I've always understood the Hamilton 974 Special was discontinued around 1940, and that after WWII the only 16s Hamilton pocket watches were the 992B & 950B. If so, what was in the Traffic Special cases? The post WWII Hamilton ads I've seen say the Traffic Special (I & II) have 17 jewels, and are not RR approved. Were these left over 974 Specials?

Norman

The ones I ae seen are Swiss movements.Cortebert and others.All I have seen are well finished movements.
J Smith

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks, Julian

Norman

The 'Traffic Special' watches were produced in the 1950s and 1960s, up to the 1972 catalog. They used Swiss movements. Hamilton described them saying "Wherever instantly legible and reliably accurate watches are required, these sturdy timepieces are the economical answer. Transportation men, truckers, farmers and many others depend upon them for reliable performance at modest cost. (Traffic Specials are not railroad approved watches.)" These typically sold for $49.95 to $59.95, as compared to railroad approved pocket watches at $75-$345.

Thanks Rene. I came up with some pics on the web that show a Swiss 669 17j unadjusted movement. I assume they had melamine dials, although I found an ebay auction selling NOS porcelain Traffic Special dials.

Norman