Internet Horology Club 185
Ball Watches / Gelson Hamilton Serial Number Question

This topic can be found at:
https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2121060351/m/1531063391

June 28, 2006, 22:00
Jim Schneider
Ball Watches / Gelson Hamilton Serial Number Question
A question about the Gelson Hamilton Serial Number List. With the exception of 2 runs marked "999E" and "999F", any 999s listed up to serial number run 560001-561000 are listed as "999". At serial number run B600001-601000 the listing is "999 Ball" I'm not a Hamilton expert...is there a difference? Are all 999s Balls? Should the word "Ball" be put in a different field? When it comes time to generate production figures, the computer would see "999" and "999 Ball" as two different grades. And, while we are at it, what is a 999E and a 999F? HELP!!!

Jim
June 29, 2006, 12:20
Lindell V. Riddle

Hi Jim,

The "999" is always a Ball Watch (we call them Ball-Hamiltons) made to Ball specifications by Hamilton. The listings for both "999" and "999 Ball" generally refer to these watches.

About the "999E" and "999F" listings, they refer to a specific variant made for Ball but designated as "Railroad Watch Company" on the dial and movement. The 999E is a 17-Jewel with circular damaskeening and 999F denotes the 16-Jewel version which has straight-line damaskeening.

As you see this gets a bit confusing.

Lindell

Wink
March 23, 2016, 15:07
Jake Walls
I just bought a ball 999E I see your records show that serial number 20708 has a replacement barrel Bridge. Mine is serial number 20708 and I took the barrel Bridge off and everything matches.
March 23, 2016, 15:57
Lorne Wasylishen
Jake, read the thread just before this Ball Hamilton 20708 in this forum, I had exchanged emails with the seller when he had the 20708 up on eBay and we confirmed that there was an error in Bill Kapp's research.

This thread: Dial Cleaning may be of interest.