Hamilton

 By Bruce Shawkey

Found this interesting watch in a 1964 issue of Europa Star Magazine:

The watch is part of Hamilton's "Pan Europe' series which included time-only and chronographs models.

Hamilton was founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892 and began producing pocket watches.

Hamilton factory, Lancaster, PA

The Hamilton factory still stands, converted into apartments and condominiums. I knew one of the last CEOs of Hamilton, John Gelson. When the Hamilton factory closed, Doctor Robert Ravel bought the remaining contents of the factory, including the watchmaking machinery, which had to be hauled away in several semitrailers.

Several of my favorite models are shown below:

Hamilton is now a Swiss company, owned by Swatch Group. The last American Hamilton rolled off the assembly line in 1969 and was an electric watch. Many famous Americans wore Hamilton watches, including Elvis Presley, Harrison Ford, and Marlene Dietrich. 

Here's a watch that was supplied for the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey:

The buttons on the bottom are non-fuctional.

The Hamilton Nordon was introduced in 1948, one of a first generation of water resistant watches, sealed (or "CLD" as Hamilton called it) against moisture. It was produced through the 1952 model year, at which point it was retired.

Some believe the Nordon was named after the inventor of a bombsight device used by the Army Air Force during WWII to more accurately drop bombs from airplanes. But his name was Carl Norden, spelled with an "e" at the end instead of an "o." So we really don't know for whom or what the Nordon was named.

The Nordon was part of a collection of rather plain looking round watches introduced just before and just after the war. These include the Sentinel, Norde, Langdon, Secometer, Secometer B, and Secometer C. These seven watches (including the Nordon), are so similar that after 30 years in the business, I still get them confused with one another. A fellow collector recently turned me on to a little "trick" to quickly differentiate the CLD models from the others: Most all CLD models end with the letters "ON." Think about it: NorDON, BelDON, LynDON, RearDON, etc. The only exceptions are the "Lange" which is the 14 kt version of the "Langdon," and the "Norde" which is the 14 kt. Nordon. I love to know what the executives at Hamilton were thinking when they came up with this naming strategy!

But back to the Nordon. What sets the Nordon apart from other Hamilton models (like all CLD models) is that its case (a 10kt gold filled) is a "top-loader" (i.e., the case opens from the top and the movement lifts out through the front of the watch). It has an 8/0-size 18-jewel Caliber 748 movement, which was also introduced in 1948.

The Nordon is just a scant 30mm diameter, making it a small watch by today's standards, but a very customary size watch for its day. The case manufacturer was the Schwab & Wuispard Case Co (S&W), which made many cases for Hamilton. The "cld" part was made possible with three gaskets in conjunction with the "top-loader" design. One gasket goes around the crystal, a second the bezel, and the third is inside the crown.  CLD models are not "waterproof" in the modern sense of the word, but they are more resistant to moisture damage than the average watch of the day, assuming the gaskets remained intact. This specimen does not have its gaskets, but as with any vintage watch, I would assume the new owner would have enough sense not to subject this watch to anything more than the occasional accidental splash, as from a rainstorm or faucet. If you want/need a watch that can withstand submerging, get a new watch.

The case on this specimen I would rate in above-average condition. There is a light horizontal scratch along the back, but more importantly the backs and inner surfaces of the lugs are not all chewed up, nor is there a channel worn underneath the crown. These spots on this model's underbelly are notorious for showing wear and tear. This case has pierced lugs, and the lug holes retain their original round shape and are not stretched out, which is another common wear point found on this model.

Two kinds of dials were available on the Nordon, the first with applied gold numerals (AGN) which the most common, and the other with luminous dial with matching hands. This is obviously the AGN version. It is in original state, and evenly aged.

The crown I believe is replacement, but a correct crown for this model: oversized for easy gripping in work or sport situations. I have seen several examples of this model where the crown was replaced with a thinner dress-style crown, which is incorrect for this model. The stem is of the two-piece variety, with male and female portions that friction fit together. This is not my favorite design, as the pieces can (and do) separate if you pull too hard on the crown when you set the time. But this design is necessary in order for the movement to lift out of the case. The two pieces of the stem on this specimen are secure, and are rust-free. Still, don't go pulling on the crown like you're starting a lawn mower. Apply just enough force to engage the set lever, and you'll be fine.

The 18-jewel Caliber 748 movement winds and sets perfectly. It keeps time to within 2 min/day. I do not know when the movement was last serviced, but it looks great and does not have any visible signs of corrosion. If you require greater accuracy than +/- 2 min/day, again you should not be buying a 70-year-old mechanical watch!

The crystal I assume has been replaced at some point, and it looks as though it is the correct, extra-thick glass crystal for this model. There are a couple pinpoint chips in the glass, but nothing serious enough to warrant replacement, in my opinion.

I've installed a new 16mm dark brown lizo-grain strap, which compliments the watch nicely, attached with new springbars. The band is a "long" length, so it should fit anything up to an 8-inch wrist comfortably, though certainly this is a watch that looks best on a smaller wrist. But even with a smaller wrist, it's nice to have a band long enough to leave a little "pigtail" at the end. Most of today's cheaper leather bands are barely long enough to fit even a 7-1/2 inch wrist.

I think every Hamilton collector should own a Nordon. I know this is a much-hyped line that over-zealous watch sellers say about every Hamilton! But the Nordon is special in that it was one of the first new "civilian" models to come out of the factory following the war. It utilized a brand new movement, and a brand new case design that was an important first step in Hamilton's development of a water-resistant watch.