I recently purchased a 1962ish Hamilton 992b. It is in good carrying condition, with two problems. One is that the pin caps in the base of the bow are missing. The other is that the enamel dial, while it is beautiful, is far too early for the watch. Since I plan on using this as my day-to-day watch, I was thinking of replacing the ?519 dial with a 090 24-hr dial (in non-pristine condition. The only melamine dial I have has more wrinkles than I do!! Thanks for any input

best,
Kevin

The previously mentioned dial

Kevin,

Since you’re going to use the watch as a carry watch the porcelain-enamel dials, even though incorrect, will work good for you. The #519 dial you have in the watch is in much better condition than the #090 dial so I’d leave it in the watch.

The #519 dial eventually had RWS added to it, as well as a different Hamilton signature, for the 992B and became the #536. Later when dials were made in melamine the #536 became the #121.

Correct dials for your watch are the melamine #121 and #379 shown below.

RR

Hamilton Watch Catalog 1962, 1963

Richard,

thanks for your kind comments. I'll keep the current dial in place until I find a correct one. Have you ever seen the end caps for the no-15 bow or were they actually the ends of the attaching pins.

best,
Kevin

Kevin,

I’ve never had the pins out of the bow on a model #15 case. It’s not likely there are any end caps. If you measure the holes in the bow and they're smaller than the holes in the pendant I would think the pins are a press fit in the bow. It shouldn’t be too hard to make some pins or have someone with a lathe make them.

How is the bow being held on now?

RR

Richard,

The bow is currently held on with pins which are visible within the holes in the bow. They seem to be restrained by some sort of glop. It is usable in the current condition. If I ever get my little Unimat going, I'll turn some new capped pins. I just ordered a collet holder for it so I can use the common er-16 collets.

best,

Kevin

Kevin,

I’ve noticed some Model 15 cases where the pins are flush with the bow like yours. One such case is in my collection and I carried the watch for a couple years. I don’t know whether these cases were made this way or a result of someone hammering or pressing the pins in. Either way I chose to leave my case as is.

Sometimes it’s better off leaving good enough alone rather than risking damage. There are a lot of Model 15 cases that are missing the original bow. If the pins in your case are loose and or glued in it’s probably worthwhile to fix it. The glop may just be stuff that has accumulated where the pin is shaped at the end.

IMHO,

RR

That's an excellent piece of analysis Richard, showing how the dial designs evolved through the years.

I'm moving this topic to the Hamilton forum, which is where it belongs.