Identify age of Hamilton 770.

[mattcampbell14]

Hello all. I just bought a Hamilton 22j 770 wrist watch that is running excellent. However, When I try to identify its age I cannot find any information on for the 770 model. The only information on the movement is 22j 770 USA Adj.
On the case I see S495024 and S&W 10kgold filled.
Does anyone know its age or where I can find the year it was made?
Thanks, Matt

 

[doug sinclair]

This image is from Dr. Roland Ranfft's movement archive. It states the vintage as being circa 1955. Iit is very likely that this movement was made for a number of years. So, I f you will supply the S# of the "works", we might be able to give you more information. By the way, the 770 number refers to the grade of the movement, and it is not the model number of the watch. The case was made by Schwab & Wuischpard which was a case maker who was independent of Hamilton. So there really would not be a lot of info on the case that would aid in determining vintage.

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&Hamilton_770

 

[mattcampbell14]

Thank you very much. The information is very helpful.

 

[mattcampbell14]

I don't see an "S" number on the movement itself. Just on the case.
Matt

 

[mattcampbell14]

I'm gonna try to attach a similar Hamilton. But where it has gold dots for the numbers, mine have slim triangular markers for the numbers. Mine also has the gold band.
Matt

 

[doug sinclair]

The serial number on the case would not match the serial number on the movement, if indeed there was one there. The Ranfft archive estimates circa 1955 for the introduction of this movement, but I am almost certain it would have been produced for a time after that. The Hamilton data base on the NAWCC website (available only to NAWCC members) gives a lot of information on a lot of Hamilton watches. But to use this data base, you really need a S#. I have read that Hamilton eventually did drop the serial numbers on some of their watches. By the way, the watch shown in the Ranfft archive doesn't have a serial number either.

 

[mattcampbell14]

Thanks Doug. The information I provided is all I could find on this wristwatch. If there is a serial numbe on it, it is either hidden, so small that I can't see it, or in a location I'm not aware. Anyway, this watch is in really good physical and running condition. Looks like it was very seldom worn. There isn't even any dirt or grime where the pins hold the band in place. Wish I could get my BW Raymond pocket watch to run this well.
Matt

 

[Don Dahlberg]

Is it one of these from the 1956 Hamilton catalog? There are lots of cases from this time that look similar. If we had a picture of your watch, it would help a great deal.



As others have said, the 770 movement was introduced August 1, 1955. I know it was still being produced in 1958, when they stopped keeping count. Still we can check out the catalogs if we have something more to go on.

Don Dahlberg
NAWCC volunteer

 

[gatorcpa]

The Grade 770 was the last Hamilton movement totally produced in the USA. I think the very last mechanical watches made in Lancaster (the $20 gold piece replicas) have them. These date from 1969.

Hamilton stopped putting serial numbers on the movements in the late 1950's. My guess is that by this time, they had overproduced movements, and there was no further point in trying to identify them by year produced.

The only way to really figure out the age of one of these later 770's would be to go over to the Vintage Watch Forums website and find the link there for the old Hamilton catalogs.

Hope this helps,
gatorcpa