# Hamilton Electric as daily wearer.



## Ted (Oct 29, 2009)

*Anyone here wear a Hamilton Electric as your everyday, daily wear watch? Shut it down at night to preserve the contacts, of course, but otherwise 12 hours a day, day in and day out, just like it was originally intended when new 50+ years ago? If it had been restored by Jared, Paul, Rene, or Dan, with contacts changed, then regularly cleaned and lubed every couple of years, would it last like a regular manual or automatic wind watch? Just wondering. Would love to hear from the BIG FOUR Master Restorers on this question, or anyone else familiar with Hamilton Electrics...specifically the 505 movement. Rene has a famous story in his book about one of the inventors of the Hamilton Electric modifying and improving the Hamilton Electric...I think he added a diode or something to keep the contacts cleaner than normal, plus some other changes. His modifications were never adopted, but to prove a point, he keep that watch on his desk, ran it continuously(only changing batteries) for years and years, until he passed away. Of course, that was a very special modified one, but how about a standard 505?*


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## martinus_scriblerus (Sep 29, 2008)

I will ask Jarett Harkness to weigh in on this one.

FYI Rene has retired and sold his business to Jarett.

Over the course of the year I will probably wear 50 different watches, including many Hamilton electrics. I don't think I have a "daily wear watch". I just wear whatever I feel like today. I suspect that many watch enthusiasts will do the same thing.


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## harleymanstan (May 29, 2009)

Hi Ted,

Jarett here. Sorry slow to reply. Since taking over for Rene, I am spending a lot of time in the shop! I have many clients who wear their Hamilton Electrics daily. I have quite a collection myself, so they are rotated, as martinus mentioned.

As far as 500 movements go, and if memory serves me correctly, Rene told me that he ran one of the Jeweler's Displays with only routine battery changes for eight years on his desk before the gold tab on the balance wore through. That's quite a testament, and maybe more of an exception, than a norm, but the 500 movement can be very reliable. Worn cases are a testament to the durability of the watch. People did not wear non running watches around on their wrists, and I see lots of very worn cases.

On the 505, there are two types of contacts: D-Pins, and Z-Pins. The Z-Pins tend to last longer, but are more difficult to install in my opinion, and I do not have any in stock. I have a pretty large supply of New Old Stock D-Pin contacts, and as part of my service on a watch, I remove the old roller table containing the D-Pin, and install a new roller table with NOS D-Pin contact. I have not personally done experiments on how long a watch will run with a NOS D-Pin, but Rene said he estimated that with constant use, one would last in the neighborhood of 3 years. After 3 years of continuous use, a normal mechanical watch would likely be in need of a service as well.

You mentioned running the watch 12 hours a day. By doing that, in effect you extend the life of the D-Pin from approximately 3 years to 6 years, and will likely double your battery life as well (in the setting position, the circuit is open on a Hamilton Electric, which is not the case with a modern quartz watch, which will drain the battery regardless of crown position). This is why I do encourage owners to place the watch in setting position when stored. Preserving the contacts allows for the same amount of enjoyment of the watch, at a reduced cost. It also saves parts which are no longer made.

So the long and short of it is that a Hamilton Electric, if cared for properly, can easily be a daily wearer, and people did just that in the 50's and 60's.

Jarett


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## Ted (Oct 29, 2009)

Thank you, Jarett, for a very detailed reply. I think it is important to add that the key here is that the Hamilton Electric be first fully and properly serviced by you or Paul or purchase one that was previously restored by you ,Paul, or Rene in the fairly recent past with a replacement of the D or Z pin as part of the service. We all know that all mechanical (including automatic and electrics) need proper cleaning and periodic lubrication of expected to be worn very frequently. Rotation of all of them by collectors and owners of multiple watches absolutely does extend their useful life. Anyone that purchases such watches that are bone dry lubrication wise, gunky the the pivots, and in the case of Hamilton Electric, with typically worn D or Z pins and carbon build upon the points, should never wear it more then extremely occasionally , and just display them for there cool case designs, until such time that they can be sent to you or Silver Hawk for proper servicing.


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## Always"watching" (Sep 21, 2013)

Most interesting thread. I have sometimes wondered about the longevity of quartz watches in general when they are in daily use, and I have been surprised at just how long they can go on working without needing anything bar a change of battery now and then. As for quartz and pre-quartz electric clocks, these often seem to be able to go on "forever" and I had some pretty old examples that have still come to life when a battery is connected. I presume that the Accutron type watches are a bit more "sensitive" in use than your average modern quartz watch but, after all, they were presumably tested and manufactured to be daily wearers - if perhaps needing a bit more servicing over their lifetime.


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