Lindell V. Riddle
05-25-2002, 08:17 PM
First of all, you may find some people approaching you to buy that Hamilton Masterpiece, those watches are all the name implies. I call them "a Masterpiece of understated elegance" and they are truly beautiful and high-grade precision instruments.
There is a writeup on the Hamilton Masterpiece in Cooksey Shugart's "Complete Guide to Watches", the 2002 edition on page 213 and it is also listed on page 226 for pricing.
But your bigger question involves the Waltham with the "rotating seconds" in the dial. You will find reference to it on page 126 of that same watch guide.
On Walthams, as on Hamilton watches that kind of dial was usually fitted by the factory to a 17 jewel movement, although it could certainly be fitted to any movement for a nominal charge by the retail selling jeweler. On a Waltham as stated previously, it is commonly referred to as "rotating seconds".
Hamilton advertising from 1930 offers the "Secometer Dial" their number 55, for an extra charge of $5.00 at retail.
These dials are actually quite simple in operation. A small disc as you mentioned is positioned in place of the regular second hand just above the number 6 and it is imprinted 0 through 60 in 5 second increments with each individual second also denoted as a hash mark. Those numbers then show through a window on the specially designed dial.
They represent an early attempt at digital timekeeping and more than 70 years later remain an interesting curiosity. Most collectors will gladly pay an extra premium for a watch so-equipped.
Although we do not get into appraisals in this forum, that is covered fairly well in the aforementioned watch guide.
I congratulate you on owning two wonderful timepieces. They are "12-size" which often get lost in the rush to buy the larger RailRoad grade watches, but many of us who collect them believe they will increase in value in the coming years, especially in the higher grades and more unusual models such as you have.
I hope you find this information helpful.
Lindell V. Riddle, NAWCC Life Member#253
[This message has been edited by Lindell V. Riddle (edited 05-26-2002).]
There is a writeup on the Hamilton Masterpiece in Cooksey Shugart's "Complete Guide to Watches", the 2002 edition on page 213 and it is also listed on page 226 for pricing.
But your bigger question involves the Waltham with the "rotating seconds" in the dial. You will find reference to it on page 126 of that same watch guide.
On Walthams, as on Hamilton watches that kind of dial was usually fitted by the factory to a 17 jewel movement, although it could certainly be fitted to any movement for a nominal charge by the retail selling jeweler. On a Waltham as stated previously, it is commonly referred to as "rotating seconds".
Hamilton advertising from 1930 offers the "Secometer Dial" their number 55, for an extra charge of $5.00 at retail.
These dials are actually quite simple in operation. A small disc as you mentioned is positioned in place of the regular second hand just above the number 6 and it is imprinted 0 through 60 in 5 second increments with each individual second also denoted as a hash mark. Those numbers then show through a window on the specially designed dial.
They represent an early attempt at digital timekeeping and more than 70 years later remain an interesting curiosity. Most collectors will gladly pay an extra premium for a watch so-equipped.
Although we do not get into appraisals in this forum, that is covered fairly well in the aforementioned watch guide.
I congratulate you on owning two wonderful timepieces. They are "12-size" which often get lost in the rush to buy the larger RailRoad grade watches, but many of us who collect them believe they will increase in value in the coming years, especially in the higher grades and more unusual models such as you have.
I hope you find this information helpful.
Lindell V. Riddle, NAWCC Life Member#253
[This message has been edited by Lindell V. Riddle (edited 05-26-2002).]