Have to call myself a fan of my time-only Hamilton. Picked up a few months ago as a local antique shop (sadly) was closing. Finding a microrotor inside was a very nice surprise!
New acquisition: a 1948 Hamilton "Donald", 14k solid gold case, top-of-the-line "Medallion" M982 movement. I serviced the movement and is now adjusted to 6 positions with a delta of 10 seconds.
Picked this one up yesterday at a flea market.....keeping perfect time, so far....my eldest son starts an internship in NYC Monday, so I thought I would give it to him as it can be worn with a suit or jeans and a tee-shirt.
I own a Hamilton Field Automatic that has been my almost daily "beater" watch and it has been a faithful companion. I have it on a Perlon strap, it is comfortable and accurate. It has some scratches and marks but so what.
I just noticed that while I mentioned that I own four Hamiltons I didn't post any pictures. So here they are.
I own an Omega Speedy Tuesday #1 LE, an Omega Seamaster 300 (no wave blue), however this will always be my favorite watch I own. It's my Grandfather's 50s era Hamilton that he wore just about everyday. I always saw him with it and it's my most prized possession. I've been actually thinking of diving into some more modern day Hamiltons in tribute to him. Here's a pic!
View attachment 388206 Vantage by way Hamilton. A short lived Hamilton sub brand. Strangely high quality during most of its run as a lower tier. Can’t see the red alarm hand... AS movement shared by the Tutor alarms in this one.
Honestly next time someone ask for a good looking beater recommendation I’m including it with the SKX. It’s a little more and slightly out of some people’s “beater” range but frankly surprisingly affordable even vs other Hamilton’s.
What I like about it is that it has that "military" watch look, but you can still dress it up. I think the polished bezel has something to do with that. I think I got my AD to knock about $100 off of it when I bought it as well.
One that's caught my eye is the Khaki Navy Pioneer Small Seconds. For me, it seems to strike a great balance of simplicity and elegance. I'm hoping to add this to my own collection soon.
picked this up from my watchmaker on the weekend, $120 CDN fully serviced on a new NATO, how can you go wrong. Its even got a hack feature.
The latest addition to the Hamilton collection, a 14k white gold Bradford B with a grade 770 22 jewel movement.
Two of my significant conquests. These 2 Hamiltons I bought in Portland, Ore., about 30 years ago. These two are both private label watches for Canadian Hamilton dealers and railroad watch inspectors. The dial on the one is simply marked D R Dingwall Ltd. It would take a Canuck to recognize the name is for D R Dingwall Ltd., Winnipeg, Manitoba, a major divisional point back in the day. It would take a Hamilton lover to twig to the fact that the watch was a Hamilton, in spite of the private label. This watch is a grade 944, 19 jewel model. The second one has a dial marked G M Rioch, Kenora, Ontario. I think this one was being ignored by others at the mart because of the distinctly Canadian private label name. Didn’t bother me! Again, it would take a Hamilton fan to twig to the possibility of it being a Hamilton. It was, and is. It is a grade 940, 21-jewels, and one of the mainstays in Hamilton’s arsenal of 18-size railroad watches.