Wow! First the Pink Floyd reunion, and now these! Very nice.

Larry

Just put in my S.LaRose order for a #2 white solid gold case.

Really nice Lindell, and the white #2 is my favorite.

Other than this actual #2, i have seen a yellow #2 on ebay, and a friend knows where a yellow #2 USED TO BE years ago ($700 was a lot of money back then). These are the only solid gold Ham RR cases I am aware of.

Charlie

Lindell, thank you for sharing those...

The tabulations shown were only up to late in 1933 and there seemed to be no record of Solid Gold Model 2 during the 992 and 950 Elinvar years... and there are no records (so far) for the 992B years... so it is "possible" there are a few additional, later yellow examples.. but they would be a very small number it seems..

The Model A... yes, the case mark is 'different' from all the other Model A examples... but it shares the same exact features as the GF model A from a similar time frame (smooth pendant shoulder)

Have you ever weighed this case against a GF Model A? I don't recall from our previous discussions...

The Model 17..... yes indeed that marking could be easily missed!

Back in the early days of my collecting, the early 70's, I remember hearing tales from my grandfather about going to a local jewelry shop and his saying he had seen a solid gold #17 cased 950B for sale in store inventory. This was in the late 1960's and while he did not speak of rarity, he did speak of expensive, ha!

I always thought that maybe there were a few hundred solid gold Hamilton cases in existance but of course it now appears that maybe only a couple dozen were made every 10 years or so, and with the #2 case being made from 1926 through 1953 it would seem logical that probably less than 70 were ever made in all colors total. Pretty rare by most any collectors standards and how many remain is anybody's guess. I have seen one yellow #2 that was destroyed because the only component of the case that remained was the back, clearly marked SOLID GOLD. That's one gone I know of.

I have seen several #17's and a few #2's, and all these were yellow except the white one Lindell is showing in this topic. I have seen a late 1940's 950B in a yellow solid gold #2 which looked original. It was sold at Ft. Wayne regional back in 1999 to a friend of mine, who owns at least 2 others. I have NEVER seen a green one, I have never even had a smell of one.

I once talked with Roy Ehrhardt at Ft Wayne back in '99 and he told me to be careful when buying a yellow solid gold Hamilton case #17 to make sure it was an original and not a aftermarket as some were made up or "reissued" in the early 70's by some folks who he said were selling them around 1972 and after as gold climbed from 35 dollars per ounce upward. He said the price on these gold restrikes was 200 dollars. I am not sure of the markings on these as how they compare to an original but unless you have an original handy to compare it to .......well you get the idea. Just food for thought as that story has been confirmed to me by other old watch dealers from time to time through the years.

At any rate back in the '20's when these solid gold cases were originally sold for 45 dollars or 10 times the cost of a gold filled one, there were only so many folks who could afford one. It boils down to the fact that it is a rare day when one sees a Hamilton solid gold case and even rarer when one gets to actually purchase one even if you can afford it. They simply are seldom offered for sale as they account for probably only 1 out of every 4 or 5 thousand gold filled Hamilton cases one will see. For that matter, I have seen many more Solid Gold Sangamo Special cases (around 15 ) than I have gold Hamilton #2's and 17's combined.

It is for sure with rarity now approximately known on these they will only esculate even more rapidly in price as time goes on. Happy "Solid Gold" Hunting!

Lindell,
Thanks for sharing the beautiful watches, I really appreciate you sharing these extremely low production cases.

Robert

Wow-Wow-Wow

To see not one but three different Solid Gold Hamilton cases is beyond words. Thanks so much Lindell.

I agree Tony, quite a view indeed!

I went a little further and asked Don Dalberg when the green #2 cases were discontinued as I had never seen one from the late '30's, 40's or early 50's when the #2 was discontinued entirely. He said that his records only went up to 1933 but going by a 1935 Hamilton catalogue and also another from 1940, both those catalogues stated #2 cases in "yellow gold" only. One is to assume that yellow gold was referring to both gold and gold filled cases.

So , I will make a logical deduction from this and state that sometime by 1934 the green gold filled and solid gold green #2 cases were discontinued along with the white gold filled and white solid gold ones. So for added gusto, I will go out on a limb and say that the (3) three Green Solid Gold #2 cases listed in the sales records were the only 3 ever produced. Rare indeed! No wonder I could never find one!!

I now offer in the spirit of the old west wanted posters, a "Bounty" for a Solid Gold Greed.....er excuse me.. ..Green #2 case.........dead or alive! Prices discussed by several sheriffs and the "hanging judge" (Lindell, that's you) when you find one and bring it in, ha!...yeah right!.....Happy "Solid Gold Green #2 Case" Hunting!!

Hey Guys,
From now on when I go to a watch show I know that I will not pass by a model 2, model A, or a model 17 Hamilton case without checking to see if there is just a chance that it might be a solid gold case.
What say you.

Second solid gold "A" case noted.

My buddy, who was collecting pocket watches before most of us were born, said he saw a Model A solid gold years ago. It was rough condition - price $400.

A guy from Atlanta had it. All he knows.

Lin's SG Case A has never been in "rough" condition, so that must be a different example, establishing anecdotal evidence that a second SG Case A once existed. To me this "thrill of the hunt" type stuff is what makes watch collecting worthwhile.

Lindell, I was at a friends house yesterday and he showed me a #2 14k gold yellow case #395961 950 movement serial#1652601 in near mint condition.

Samie, a Wadsworth case in gold filled of 0395,000 dates to 1928 and would not have the little chevrons at the base of the bow and crown area on the frame.

Was wondering if this "gold" case has the little chevrons?.....Also this 950 movement was finished in 1926 at the latest by Gelson records, also the ones I have seen of solid gold #2 cases made in the late 20's have had a serial number range exclusive to theirselves for gold cases alone for Hamilton in the 0100,000-200,000 range.

This one seems a little out of kilter shall we say in serial number. Perhaps you would indulge us and let us learn a little bit here by taking a picture of the inside of the back of that case for our education, enjoyment and record keeping. It would be of great and positive proof help in our searching for more of these rare birds in the future.

Thanks so much!.......Happy Hunting!

I talked to the owner of the #2 case and ask some more questions about it..He told me that he put the 950 movement in the case so I know now that it is not the original movement..
I asked about the serial# and the Chervons on the case..
It is in a saftey deposit box but he said i could take another look and some pictures next time I vist him.. pictures will tell it all.

Two more examples sold at auction this week.

First a 992E in a model no. 2 case with different case back markings than previously shown here. Also, the case serial number isn't consistent with the previous numbers posted? [Check Lindell's graph above or Ed's post below] The movement serial number is 2637231. The watch closed at $4,300.00, including an ivory flip top cigarette box, on the "webs largest auction site".

Auction Images

Next is a 950B in a model no. 17 case. The case back is marked like the Star W. C. Co. example Lindell showed above with a very close P164711 serial number. The movement is S1497 and the watch sold for $6,600.00 online yesterday.

Auction Images

The 992E is from 1940 and it's interesting that the later Case #2's lack of patent date & 00-prefix serial number indicates it is from 1948, whereas the white solid 14k gold example Lin posted number 0123550 which dates to 1920s is immediately recognized as being prewar, since it has a patent date.

The case 17 that Richard posted is as he stated very close in number to Lin's but the 950B movement S1497 in the eBay case 17 is from 1942 which is fully 15 years before the Star case 17 was even introduced which was in the mid-1950s.

Unfortunately BOTH those auctioned movements and cases Richard posted are mismatched, put-together.

Here is another #2

back

mark

edge mark

movement

The recently sold Wadsworth that Rob posted is also from 1948 according to our Wadsworth database as was the previous one. The Wadsworth H999-prefix series cases came just before the 00-prefix series but both were 1948 production.

See "Hamilton Wadsworth Case Numbers History and Database" for much more Wadsworth case information.