1940s Palladium Hamilton Information?
I was wondering if there might be some vintage Hamilton experts here that might have some familiarity with this period and watch or else direct me to a good place. This was my grandfathers watch that he likely bought in the 40’s (or 30’s?) and has been in the family ever since. It appears to be made out of palladium, according the stamp on the case and bracelet. The bracelet is not adjustable and appears that my grandfather had 6” wrists (1.5” smaller than mine). Some quick searches haven’t turned up much about palladium Hamiltons. The numerals look like they are hand carved rather than cast. I’m not sure about that. They also appear to have clear gems (diamonds?) of various sizes and cuts. Would love to hear the thoughts.
I’m a software engineer and watch enthusiast. I’m not excited about brand or heritage, but rather engineering tech.... spring drive, solar GPS, electrostatic drive, transistor tuning fork regulation,...
Also, what do you think of the hands having an unusual bend and the crystal that almost seems to be hand ground?
Hamilton Bat Signal: @Davemcc
Hamilton Bat Signal: @Davemcc
These are not factory produced Hamilton watches. The cases were made by jewellers or bought from aftermarket case makers. The jeweller would generally buy a cheap gold filled Hamilton model as a donor for the movement and sometimes the dial. The movement and dial from the cheap factory watch was fitted to the precious metal case with tons of diamonds which could then be sold for a small fortune.
This was a common practice in the early decades of wristwatches. Hamilton sent letters to its dealers discouraging the practice and refused to warranty a Hamilton movement in a non-Hamilton case. Hamilton even went as far as suing jewellers who used the Hamilton name on the dials of these creations. This is why you will sometimes see watches with the dials marked “Hamilton movement”. They also instituted authentication factors to every Hamilton case which was the Hamilton Watch Co. Lancaster PA hallmark on the inside of every case back. These aftermarket cases don’t have that hallmark.
The sales ads linked above are also Hamilton movements in aftermarket cases. As I said, it was a very common practice and very profitable for the jewellers, especially with platinum/diamond ladies models which are probably 95% aftermarket from my experience.
Even though these are franken watches, assembled from a mix of genuine and aftermarket parts, there is a healthy demand for these and they tend to hold value well above the value of the metals and diamonds.
These are not factory produced Hamilton watches. The cases were made by jewellers or bought from aftermarket case makers. The jeweller would generally buy a cheap gold filled Hamilton model as a donor for the movement and sometimes the dial. The movement and dial from the cheap factory watch was fitted to the precious metal case with tons of diamonds which could then be sold for a small fortune.
This was a common practice in the early decades of wristwatches. Hamilton sent letters to its dealers discouraging the practice and refused to warranty a Hamilton movement in a non-Hamilton case. Hamilton even went as far as suing jewellers who used the Hamilton name on the dials of these creations. This is why you will sometimes see watches with the dials marked “Hamilton movement”. They also instituted authentication factors to every Hamilton case which was the Hamilton Watch Co. Lancaster PA hallmark on the inside of every case back. These aftermarket cases don’t have that hallmark.
The sales ads linked above are also Hamilton movements in aftermarket cases. As I said, it was a very common practice and very profitable for the jewellers, especially with platinum/diamond ladies models which are probably 95% aftermarket from my experience.
Even though these are franken watches, assembled from a mix of genuine and aftermarket parts, there is a healthy demand for these and they tend to hold value well above the value of the metals and diamonds.
Thanks Dave. That’s very interesting culture of the times, which I guess is not unlike modding today. I was taking a closer look at some of these, comparing the palladium stamp on the case back. I wonder if there might have been a common manufacturer for an alternative metal case given the similarities of the stamp
Interesting to see the similarities and notice the differences in this side by side.
Thanks Dave. That’s very interesting culture of the times, which I guess is not unlike modding today. I was taking a closer look at some of these, comparing the palladium stamp on the case back. I wonder if there might have been a common manufacturer for an alternative metal case given the similarities of the stamp
There were several aftermarket companies that would sell whole product lines of optional cases to jewellers. They would generally be matched to a particular company’s movements. Hamilton was a popular option because they were considered the leading American watch brand at the time.