Can anyone verify that S#4C43828 is indeed a 1943
Military watch?The back has,AN5740,MFR'S Part No
33106,Serial Number H-1915,Hamilton Watch Co.Looks
like a unused watch,very clean.Black face,white
dial,GCT on dial.Just received it today.
Thanks for your time

Photos

Face

It looks like the real "McCoy". A very nice and clean example. Well done!

Richard,

I agree with Matt, the movement number 4C43828 fall into known parameters of 1943 examples. Usually the case markings would be of help by having the year within either the contract or serial number on the case-back. An image of the case-back may or may not help in sorting it out.

May I suggest your looking at other topics wherein we have discussed these watches in detail...

Find-Or-Search Results for "4992B" on our site.

Please keep us informed of further developments of ask additional questions in this topic.

Lindell

The Back

Cover

WW II era watches are not my specialty, and I am always of the opinion that anything is possible with timepieces, but I am wondering why it does not have the usual Army Air Force serial number that is in the format of AF-42-##### or the military contract number that would be something like W535AC-28072. These are the normal markings that show a timepiece of this era was ordered by and accepted by the military.

I would defer to a greater expert than myself on this as I am always wanting to learn more, but my initial thought is to ask whether this is a watch that was owned by the military. It might be a surplus movement sold to the public by Hamilton after the war, or maybe the case is a replacement one with a military movement was installed in at some point after the watch had been surplused, or that it might be a watch that was kept at the factory for some reason and never provided to the military. On the other hand it may be right as rain but without those usual markings I have to wonder.

Jim has noted valid points: The case has no contract number, and the serial number is of unusual format.

Whitney does not indicate any deviations from the case back format for 4992B watches. Which is not to say they did not exist.

Silver cases being rather early, I suppose it's possible that Hamilton marked the above case early in the contract prior knowing that the contract number was required (or prior to contract? During WWII, it was not unheard of to start production early). Under this theory, the case would be slightly older than the movement - though not much older.

I assume the markings appear old under magnification.

Best regards,
Greg

Greg, Your right, after leafing through Whitney it does appear to be an odd inscription. I must say it's a wonderful silver case and imaculate movement. You may have a true rare example not identified before. The silver cases, from what I gather, are not common.

I also ran across this document

Richard, it appears that you have nailed it down. But, what is this document?

Thanks,
Greg

Aloha
I have

AN 5740
MFR’S PART NO. 33106
SERIAL NO. H-3605
HAMILTON WATCH CO.
R88-W-510 (NAVY STOCK NUMBER)
MOVEMENT NO.4C32226
HAMILTON WATCH CO. U.S.A. ABOVE CENTER SECONDS WHEEL, BOLD BLOCK
4922B 22 JEWELS (ROTATED 90 DEGREES ON PLATE ) ADJ. TEMP. AND 6 POSITIONS BOLD ITALIC.
U.S. GOVT. BLOCK FONT.
CASE, KEYSTONE SILVER .800 FINE K019870
DIAL 24 HOUR G.C.T. BLACK
WHITE HOUR MINUTE AND SWEEP SECOND HANDS
NOTE NUMBERS ON DIAL VERY BOLD

AN 5740
MFR’S PART NO. 33106
SERIAL NO. H- 134
HAMILTON WATCH CO.
MOVEMENT NO.4C5615
HAMILTON WATCH CO. U.S.A. ABOVE CENTER SECONDS WHEEL, BOLD BLOCK
4922B 22 JEWELS (ROTATED 90 DEGREES ON PLATE ) ADJ. TEMP. AND 6 POSITIONS BOLD ITALIC.
U.S. GOVT. BLOCK FONT.
CASE, KEYSTONE SILVER .800 FINE K016816
DIAL 24 HOUR G.C.T. BLACK
WHITE HOUR MINUTE AND SWEEP SECOND HANDS


Aloha Scott

I have aa 4992B identical in appearance to Richard's example. Mine is a bit later: 4C73374. The engravings on the back of the case are the same except for the Serial No. H-10205. The Keystone number inside the case is K044236.

Tom

Aloha Tom

your example, Navy stock number R88-W-510?

Aloha Scott

Hi Scott,

Here's the full text of the engraving on the back of the case:

AN 5740
Mfr's Part No 33106
Serial No H-10205
Hamilton Watch Co

No Navy markings that I can see.

Tom

In case anybody is collecting data.
My 4992B is identical to Richards
H557, Case K017214, Movement 4C23152
movement is block engraved U.S. GOVT. (unlike Richards)
NAWCC library gives
....sold on 4/30/43 to account 64-12861.
Unfortunately we do not know to whom this number belongs...

Regards,
Peter

I picked up a reasonably-priced silver 4992B at the Daytona show last week. The back is unfortunately blank, presumably polished off. If anyone is tracking information, the movement is 4C85860 and the case K044274.

I'm curious about the significance of the silver cases versus the normal plated base metal. I haven't found a categoric explanation in my searches, nor in my conversations. Does anyone know why these were sometimes cased in silver? How scarce are they in comparision to regular 4992B's? I'd guess I've seen no more that one in twenty in my travels, but I have never made a serious study of the issue. One person suggested the silver watches were assigned to officers, but unless I'm mistaken navigators were always officers anyway.

I've worked on a few of these in the past and have always admired them, but this is the first I've bought for my own collection.

Aloha Rene

I am of the opinion that the navy wanted them cased in silver to prevent corrosion at sea.

Aloha Scott

The anti-corrosion reason is a good one. There is another reason that is perhaps even more important - high quality steel was a strategic metal during the war while silver was not. Related to this, the price of pure silver during WW II was only 45 cents per ounce. If you consider the weight of a watch case being in the range of an ounce or perhaps slightly more, and that sterling is 92.5 percent pure silver, then additional cost for one made of sterling silver in 1942 or 1943 compared to one made of steel is just a few cents more assuming no one wants to control the use of high quality steel. This price difference is negligible, especially compared to the cost of the movement inside it that the government was buying. Also remember that in 1943 the government changed the composition of the 5 cent coin - the nickel - to include about 35% silver since silver was not particularly valuable and since nickel was another strategic war metal.

I've never seen any documentation about silver cased watches being for officers and ones made of other metals being for enlisted men. That would assume a complicated type tracking and issuing of watches that does not seem practical during a war.

Aloha René
I think the original case markings on your watch should have been
AN 5740
MFR’S PART NO. 33106
SERIAL NO. H- 10243 +/- 30
HAMILTON WATCH CO.
K044274. 4C85860
I used this example’s case # for my extrapolation
AN 5740
MFR’S PART NO. 33106
SERIAL NO. H- 10205
HAMILTON WATCH CO.
MOVEMENT NO.4C73374
HAMILTON WATCH CO. U.S.A. ABOVE CENTER SECONDS WHEEL,
4922B 22 JEWELS (ROTATED 90 DEGREES ON PLATE) ADJ. TEMP. AND 6 POSITIONS BOLD ITALIC
CASE, KEYSTONE SILVER .800 FINE K044236
DIAL 24 HOUR G.C.T. BLACK
WHITE HOUR MINUTE AND SWEEP SECOND HANDS

So far in my observations I put silver case production at 16,000

Aloha Scott

Mine is the same format with no contract numberon the back, just:
(nearly worn off)
AN 5740
MFR’S PART NO. 33106
SERIAL NO. H-8436
HAMILTON WATCH CO.

MOVEMENT NO.4C65998
HAMILTON WATCH CO. U.S.A. ABOVE CENTER SECONDS WHEEL, BOLD BLOCK
4922B 22 JEWELS
ADJ. TEMP. AND 6 POSITIONS
CASE - KEYSTONE SILVER .800 FINE K042320
Marked on case back and case perimeter mating surface with an extra zero preceding the case number
DIAL 24 HOUR G.C.T. BLACK
WHITE HOUR MINUTE AND SWEEP SECOND HANDS