Need some infos about my Hamilton

[watchfriends]

Hello,

i have an old american watch, this is a Hamilton.
I do not collect american watches, so i don't know which cal. this is but i find it look realy great. Good quality, gold screws f.e. 21 jewels 992?

Is 992 the calibre?


http://pw.mikrolisk.de/gal/albums/album56/hamilton1.jpg
http://pw.mikrolisk.de/gal/albums/album56/hamilton2.jpg

[Tom McIntyre]

The terms "model," "grade" and "calibre" have been used in various ways over the years. For Hamilton, the number/name 992 is called the grade. Hamilton was quite disciplined in models. In 18 size watches there seems to be only 1 model, which was made in both HC and OF. In the 16 size watches the 3/4 plate and bridge models seem to be distinct but may have a lot of common material. The grades only appear on a single model and configuration but there are variations over time.

In addition to standard Hamilton production, there are also some special variations for Ball and Hayden W. Wheeler.

I am not a Hamilton expert so perhaps one of our members with more knowledge can contribute to the discussion.

Other companies used different conventions for models and grades. Named grades, in particular, were used for many different models by Waltham, Elgin, Illinois, Hampden, etc. With a very small number of exceptions, Hamilton only used numbered grades. Hamilton did reuse one grade number, the 922 and if the 18 size 923 exists that number was reused also.

[RON in PA]

To add to the information that Dr. McIntyre gave you, you should know that your 992 was made in approximately 1923-1924 and is one of approximately 550,000-600,00 992 watches made from 1902 to 1940. It was built to the American railroad standards of its day and is an excellent timekeeper, required to stay within plus/minus 30 seconds a week.

[Kent]

watchfriends:

The grade 992 was in continuous production from 1903 to 1931, and then with a modification, the application of an Elinvar balance (992E), from 1931 to 1940-1. This was an extremely popular watch, of which well over 610,000 were made. Thus, it is the most popular railroad watch ever built, surpassing its successor, the grade 992B (http://photos15.flickr.com/20828301_5cff0e2b3e_o.jpg) by around 80,000. You can view Hamilton's description and specification of the 992 on pages 8 & 9 of the 1912 Hamilton Hand Book (http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/dynaweb/eaa/databases/ephemera/@Generic__BookTextView/39505;nh=1?DwebQuery=Hamilton+#X) (courtesy of Duke University's "Emergence of Advertising in America" website). Notice that it was sold as a movement only. In the early-to-mid 1920’s, a cased 992 sold for $55 - $65, depending upon the case quality. An example of the pricing can be seen in the 1923 Baird-North Catalog (http://photos22.flickr.com/26416970_a8ee21af9d_o.jpg) (a grade No. 950 movement is shown in the ad, but the description is that of the grade No. 992. Although the Hamilton Watch Co. produced the 992 as a factory-cased watch Starting in 1924 (http://photos21.flickr.com/24323086_c12a7f146b_o.jpg), it could still be had as a movement only, to be cased by a local jeweler or by a mail-order firm, as seen in this 1928 Ad (http://static.flickr.com/29/42182199_5833876477_b.jpg).

You have a very nice, high grade watch,

[watchfriends]

:clap: thanks for your post :cool: