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Calling all Pocket Watch Buffs

TexOmega
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production records for small lots showed 24 operations vs 108 so would cost 1/2 as much

"AND ONLY SUPERFICIAL TESTING was required to show that Melamine dials were LESS fragile than the vitreous originals "
馃槻

I would suggest a bit more rigorous testing would have shown just the opposite, unless the cost-cutting decision came first.馃榿.......those lucrative Govt contracts had run OUT 馃摉
 
TexOmega
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Waltesefalcon Waltesefalcon
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.
20220824_164003.jpg 20220824_163105.jpg 20220825_122107.jpg



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
 
TexOmega
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Pastorbottle Pastorbottle
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.
 
TexOmega
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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 that was easily superseded by the robust AND accurate Bulova Accutron within a year or two.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.
 
Canuck
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TexOmega TexOmega
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.
 
Canuck
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Waltesefalcon Waltesefalcon
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.
20220824_164003.jpg 20220824_163105.jpg 20220825_122107.jpg

You would know better than me, but your dial sure looks like enamel to me, and not melamine.
 
Waltesefalcon
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TexOmega TexOmega
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
It's glossy in hand. In the direct light you can also see some more of the crazing.
20240711_094906.jpg
 
Waltesefalcon
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Canuck Canuck
You would know better than me, but your dial sure looks like enamel to me, and not melamine.
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.
 
Canuck
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Waltesefalcon Waltesefalcon
It's glossy in hand. In the direct light you can also see some more of the crazing.
20240711_094906.jpg


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.
 
IMG_2536.jpeg
TexOmega
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Waltesefalcon Waltesefalcon
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.
 
Hamilton#Dial-332-Melamine-535 Enamel - Different W.jpg
Alpha
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Hanging around today 馃榾

IMG_4367.jpeg
 
DaveK
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TexOmega TexOmega
16s Hampden with gold inlay "William McKinley" 21j RR grade 1905

A pretty movement on that thing
 
Canuck
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TexOmega TexOmega
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:
 
TexOmega
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DaveK DaveK
A pretty movement on that thing


It needs a service for the nickel to really sparkle. I tried to capture the decorative nature.
 
Pastorbottle
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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
IMG_0692.jpg IMG_0691.jpg IMG_0690.jpg IMG_0688.jpg IMG_0687.jpg


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
 
ghce
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Pastorbottle Pastorbottle
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
IMG_0692.jpg IMG_0691.jpg IMG_0690.jpg IMG_0688.jpg IMG_0687.jpg


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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