North American Auction Company
Live Auction

Legends of the West: Western & Native American Sale

Sat, Sep 23, 2023 11:00AM EDT
Lot 260

1909 Hamilton Grade 940 14K Filled Pocket Watch

Estimate: $400 - $600

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$30,000 $2,500
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
For your consideration is this Hamilton Grade 940 pocket watch circa 1909. In 1892, Hamilton was established in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the company started making pocket watches. There was no standard method of timing in place during the early years of American railroads, and accidents were common. Hamilton pocket watches' accuracy contributed to the solution of this issue, earning them the moniker "The Watch of Railroad Accuracy." Hamilton provided hundreds of soldiers with timepieces that could be relied upon at all times during combat in 1914 as an official supplier to the American Armed Forces during World War I. This led to a permanent change in production from pocket watches to the more practical wristwatch. In order to concentrate on the enormous task of supplying the American Armed Forces during WWII, Hamilton stopped making watches for the general public in 1941. Hamilton produced more than a million timepieces, including wristwatches and marine chronometers, between 1942 and 1945, and was even given an Army-Navy E award for manufacturing excellence. In addition to producing chronometers for the Navy, Hamilton also created a special tool for testing them. The dial error of a chronometer could be estimated to within 1/100th of a second per day using Hamilton's Time Comparator. Today the company has partnered with Air Zermatt, the world-famous mountain rescue team and Air-Glaciers, a rescue team with a powerful dedication to honoring their duties in the mountains. The pocket watch shows the serial number inscribed alongside the movement in gold numbering reading, "632428" indicating it was made in 1909. The pocket watch is a grade 940, model 1, 21 jewel, size 18 pocket watch with a nickel movement finish and full plate. The watch is also railroad graded with a Class A grade. The case was made by Crescent Watch Case Company in Roseville, New Jersey between 1904 and 1909 and features a 14k gold filled case with a 25 year guarantee. The pocket watch is in good overall condition and the second hand ticks when wound, showing working condition. The watch measures 2 3/16" in diameter and a height of 3". The watch weighs 119.5 grams.

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