Hamilton watches?

[kirsch]

Hello all,

My father recently gave me a Hamilton watch which had been passed to him from his uncle. I have very limited knowledge about watch makers, and I know Hamilton is no fine piece of swiss craftsmanship, but, the watch dates to the 1920s--and that is why it interests me.

Being a bit old, does it carry any decent monetary value?

thanks,
chris

[RWS]

Age does not confer value, Chris. Nor, in this case, might fine quality: the best Hamiltons are the equal of all but the very best Swiss watches in excellence of manufacture, yet their prices lag far behind (a good thing, I think).

I hope you'll cherish the watch as an exemplar of formerly dominant American workmanship and, far more, for its long connection with your family.

[kirsch]

I certainly shall, and thank you for your response.

[pchong]

Hi Chris,

I presume this is a pocket watch...the new Hamiltons have nothing to do with the older ones...the new ones are totally Swiss, while the original Hamiltons were made in the US.

can you show us a picture? Some of the Hamilton Railroads are quite valuable, and very nicely finished.

[kirsch]

I'll try to snap a photo soon....it's a wristwatch by the way.

[Leitz Noctilux]

I'll try to snap a photo soon....it's a wristwatch by the way.

Hi K

Please note the use of 'WERE'; nowadays they are a low end division of the Swatch Group.

They had wonderful craftsmanship & finishing but the esoteric styled electric watches in the late 1950s to the 60s essentially killed the company.

Enjoy it with pride.

[Rudolf]

Dear kirsch,
would you let us know the serial number of your Hamilton? I might tell you more about your fine watch in terms of manufacturing dates (roughly) and model/size even though it does not say anything about the case and dial.
A great company, indeed, that started in 1892 (deriving from the Lancaster Watch Co.) manufacturing exclusively high-grade watches (i.e. at least 17 jewels, there are just a very few 7 J Hamiltons of the early years).