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Pastorbottle
路Cost cutting decisions have always come first!
Calling all Pocket Watch Buffs
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TexOmega
路My 950B also has a melamine dial in pretty good shape. If you look, you can see a small crack on each side of the 1. I've also included a photo with my boots for some continuity with Tex's post.
If it appears "satin" or "matte" in hand it is most likely a post 1961 dial
Mine is still kinda glossy at the parts of it that show no hairlines馃榿
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TexOmega
路Cost cutting decisions have always come first!
Yep......and within just a few years a stainless steel case(#15) was introduced and it was roughly1/3 the cost to the consumer. So, one can imagine the cost to Hamilton compared to the gold filled cases.
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TexOmega
路Modernity alters the landscape extremely quickly, you don't want to be making buggy whips when everyone wants an automobile....and Hamilton was fighting 2 deluges that swamped them....jet airplanes and the wristwatch.
Print Media saw how fast their Kingdom crumbled when the wave crested and swamped them. It was quick.
What finally killed Hamilton was dumping all their R/D resources into a secret hybrid-electric wristwatch all through the 1950's only to produce a fragile, fairly inaccurate watch(BUT GREAT STYLING!) that was easily superseded by the robust AND accurate Bulova Accutron within a year or two. They were essentially done by 1966 but lingered to about 1969.
Print Media saw how fast their Kingdom crumbled when the wave crested and swamped them. It was quick.
What finally killed Hamilton was dumping all their R/D resources into a secret hybrid-electric wristwatch all through the 1950's only to produce a fragile, fairly inaccurate watch(BUT GREAT STYLING!) that was easily superseded by the robust AND accurate Bulova Accutron within a year or two. They were essentially done by 1966 but lingered to about 1969.
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Canuck
路More good information
hamilton-23-jewel-railway-special-dial-is-flat-white-porcelain.135689
So, @Canuck has a Hamilton 535 Heavy Gothic dial
and the only other dials for a correct 950B would be:
332 Heavy Gothic (Melamine version of the 535)
379 Melamin Numerical (Montgomery style)
and the very scarce 151 Numerical (Montgomery style with Melamine)
Hamilton 151 Dial is at the bottom
Splendid research! Obviously, production of melamine dials evolved over time, the object being to improve the durability. I expect Hamilton had vitreous enamel dials in inventory that were used up after the melamine dial was introduced. I prefer the enamel dial.
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Canuck
路My 950B also has a melamine dial in pretty good shape. If you look, you can see a small crack on each side of the 1. I've also included a photo with my boots for some continuity with Tex's post.
You would know better than me, but your dial sure looks like enamel to me, and not melamine.
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Waltesefalcon
路If it appears "satin" or "matte" in hand it is most likely a post 1961 dial
Mine is still kinda glossy at the parts of it that show no hairlines馃榿
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Waltesefalcon
路You would know better than me, but your dial sure looks like enamel to me, and not melamine.
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Canuck
路It's glossy in hand. In the direct light you can also see some more of the crazing.
With this perspective view, I can see your dial is indeed melamine. In gemmology, the lustre of the surface of a gemstone can be considered to be waxy, adamantine, or vitreous. The picture of my Hamilton 950B taken in perspective, shows a waxy lustre. I very much doubt that any melamine dial could exhibit a vitreous lustre.
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TexOmega
路I wish it were enamel. In my post above you can see the tell tell cracks much better in the light and with the crystal removed.
Best way to distinguish V. Enamel from melamine with these 23j dials is to look at the "W" in RAILWAY of both, VE will be sharp and clear and melamine will be soft and wispy.
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Alpha
路路Kilt Owner, Beagle Parent, Omega CollectorHanging around today 馃榾
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TexOmega
路
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ghce
路This bought tonight.
Seth Thomas private label to Cyrus Nelson Gibbs https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/seth-thomas/67026
relativly rare.
Seth Thomas private label to Cyrus Nelson Gibbs https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/seth-thomas/67026
relativly rare.
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Canuck
路This is what happens when you delve a bit. Interesting!
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~silversmiths/genealogy/makers/silversmiths/197611.htm
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~silversmiths/genealogy/makers/silversmiths/197611.htm
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Canuck
路16s Hampden with gold inlay "William McKinley" 21j RR grade 1905
The pocketwatchdatabase site listing for the Hampden. The movement appears to tick all the boxes necessary for it to be considered railroad standard. But the listing above says it is not! I wonder!
https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/hampden/2141385
As of 1930, three Hampdens were listed as railroad approved: The 23-jewel Special Railway model, the 21-jewel New Railway model, and the 19-jewel Railway model. Seems to me the only real difference between the subject watch and the New Railway model is the model name! I believe I read somewhere that Hampden was the first company to use the term railway as part of the description of their railroad standard watches.
Edited:
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Pastorbottle
路I'm having a break away from home at the moment visiting an old mate in Echuca up on the Murray River, his Missus showed me this little ripper, that was her grand dad's
Forgive the quality of the pix, we had been on the piss all day and the whiskeys had taken their toll!
The watch runs but is obviously in need of a service as the lube has gummed it up a bit and it needs a new crystal as it is MIA
Forgive the quality of the pix, we had been on the piss all day and the whiskeys had taken their toll!
The watch runs but is obviously in need of a service as the lube has gummed it up a bit and it needs a new crystal as it is MIA
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ghce
路I'm having a break away from home at the moment visiting an old mate in Echuca up on the Murray River, his Missus showed me this little ripper, that was her grand dad's
Forgive the quality of the pix, we had been on the piss all day and the whiskeys had taken their toll!
The watch runs but is obviously in need of a service as the lube has gummed it up a bit and it needs a new crystal as it is MIA
Could be decent movement under the cover that given it's a solid gold case.
You want to get your thumbnail under the back cover ( curvette ) and see what magic is revealed.
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Pastorbottle
路Could be decent movement under the cover that given it's a solid gold case.
You want to get your thumbnail under the back cover ( curvette ) and see what magic is revealed.
