Ladies Hamilton Cocktail Cal.14 9ct 1966

Hamilton

For almost 90 years, Hamilton has been known as the Movie Brand, owing to its close association with Hollywood. Hamilton watches first appeared on the silver screen in 1932 in the Marlene Dietrich movie ‘Shanghai Express’ and in 1951, their watches had a starring role in the major Hollywood movie ‘The Frogmen’. Ten years later, the Ventura appeared on the wrist of megastar Elvis Presley in his musical comedy, ‘Blue Hawaii’. Hamilton watches have since appeared in over 500 major feature films, including recent box office hits ‘Interstellar’ and ‘The Martian’ and are always chosen by production designers. To recognise their achievements, the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards were launched in 2006 to honour the heroes behind the scenes of these major movies.

Description

The watch we have here is an absolutely delightful example of a ladies Hamilton cocktail watch in 9ct yellow gold from 1966. This watch is complete with its original, integral Hamilton bracelet, also in 9ct gold. The condition of the bracelet, watch case, dial and movement is beautiful and indicate this watch has only ever seen very occasional and careful use.

The Dial

The beautiful, original, unrestored and untouched silver-white dial carries applied gilt ‘baton’ hour indices, and as can be seen in the close-up photographs, is in superb condition. The dial is complete with its original ‘index’ style hands which are also in tip-top, original condition.

At 15mm diameter, excluding the crown, this is a mid-sized cocktail watch in comparison with most others of the period. However, the dial, gilt hands and gilt hour indices make the dial easy to read, even at arms length.

The dial is simply signed with Hamilton at the top, just below 12.

Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however, we decided in this case, due to its exceptional condition, to retain its originality and charm for the many collectors who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website which have been restored.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you see here may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

This very high grade Hamilton Calibre 14, 17 Jewel hand-wound movement is of exceptional quality and is original to this watch. It has been fully overhauled and serviced by our watchmaker who reports it to be in excellent condition and we are therefore happy to offer this watch with our 12 months warranty*.

The movement is simply signed ’17 Jewels’, and ‘Swiss’.

Note: This watch is perfectly suited for evening wear and special occasions, but not for everyday use. Watches of this age, even with this quality of movement may gain or lose up to 2 minutes per day due to their age. They will however, run for at least 24 hours and are wonderful, both to wear and own.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the full list price is paid.

The Case

The 9ct yellow gold case measures 15mm in diameter, excluding the correct Hamilton signed crown. Please note, the size of the winding crown may look overly large in certain photographs. This is because the watch is small in comparison and the crown needs to be of adequate size in order to wind it. However please be assured, it is the correct crown for this watch.

The case is of a very solid two-piece design with a radial cut bezel. This design improves water and dust resistance. The press fit case-back clicks into place with a firm and satisfying ‘pop’, indicating it is a nice tight fit and is of full thickness, having never been inscribed.

Inside the case-back is simply signed with 9ct hallmarks, along with the case reference number 46665, which date this watch to 1966. The signature ‘D.S.&S’ is also found. This stands for David Shackman & Sons. Shackman & Sons were very high quality case-makers who along with  Dennison and Sons in Birmingham, produced top quality cases for almost all of the watch brands you see on this website.

This watch has been exceptionally well cared for and so the case has simply required a clean, a thorough inspection, and then a gentle hand-polish to bring it back to its current ‘like new’ condition with no scratches, dings or dimples, or other forms of damage visible to the naked eye.

Please note – our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Bracelet and Clasp

The original, integral, mid-sized Hamitlon unsigned bracelet is also in solid 9ct yellow gold and is in immaculate condition, showing no signs of wear or damage visible to the naked eye.

The bracelet has been tailored for a ladies small wrist size. The clasp and lock provide an adjustment of 0.6 centimetres, making the watch fit a wrist size 16.5cm – 17.1cm or 6.5 inches to 6.75 inches. This means this watch is really only suitable for ladies with a small sized wrist.

Please note – due to the style and tailoring of the bracelet, it would be difficult and therefore quite expensive to have this particular bracelet altered.