Calling all Pocket Watch Buffs

I serviced this Hamilton grade 992E (Elinvar) for a friend, today. It was his late grandfather’s railroad watch. After his grandfather retired, the watch was shelved. The present owner’s father (as a boy) was fascinated by the watch, and played with it. Result? He dropped it, and all three dial feet broke off, the dial shifted, and the long pivot of the fourth wheel (carries the seconds hand) snapped off! Well, too late, but the watch was put away securely. It sat until the present owner’s father passed away, and the watch came to the present owner (the grandson). He has worked for CPR for 22 years, and is involved in the CPR Empress class steam locomotive # 2816 program. Try to find a fourth wheel for one of these! I check with numerous watch material suppliers, and no joy! The fourth wheels are made of unobtainium! I lucked out, and found a donor watch locally. Intact fourth wheel, and a very good double sunk vitreous enamel dial. Today, I stripped it, cleaned it, fitted the new fourth wheel and dial, replaced the seconds hand, fitted a new glass watch crystal, and here it is.

The Hamilton grade 992 was a very popular 16-size railroad watch, but it was not anti-magnetic. This in an era when diesel electric locomotives were replacing steam. Circa 1931, Hamilton upgraded the 992 by replacing the bi-metallic, temperature compensating
balance wheel and blued steel hairspring with non-ferrous parts (Elinvar), resulting in the watch becoming unaffected by magnetism. The 992 became the 992E. There was a fringe benefit as well. By adding Elinvar, the watch ended up not affected by temperature change.

There are a number of ways to identify a 992E. Check for the monometallic balance wheel. Or, in the third picture, you’ll see the “loupe” focussing on the pallet cock which is engraved ELINVAR.

In 1941, Hamilton brought out the grade 992B which was a total departure at that time, and nothing is interchangeable with the 992 or 992E.

It is possible there would be some components, like screws for example, that would match. But nothing else is interchangeable between the 992B and the 992 and 992E. The 992B and 992E both have the mono metallic balance wheel and hairspring which renders them both immune to magnetism, and temperature variations. The 992 has the bi-metallic, (steel and brass) balance wheel and blued steel hairspring. The 992 IS affected by temperature variation and magnetism.

Early Hamilton 992Es (like the subject watch) had an earlier Elinvar alloy hairspring which had problems. The alloy was soft and easily distorted. Elinvar alloy is white in colour. Later alloys were more successful. Hamilton had a lot of backlash from watchmakers and dealers about the colourless Elinvar hairsprings. Hairsprings in Hamiltons (steel ones), had always been BLUE. The result is that Hamilton DYED the Elinvar hairsprings BLUE! Notice the hairspring in the subject watch. It is BLUE! Yet it is an Elinvar (or Elinvar Extra) hairspring that has been dyed blue! When the later 992B was introduced, Hamilton built them with the white Elinvar Extra (white alloy) hairsprings in their natural white colour.

A guy came to the shop yesterday with his grandfather’s watch.

I felt comfortable asking to take a couple photos, but did not open it up.

He left with a belt pouch.

By the amount of brass showing, this had been a well loved watch. How hard did you try to sell him a leather lanyard?

He was not interested in a chain or lanyard but when he saw my belt pouch he clipped it on and never took it off.

@TexOmega ,

Thanks for that.

I re-read my post. My wording was awkward. I didn’t check the production date of the subject watch. I stated, “early 992Es (like this one, had (etc. etc.)”. Sort of sounded like I was calling the subject watch, “early”. The earliest 992Es had softer Elinvar hairsprings. The subject watch (from circa 1940) might have had the later Elinvar Extra, improved hairspring.