Hamilton Watches! I have been bitten by the Lancaster PA watch bug. Hopefully the affliction will subside and I will continue to focus on and enjoy the watches in my drawer and resist the temptation to add to the utilitarian collection. After researching the history of Hamilton watch company and its rise an fall in comparison to Elgin and Waltham, it was time to have another look at the family Hamilton. The first time I handled it, it did not aesthetically appeal to me. Maybe in 2023 I would have a new appreciation for this manual wind, Lancaster PA produced vintage watch.
First step was to figure out what model it actually was and which movement hid behind the dial. As all Hamilton experts know, their marketing team gave most of their watches names commonly reserved for people. After some time spent with Google images, my grandfather's watch is a Cedric. My conclusion was driven by a great overview of the watch as found HERE. Dan's website is a great resource for Hamilton info.
In truth, the watch is small. Small by today's standards. But here is the amazing thing. My
Grandfather (WBU) passed away in 1978. I am very certain this watch has been a drawer queen until 2023. 45 years laying in wait. It all began when I started to research my Uncle in Law's family Hamilton K-403. One things led to another and now I have a new appreciations for all things Hamilton.
Back to my WBU Hamilton. I took it out of the bag, wound it and wore it for a day. To my surprise it kept decent time. This piqued my interest in this 19 jewel 982 movement. It was one of Hamilton's primary movements and produced in large number. I
read they were first made in 1935 and were made thru 1951. Imagine that product cycle compared to today!
I treated the watch to a new band and perhaps someday I will open the case and use the serial number to date the exact year of manufacture. The Cedric model is said to have been introduced in 1950 and were sold for three years thereafter. Toward the end of the 982 time frame.
Intrigued by its performance after its first wind in years, I decided to wear it for a week and see how well it performed. I set it to TIME.IS on Monday March 6th. After 3 days it has only lost 2 minutes. See image below. My control, the ever accurate $24 Walmart Casio G-Shock showed the Cedric had lost 2 minutes and my 5500 Air King had gained 1 min 13 seconds. And the Air King was serviced in 2010. I think that after 45 years in a drawer, that is pretty amazing.
