In the 1920s the American railroad ran on the watch in a man's pocket. The rules allowed a conductor's watch to gain or lose no more than thirty seconds a week, inspected on schedule, its record kept on a card, because two trains on a single track were kept apart by nothing but the time on two dials. Hamilton of Lancaster, Pennsylvania had spent thirty years building watches to that standard, and the railroads ran on Lancaster time.
In those same years the watch itself was leaving the pocket. Men were coming to wear the time strapped to the wrist, and in 1924 Hamilton answered with its first movements built for it. The caliber 987 was one of them, seventeen jewels, wound by hand, a small engine held to the railroad maker's standard, made in Lancaster from 1924 to 1929.
Hamilton built its movements to outlast the watches around them, and the one in this watch did exactly that. It outlived the watch it was first sold in, and in the 1960s it was set into this case, under this dial, and sold again in the fashion of that decade. The dial is printed Hamilton, with Movement in small letters beneath the jewel count, because the engine is Hamilton's and the rest of the watch is not.
Under a lamp that dial opens like a black flower. The outer ring is glossy black lacquer cut into pleated petals, every petal ribbed with hairline grooves that flash one after another as the wrist turns. Eight gold markers cut in the shape of slender diamonds stand applied across the black, a dot of aged luminous paint beside each one, and open gold numerals mark the quarters. At the center sits a disc of bright silver, engine turned in circle upon circle, and the seconds spin in their own sunken silver ring above the six. Two gold leaf hands sweep over everything.
The bezel is diamond cut, small bright facets in unbroken rows the whole way around, and it frames the black of the dial in constant glitter. The case behind it is gold toned over base metal with a stainless steel back, stamped Resistant to Shock, Dust and Magnetism. The crystal is domed acrylic, and the crown is gold toned and unsigned.
Terms: Please review all photos carefully as they are a part of the listing. This is a vintage timepiece performance can vary with wear, temperature, and position.
Because this watch has been serviced, I provide a one-year limited warranty on the movement. If the movement develops a functional issue under normal use within one year of purchase, I will repair it at no cost for labor. This warranty does not cover anything related to the case, dial, hands, crystal, pushers/crown, bracelet/strap, or cosmetic condition, and it excludes any issue caused by external factors, including but not limited to impact or dropping, case damage of any kind, shock, improper use, tampering or attempted repair by anyone other than me, water or moisture exposure, humidity/condensation, magnetism, corrosion, loss of parts, or any other accidental or intentional damage. Any shipping costs associated with warranty service are the buyer's responsibility unless otherwise agreed in writing.
All sales final.
