope you enjoy your time on the site. You picked 3 great brands to collect.

Harry, It is always a pleasure to welcome new members and especially a new Georgia member.

Welcome,Harry,from another Georgia member.If you can't find what you want to know about watches on this site,it just doesn't exist.Regards.Norm

Till you learn to navigate on this site without a hitch,

Here is a clickable link to give you a tub full of useful information on Hamilton 992/992E/992B's where you can compare correct dials/cases etc. to get a watch that is correct or make one correct.

Without knowledge in watches to start with, a lot of mistakes will be made, like a newbie at a poker table Learn fast, laugh at yourself, and ask a lot of questions. And most importantly, know how to use the "Find-and-Search" tab/box on this site. Most of the questions you will have, you will find that they have already been asked. Read a lot of past postings on this site and soon you will become much more knowledgeable.

regards,
bb

Welcome Harry! I'm glad you accepted my invite! You will like it here! Regards, Brad

Thank you Brad for the invitation. I figure what is one more club. I'm retired so maybe it will keep me out of trouble. I would also like to thank the rest of you for the warm welcome and the helpful information.

Harry

Your welcome Harry. When I joined I was especially "green". I too am into Hamiltons and Illinois. And after being burned a few times on the "bay", I discovered this place. I have learned so much from just browsing the various forums, and the Gelson List is absolutely invaluable for dating any Hamilton watch. I had bought a 1928 992, and discovered it was a conglomeration of parts: wrong case, wrong dial, wrong hands. The folks here helped me get that project back to what it was when it came from Lancaster 83 years ago. If you have one that you're wanting to start working on, you could start a thread on it with pics, and we can guide you through it. There are also a few very gifted watchmakers here,if you are needing service work, most notably Chris Abell, who is simply wonderful. Regards, Brad

Hi Brad,
Thanks for the great advise. I actually have two 992's I want to get back as close to original as possible. The newer 992 is a 1930 and was just a movement. I purchased a 080 dial and according to the information on this site it is a correct dial for that 992. According to information on this site it should have a Keystone Model 7 case. I'm sure I'll play the devil trying to find that case at a reasonable price. I have not found YET information on what hands to use but as I am new to this site I'm sure I will find it sooner or later.

The older 992 is the old stile and is a 1913. It came with a case and a chipped dial and hands and it runs also. I had a strong suspicion when I bid on it that it was pieced together. I bought this one because I like the pattern on the back a lot better than the newer stile. However all the information I have found on this site so far covers 992's manufactured from 1924 and newer. So I will need to hunt through the hundreds of post on Hamilton until I find information on earlier 992's in particular 1913.

I will be listing some movements on Ebay tomorrow to raise money to work on my Hamiltons. I ran across some old Waltham movements. They either have bad balance staffs or bad mainsprings. I also ran across some old 10s KW KS that seem to run fine. They range from 1869 to 1877. I can not wind them because my keys are to fat to get down in the protective sleeve but when you spin the balance wheel they run and tick for a few seconds. They also have almost perfect dials and one has all three hands. I don't know if I want to put them on Ebay or not. I know I'll never find a case for them and I don't collect them anyway. Do you think anyone on here would be interested in them?

I'll wait until I get my new book to put them on Ebay if I decide that is what I want to do. Thanks again for all your help and the forum has been great so far. Everyone has been more than helpful.

Harry

Harry, here is a link to a discussion of cases and dials. It should help. https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/f...6009181/m/8781006751 Your 1930 992 can be in a Model 7 and down. And you will play the devil, as Model 7's are on the rare side. Brad

And, as for hands, something like this: https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/f...761/m/2853978657/p/2

Morning Brad,
So it would be alright to put any of the cases Model 7 and later? Thanks. I do have some hands like those I believe but I will have to hunt for the second hand.
Thanks for the help!
Harry

Yeah Harry, Model 7 and earlier. However, I must warn you that, with the price of gold going to the moon, gold-filled cases are getting harder and harder to find. Scrappers are taking the movements out of them, and scrapping the cases for the gold. Just want you to know that the #080 dial I sold you isn't right for your 992...it came out in the 1940's. Feel bad about that now. And, I've started a thread to suss out what belongs on your 1913 992. Should get some answers soon. Regards, Brad

Hi Brad,
Accortging to the link Buster Beck sent me it shows dials used from 1924 till 1971 on 992' B's, and E's. The 080 is among those. So I was incorrect in assuming all those dials are used for all those years and actually I should have assumed that all those dials were used during those years BUT the dials varied depending on what year the 992 was?

If the last assumption is correct then how do you find out which dials are for the 1930 model year? There is so much Hamilton information on this site that I really don't know where to begin.

Brad don't feel bad about the dial. I love the dial even though I don't love the style. It will stay on the 992 until I figure out which dial replaces it. Then it may stay on the 992 until I can afford it if I don't already have one.

Also about the Model 7, you say it was gold plated? I don't know enough about cases but I thought since it was a Keystone case it was base metal. I suppose that was another bad assunption on my part!
Thanks,
Harry

The model 7 was gold filled, not gold plated. The link Buster gave you has all of the dial types used on the 992 through the 992B. They were changed and some were phased out over the decades. The dial #080 was introduced in the 1940's, and was used on 992B's. Your watch was made in 1930, therefore, dial#080 is too new for your watch. A few of the dials that would be period correct on your watch would be 576, 522, 577, and 519. Regards, Brad

Thank you Brad!
Well that gives me a place to start.

Harry, check out the thread I started on pre-1924 dials. Richard posted a few possibilities for your 1913 992. Regards, Brad

Thanks Brad hopefully i'll have a chance tomorrow.

Harry

Hi Brad,

I could not wait I stayed up until 3:30 last night and I looked at the new post you started on my behalf. Thank you. I learned that my 1913 has the correct dial but chipped and bad hairlines. I will repair it the best I can. A vendor I know had another dial that looks like the dial in upper right hand corner of the leaflet that is on the thread you started except it is double sunk.
I will move over to that thread until I find a new dial for this on.
Thanks,
Harry

You're welcome Harry. I'm glad that you're finding what you need for your projects. Another place that I've found fascinating is the "Pitfalls" section. I am learning more and more about what to look for, and what certain watches are supposed to be. Now, when I go to the "bay", it's almost like a comedy show, because I can spot unscrupulous dealers attempting to pawn less than honest watches off on the less educated. If for no other reason, my membership to IHC185 was well worth it. Regards, Brad