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Welcome Aboard IHC185™ Internet Horology Club 185 IHC185™ Discussion Site Main Page Horological Discussions, Questions and Answers Pocket Watch Discussions Hamilton 992L
Internet Horology Club 185 IHC185™ Discussion Site Main Page Horological Discussions, Questions and Answers Pocket Watch Discussions Hamilton 992LGo | New Topic | Find-Or-Search | Notify | Tools | Reply to Post | |
Can someone please explain to me what the "L" represents? Thank you! | |||
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"Lever", I believe, as in lever-set. | ||||
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IHC Life Member  |
Carlos, to what 'L' are you referring.... If the watch has a 'Lever' type escapement, that's one thing or if it is 'Lever Set' that's quite another.... Normally, if the watch is lever set it is indicated by the initials, LS as opposed to PS for pendant set or say, KS for key set, etc, etc... Does this make sense...? Regards, Jerry | |||
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| IHC Life Member |
I just went back to your topic....I now see what 'L' you are referring to....as in 992(L)....I have one also and I have wondered the same question.... Maybe someone can explain the why fors of it but I would think it is for no other reason than a simple method of telling one apart from another during the production of it. As the old saying goes....Why is Haddacall, called Haddacal,,,,answer: They haddacal it something.... Why did they name the 992(B) as they did...? Maybe the Hamilton experts can give us a more definitive answer.... Regards, Jerry | |||
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Exactly Jerry! I find it hard to believe they would mark the movement 992L and all it meant was lever set?  | ||||
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| IHC Life Member Site Moderator  |
I am not sure if this is the correct answer but Hamilton made several of their pocket watches in both pendant set & lever set, such as the 974 & 975 & I think also the 950, they are listed as 974P & 974L etc, I wonder if the 992 just also was listed as 992L. Tom | |||
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Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Hamilton never made the 992 in the pendant set version. For what I know it vas born as a lever set railroad watch and was never changed. Peter | ||||
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I just remembered...there have been military versions of the 992 that were pendant set and with the "hacking" feature too. Where are the 992 experts when you need them? Peter | ||||
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| IHC President Life Member  |
Eric, Jerry and Tom answered most of the questions but this might flesh it out a bit more... About Peter's questions, between 1912 and 1923 they made about 6,000 of the 992 in Pendant-Set configuration. Every 992 ever made was a Railroad Grade watch of high quality, but the Pendant Set version would not have been accepted to enter Railroad Time Service on most railroads by the time they were produced. The military 992 and 992B did not have the "hacking" or brake on balance wheel feature, that was usually on watches with center seconds such as a 4992B in order to synchronize with another time source. On the original question from Carlos, to my knowledge there were never "L" markings on any Hamilton movement, the use of "L" or "P" is simply a notation in the factory records and therefore appearing on the "Hamilton Serial Number Listings Preserved by John F. Gelson" for reference purposes. Be careful in your research, because that "L" or "P" entry only means the factory intended to manufacture a certain type of movement in a particular run. Bear in mind that designation may not necessarily be true of all movements in the run as they routinely produced "mixed runs" which often causes additional confusion. Also, some runs of say 992 or 950 will not be specified as to "L" or "P" which can indicate a mixed run or simply because at that time everyone knew what the movements would be. For example there were no Pendant-Set Grade 992 produced prior to 1912 or after 1923 so there would have been little purpose to adding a "L" after the 992 when only Lever-Set movements of that grade were being made, but for a while after 1923 they did. In other words, we should not take the chance of reading too much into such designations. Many of the things we so obsess over today were of little if any interest to those making watches all those years ago. They had no idea there would ever be people like us, they were just making watches. And always remember there were not many things they "always" did but probably fewer things they "never" did. Be well my friends, Lindell  | |||
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Mr. Lindell, Thank you for coming to the rescue. I think the fact that Hamilton made the 992 (though in small number) in the "pendant set" version must have come as a surprise not only to me, but to quite a few other members of the club. Hamilton had a good watch and they wanted to broaden their market share, I guess. About the hacking feature, I assumed (and you know what happens when one does that...) that since the other military Hamiltons I have, including the lowly 2974B, have it, the 992 would have had it too.(unfortunately I don't have any of them in my collection, yet). About the "L" suffix I just realized that my 992 sn 2509919, made in 1929 is indeed a 992L in the Hamilton serial number listing. Regards Peter | ||||
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| IHC Life Member Site Moderator |
Hi Peter Thought I would nose in here, the 992B did not have the hack feature, the 4992B, 3992B & the 2974B did have it. Tom | |||
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Tom, I think you misandertood my statement, that's exactly what I said, that since most military, 992 derived watches, including the lowly 2974B HAVE the hacking feature, I erroneously thought that the MIL 992B had it. Unfotunately I do not have one (MIL 992B) in my collection so I have no idea of its characteristics. I will get one, eventually. Regards Peter | ||||
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The "hacking" thing - I take it from Lindell's comments that this feature actually stopped the gear train so you could synchronize your watch with regard to the second or sweep hand? | ||||
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| IHC Life Member |
Eric, I don't think that's the case at all....doesn't mater if the watch is synchronized with itself but rather synchronized with another time source such as setting the time to be exact with others in a group or another timing device....but yes, that is what the 'hack' feature does, is to stop the watch so that it can be started as desired.... Regards, Jerry | |||
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| IHC Life Member Site Moderator |
Hi Peter Yes, I did misunderstand your comment, sorry about that. Here are two photos of the hacking mechanism on a 4992B, the left one is with the stem in the run position, the right one is with the stem out in the set position. The little wire hits the balance wheel & stops the movement. Tom  | |||
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| IHC President Life Member |
Great pictures Tom, Yes, in the crown-out position that little stainless-steel wire functions as a brake that stops the balance wheel, thereby the entire train, but, and this is the important part, the watch remains under full power from the mainspring. For that reason it takes off immediately upon the crown being pushed in. The same principle came into play on most Railroad Approved mechanical wristwatches, it occurs electronically on Accutrons, as well as quartz watches and is used on many of the better automatic wristwatches even today. Brake shown released during "crown-in" mode...  | |||
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