I just received two new Hamilton dials....

Someone please tell me which ones they are and on what movements they should best be on, and the year of each dial....

Thanks in advance for your expert advice....

Regards,

Jerry

Here is #1

Here is #2....

They both have the same foot pattern as shown here....

The first one is a CPR dial from the 1920's, I don't know the number.

The second one is a Dial 080, the single-sunk Heavy Gothic from the WW2 era and the immediate postwar period.

Thanks Ed...

The first one is going on a 1927 movement and I believe it's called the C.P.R. dial....and it is double sunk....

The second one is also double sunk but if it is the #080 then I guess it would be from the 40's time frame...?

Thanks for your input....

Regards,

Jerry

Nice, Jerry.

I dunno about the first dial, but the second one belongs on a watch in Noo Yahk.

Jerry,

If the 2nd dial is double sunk, it's a Dial 519 and would have been used from the 1930's thru WW2. The Dial 080 is single sunk and was used from WW2 thru the late 1940's.

That is great to know, Ed, and exactly the type of information that I wanted....

So #2 is a 1930's plus dial and should not be used on a 1927 movement....Is that correct...? If so it might be available to go to Noo Yahk...!

Thanks a lot Ed....I knew that if anyone knew it would be you, being our resident Hamilton Ace....

Regards,

Jerry

That's right Jerry, the Dial 519 (dial #2) is too new for your 1927 Hamilton. The CPR dial would be perfect for it though.

That is all the confirmation I need, Ed....

I recently bought the two dials hoping that one would be the one for the 992 that I am re-building, or trying to put back to original configuration after a watch butcher stripped it down completely....and I think I have all the correct parts now and will be sending it to Chris to reassemble and do a COA....once he is finished with it I will post some photos of it and let everyone see what it looks like....I think it will come out okay, but I will say this....it is cheaper to buy a complete watch than to put one back together that has been stripped....

Thanks for your help, Ed....I appreciate it.

Eric....Here you go....

Regards,

Jerry

Hi Jerry,

Being new to American pocket watches, I'm learning, first hand and at a cost , exactly what you are saying about it being more expensive to put a watch back together in as "original" a state as possible.

I started out wanting just 1-2 nice Bunn Specials. I have their movements in very good condition now and am trying to find everything to make them as "era correct" as possible. In doing this, I have picked up more watches in order to get the proper cases, dials, or movement parts.

I didn't realize how addictive this hobby could be, and now when I see some parts that are still in good condition...I just feel the need to make them whole again...This is a tough cycle to break!

But I do get a good feeling when a watch comes back to life, which at the end of the day, overcomes the $ cost of doing this. I imagine you feel the same way?

Best Regards, Dan

Jerry is right Dan. The wisdom of buying only complete watches that are correct to begin with is a lesson new collectors usually take some time to learn.

The beginning collector often jumps on messed-up watches with missing/wrong/damaged major parts because the price is low, planning to "make it right" later. But even if the needed parts are available you have to pay thru the nose to get them, so this almost always turns out to be a more expensive way to go.

Here again we come back to the value of your IHC185 membership, a place you can come to find out what is correct for the watch you want to buy.

This is essential to avoid counterfeit dials, cases, boxes, etc. that are becoming more common all the time. The most important defense against put-together watches with fake/wrong parts you can have is knowing what the real deal looks like.

Hello Daniel....I know exactly how you feel about trying to bring these watches back to life and yes it does make one feel sorta nostalgic when we see one that has been stripped of everything put back together again....but there is that cost factor....

Ed is correct and he is speaking from experience when he suggests certain attitudes that we all must come to grips with in our collecting methods especially those of us who are not watch makers and I certainly am not....so the best way is to find a complete watch that is correct and go after that one instead of pieces and then spend the next year looking for the correct parts to rebuild it....

These are things one learns here at IHC185 because we have such great teachers and leaders who are willing to give of their time and knowledge at no expense to those of us who are willing to learn....and as Ed said, "We come back to the value of your IHC185 membership, a place you can come to, to find out what is correct for the watch you want to buy."....How very true....

Thanks for your comments Daniel and nothing but good luck in your new hobby....

Regards,

Jerry

Hi Lin,

My wife also encourages my hobby and over time I got her interested in owning a couple of nice wristwatches of her own!

She is so cool that she already knew about the historic train crash and importance U.S. Railroad grade watches before I told her about them. (I think its cool because she was born and raised in Beijing, China. She read about it in an article when she was a girl and how at the Beijing Train Station, music was played at a certain time and when it stopped...it marked 12:00:00 noon as a time reference! She could hear the music itself but never knew what it meant when she was growing up.)

Best Regards, Dan

P.S. I don't invest in watches because I'm the type of person that "If I want to make a small fortune in watches, I need to start out with a large fortune." . I treat it as a hobby and since I don't have TOO many other vices, my wife feels its a "good deal" for her as well!

Thanks Lin, for your information which is always certainly welcomed and desired....

I have the same picture that you posted but mine was not dated as yours is, so that is good to know as far as knowing when certain items made their initial appearance....

The case I intend to use is the Model 2 case which, according to info posted here on the site is dated to 1925 so I figured it would work okay on my 1927 movement....and the hands are those shown in your photo....

Thanks, again....

Regards,

Jerry