Any idea what this might be? It was a 75.00 purchase and am just currious to any guesses. The dial is marked Hamilton I think.

Was the Hamilton deck watch pin-set? If so that may be what you have.

Yes it is pin set and the case is marked Sterling. Thats about all the info I have collected so far. I'll post a update when it arrives.

Aaron,

That looks a lot like the 36s 21J torpedo-boat chronometers Hamilton made for WWI. Do you know what size the watch is? Also, the dial looks slightly different from the two that I have.

These rare 3-star watches are featured on page 233 of the 2006 Price Guide and on pages 385-386 of Whitney's "Military Timepieces".

If that is what you have, then I want to shop where you are shopping!

John III

You have not looked at the movement and serial number?

Don

Well this is what I ended up with. I'll take it for 75.00 sight unseen.
Any comments?

Here is the case mark.

And case back.

Aaron,

You definitely have a WWI Chronometer. Only 966 were made. The serial number 1260113 means that this was the 113th movement made.

This is in really nice original condition watch. Great find! Any time you want to make a huge profit from this purchase, let me know. I really love these watches.

John III

I believe the dial has been refinished. It is silverd with black numerals but the Hamilton is modern. I doubt a replacement. Thoughts?

Lin, the edge is metal and it is definately silverd like some of the other RR type dials. It looks good just the script is not correct for the preiod. Like I said I doubt it is a replacement. I cant see there being much of a demand. I will leave it as found as it came out of 60 years of storage as found and will stay that way as long as its in my care.
Thanks for the input.

This watch is in fine condition but could use a cleaning and mainspring I'm sure. Does anyone know the part number for the mainspring and if they are available?
Thanks,

1260001-500 went to the Finishing Department on 3/9/16 and 7/20/18. Serial numbers 1260501-970 were also reserved for the "Chron. 36.", but there is no record of these making it to the Finishing Department.

My wife talks about the Law of Conservation of Grief. If something bad happens, then something good will happen to even things out, and visa versa. I think you should be very careful. You have used up at least a year's worth of good luck.

Don

Aaron,
The "U.S.S.B." engraved on the case back stands for United States Shipping Board.

Re-finished dial or not, I agree you were extraordinarily lucky to get such a treasure for that price. What a neat Hamilton !

Don,

In Whitney's book on page 386 is a picture of Serial No. 1,260,558, a gimbaled version of the 36s chronometer. Also, sometime in the last year I remember seeing on the IHC185 "For Sale" area a 36s chronometer with the serial number 1,260,838. I think these movements were made up until to 1940s and sold as yacht chronometers.

Also, I thought as a natural extension of this thread, we could see what movements are cased in Sterling Silver and which are gimbaled. My theory after studying these watches for the last few years is that only the first few hundred were cased. Please add any info that you might have on these watches.

So far I have (Updated 08-Nov-2011):

Sterling cases:
1260063, case # 64921 (John III)
1260085, no case # (Heritage Auctions, 05/2011)
1260102, case # 64744 (John III)
1260105, case # 79692 (Q+A Article in Horological Times, 3/1990 - answered by Marvin Whitney)
1260113, case # 22441 (Aaron's)
1260121, case # 64718 (J+H Auction, 11/2005)
1260132, case # 64716 (ebay auction, 11/2011)
1260203, case # 79691 (same article from 3/1990)
1260234, case # 78841 (John III)
1260271, no case # (Heritage Auctions, 05/2011)
1260284, case # 70041? (Ebay auction, 2/2009)
1260312, case # 64926 (J+H Auction, 9/2006)
1260330, case # 78832 (J+H Auction, 6/2005)
1260343, case # 78903 (www.awco.org)
1260374, no case # (Heritage Auctions, 05/2011)


Gimbaled:
1260558, (Whitney, page 386; also shown in an article by M. Whitney in Horological Times, 11/1979)
1260711, (J+H Auction, 11/2005)
1260812, (Page 53 of Bulletin(?) article on Watches and Chronometers of Lancaster County, not sure what year)
1260838, (Fred Hougham, IHC Website)
1260840, (oldwatch.com)

Movement Only:
1260612, (Ehrhardt book, page 94; photo by Art Zimmerla)

Records stopped before these at about 940000. So all we have are the dates they entered the Finishing Department (provided they entered before 1933) and the production summary from 1957 that states that 966 were produced from 1918 to 1943. Early in WWII, before the production of model 21 and 22 was in full swing, the Navy needed chronometers of any kind. If there were 36 size movements hanging around, count on the fact that they went into the war effor as soon as possible. I have just never seen it in print.

Don

Added another 36 size World War 1 Hamilton chronometer to the serial number list above. This one is from a current ebay auction.

Any others out there?

John, just how big is a 36-size watch? I've never seen one in person and have nothing to compare it with.

Eric,

Extrapolating from the table on pg 34 of the 2010 Price Guide, a 36 size watch movement is 1 41/30 or 2 11/30 inches on the Lancashire scale. In contrast an 18 size watch movement is 1 23/30. So a 36 size watch movement is 0.6 inches bigger than 18 size.

For comparison I took side by side photos of a 36s Hamilton with my biggest 18 size watch - a G.M. Wheeler Elgin in a 6 oz coin silver hunter case. The Elgin tries hard, but can't quite measure up. With the sterling silver case, the Hamilton is 2.75 inches wide, not counting the bow and crown.

John III

Front view of the two watches. The big Elgin weighs a hefty 238 grams, while the Hamilton comes in at a massive 278 grams.

Hope this helps get a picture of how big these 36 size watches are and why I love them so much.

John III

That ain't a pocket watch, my friend. It's a pocket clock.

I like the "weather vane" indicator hand on your Hamilton.

I'll probably never own a model #36 Hamilton ,but I do own an original first pattern deck watch box for one. Eventually in the later issues they came in boxes nearly? identical to a Model 22 Hamilton deck watch box non gimballed. And in spite of the size,Hamilton and the Navy called them a Ship Watch as indicated on the ID disc on the top lid of my box

#2

#3

the Hamilton signature on the satin lid lining is upside down I reversed it to make it readable

That one at auction includes the box at;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hamilt...&hash=item2eb8ecb9c3

and is USSB Ship Watch box #337 as compared to my box #373

and it is Ship Watch #337 in Ship Watch Box #337 ,the original box of issue. My Ship Watch box is #373 so my dream find would be Ship Watch # 373 these beauties were originally made as Torpedo Boat deck watches or chronometers

Updated the 36 size list again for three watches I found in the Heritage Auction archives from earlier this year: 2011 May New York Signature Timepieces Auction #5074

1260271 sold for $4248.23

1260085 sold for $3346.00

1260374 sold for $2868.00

I could not find any case numbers for these three.