"The Hamilton Watch - The Watch of Railroad Accuracy."

1920 HAMILTON

RAILROAD WATCH

Pocket Watch

"The 992 in its various forms is one of the finest movements around..."

It was only after a railway crash in the late 1800's, involving two trains between Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway due to poor time keeping that it opens the need for Railroad (RR) watches to be "railroad approved". Consistent timekeeping was the only thing that kept trains from running into each other. So, a standard was developed to define types of watches that could be used.

Trains opened a whole new world for people who up until now had no reliable and affordable way of reaching other parts of states and the country. Before this date, there was no real need for a standardized time as people very much stayed in the vicinity of their homes. The railway crash (caused by one of the train driver’s watches being off for 4 minutes) symbolized a point of change. 

A notable watch inspector, Webb C. Ball was brought in by the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway in 1891, he was tasked with bringing their time inspection system up to industry standers. He became the Chief Time Inspector for the railways which essentially meant they were responsible for ensuring universal timekeeping was applied for trains crossing the country to avoid such accidents again. Ball's career eventually led to him being the time inspector on more than half the United Sates' railways, leading to a far more uniform set of standards across the US. 

This emphasis on accurate timekeeping is something that has transcended the decades with the RR standard (certain accuracy criteria had to be met before a timepiece could be regarded as RR standard). They were the first watches allowed to be used on the Railroads, using a Swiss manual-winding movement. Followed quickly by the American made watches on "the roads".

Today, we are presenting one of the Hamilton's finest RR watches, a Hamilton Railroad pocket watch dated from 1926 It is a high quality antique mechanical pocket watch Hamilton grade 992, model 2, 21 jewel movement, 16s size, U.S.A. made, adjusted 5 positions. The 992 is a lever set watch, so you pull out a lever to set the time. 

The Hamilton 992 was introduced in 1903 and produced until 1930 and was the movement with the longest production. When the market had moved away from pocket watches to wristwatches, the Hamilton 992B is a successor of the 992E (992 Elinvar hairspring, made from 1931-1941).

It still has the beautiful original white dial with big bold Arabic Numerals, bold minute marks and large matching hands. This feature makes the time easy and clear as possible to read creating a distinctive and functional railroad watch aesthetic. The sub second is located at 6. Also, the dial is signed with the Hamilton name/logo on top.

It is cased in a 50.4mm round case, all in yellow gold field.

After more than 100 years, this watch is a lovely timepiece, is in very good condition and a very attractive looking pocket watch! Runs very well and keeps great time!

Thank you for considering this timepiece. Feel free to reach out with any questions or respectful offers!

Vintage watches are traditionally smaller than today's watches. Men’s watches typically measure between 29-36mm wide (some larger, some smaller) excluding the crown. In the listing details we typically try to do our best to list all pertinent dimensions of a watch. If you don't see it, or we failed to do so, please reach out to us. Women’s watches from the 1900s-1970s were also much smaller than today's offerings. Please also feel free to ask any questions you have concerning size.

We prefer to take photographs outdoors when the weather allows. However, when shooting indoors, please note that we use lightboxes equipped with 360 LED bulbs, which can magnify any flaws that may be less noticeable to the naked eye. That said, we never use Photoshop to alter our images or remove blemishes. While we may adjust the lighting as needed, what you see is what you get, and we take pride in that.

The condition is pre-owned.  
The item may show some signs of cosmetic wear, but it is fully operational, and functions as intended.
Please take a moment to review the photos, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have. 

The item will be carefully packed for shipment.

Please view our other listings. 

Thank you for reading! 

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