Any guesses what this might be? Yes I know what it is? Here is a few hints. Sorry Jon but you can't play as you already know.

1) It is a size 16.

2) I paid $75 for it.

3) The case does not fit it and I have no idea why they had it in this nice gold filled case but I'll take it.

4) I have never seen a dial like this one before on this brand of watch. You may have and i is a shame it is in such bad shape.

5) it is a 1905 - 1907.

After I seen how good you guys are I'll show the back.

Front

Back not that it will do you any good.

Closeup of dial. If you can see it the lever is about 2 o'clock and the notch is about 1 o'clock.
What was he thinking?

Let the fun begin!

Looks like a four post Hamilton dial.
960?
Custom movement?

Steve

Dang, dang, dang. Steve you are right. I don't know about the custom movement. But it is a 4 post Hamilton dial. I have never seen one un-signed before.

Here is the movement. It will probably end up being a parts movement for my running 960. Around all the screwheads it is very scratched up.

It does not run. The gears on the center wheel came un-screwed and I put a new mainspring in it but it still doesn't even try to move.

I will clean it and see if it tries to tick. If so I will try to fix it if not it will be a parts movement.

Thanks Steve you know your stuff.

And a little better view.

The gear on the center wheel should screw back on.

Hi Gene,

It did and I wound it up after installing a new mainspring and it would not tick. I put a little pressure on the center wheel (not much) to see if it would make anything move. Well the only thing that moved was the mainspring. It un-wound super fast. I don't know why it did that but I will clean it tonight to see if I can get a better look at it tomorrow.

Thanks,
Harry

Harry, you have a Lever set Hamilton 960. With only 3000 or so made of this much venerated Bridge model design these very rare and valuable watches deserve professional help before messing with Mainsprings, Safety Pinions and the general business of this watch.

So David you think I ought to spend the money to save this one since it is so rare?

I started cleaning it and the third wheel has a bent tooth and the staff with the gear on it will not stay in. I was planning on using it for a parts watch it too much was wrong with it.

David I will stop and send it to someone to put it in running condition.

Thank you once again for your valuable advise,
Harry

Woot Woot - 960 has surfaced...

Nice find Harry!
Wish I could find a 960, working or not!

Steve

Hi Steve,

How did you know the unmarked dial was a Hamilton? I have never ever seen that before. Of course you could fill a lot of books with stuff I have never seen before.

David I put the watch back together and it actually ticks now. It will not run under it's own power but before it did not do anything. The third wheel has a bent tooth and the shaft comes out so I measured the third wheel out of a 974 and they are the same just not as pretty.

I will send it off to a professional to get her running and put a pretty third wheel back in.

Harry,

The shape of the numbers and the position of the breaks looked like other broken four foot Hamilton dials, and double sunk usually means high grade.

Steve

Boy your good. I will see what I can do with that dial but it looks like a basket case to me.

That dial could use the "L.Riddle" Treatment!

That's for sure but I found out why it was unmarked. Some (less then intelligent) person ground the signature off!

Hate to butt into the middle of a conversation, but I'll give you $75 for the movement Harry, and you can keep the case . But seriously, as I am reading this and not wanting to pull it too far off topic, are all 960's rare? I know there are less pendant sets than lever sets, but these do seem to come up from time to time on some auctioning sites. I picked one up a while back for a bit more (ok, a lot more) than $75 and after getting it working again have not done much else with it. I might have to put it into a nice case and start carrying it

Hi Dan,

I now they are expensive and they do come up from time to time and the ones I see go for $400 to $800 depending on condition. As for the rarity her is a post that David Abbe posted above and he know far far far more than I will ever know.

quote:

"Harry, you have a Lever set Hamilton 960. With only 3000 or so made of this much venerated Bridge model design these very rare and valuable watches deserve professional help before messing with Mainsprings, Safety Pinions and the general business of this watch."