jshopper1
03-07-2009, 09:14 PM
Hi,
At the end of January, I picked up this Ball Hamilton B of LF at a local antique shop. I sent it to my watchmaker and he replaced the mainspring and shipper spring. He cleaned, oiled and adjusted it. It is running just as Mr. Ball would expect, flawlessly.
As you can see from the pix, it is serial 13029, third lowest serial B of LF known. It is not perfect as you can see. This watch was no sock drawer queen. But these things are so darn rare that one in any condition is noteworthy. The dial has some hair lines around the 8. There is a small flea bite in the dial at the 28 minute mark. And, oh yes, the minute hand has some issues. I believe that the minute hand is an original Ball Hamilton minute hand, but it looks like it had its tip snipped off. If these things could only talk, I would love to hear the stories that it would tell.
The case is not in bad shape considering the tough life that it likely led. The bezel has a very thin strip of brass along the bottom edge and some scratches. The back cover has most of its pattern worn off, but it actually looks better than the pictures show. Those black lines in the photo of the back are not really there in real life. The back is not brassy.
The crystal, probably a replacement, is new glass in nice condition.
I took the pictures outdoors using the milk jug technique in bright spring sunshine. I touched them up with my image editing program.
I plan to keep the watch and enjoy it as is. If I run across a new minute hand, good, I will replace it. If not, I will still enjoy it every day. I wind it daily but plan to carry it rarely. I have plenty of every-day watches to carry. This watch needs to be preserved for future generations. After all, we are not the owners of our watches, merely the current custodians charged with their preservation.
Enjoy.
Dennis
At the end of January, I picked up this Ball Hamilton B of LF at a local antique shop. I sent it to my watchmaker and he replaced the mainspring and shipper spring. He cleaned, oiled and adjusted it. It is running just as Mr. Ball would expect, flawlessly.
As you can see from the pix, it is serial 13029, third lowest serial B of LF known. It is not perfect as you can see. This watch was no sock drawer queen. But these things are so darn rare that one in any condition is noteworthy. The dial has some hair lines around the 8. There is a small flea bite in the dial at the 28 minute mark. And, oh yes, the minute hand has some issues. I believe that the minute hand is an original Ball Hamilton minute hand, but it looks like it had its tip snipped off. If these things could only talk, I would love to hear the stories that it would tell.
The case is not in bad shape considering the tough life that it likely led. The bezel has a very thin strip of brass along the bottom edge and some scratches. The back cover has most of its pattern worn off, but it actually looks better than the pictures show. Those black lines in the photo of the back are not really there in real life. The back is not brassy.
The crystal, probably a replacement, is new glass in nice condition.
I took the pictures outdoors using the milk jug technique in bright spring sunshine. I touched them up with my image editing program.
I plan to keep the watch and enjoy it as is. If I run across a new minute hand, good, I will replace it. If not, I will still enjoy it every day. I wind it daily but plan to carry it rarely. I have plenty of every-day watches to carry. This watch needs to be preserved for future generations. After all, we are not the owners of our watches, merely the current custodians charged with their preservation.
Enjoy.
Dennis