# Too Many Specials



## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Bill (WatchNutz) kindly gave me a Hamilton Railroad Special 51 recently...I can't resist these but things are now getting silly...and some will have to go. But before they do, and since the sun was shining today, better get snapping... All have been restored and all have screw down backs.

From left-to-right:

4 x Hamilton Railroad Special 50. These are all stainless steel.

2 x Hamilton Railroad Special 51. All stainless steel case with 10K Gold Filled bezel

2 x Hamilton Railroad Special 52. All 10K Gold Filled case

1 x Hamilton Clearview. Very similiar to 51 with 10K Gold Filled bezel but with display back (very rare!)




























I then attempted a JonW-Towers-of-Hanoi type photo, and nearly lost them all h34r: Jon had the advantage of less watches and flat crystals!


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## Guest (Nov 11, 2008)

Very artistic arrangement, obviously Buzby Berkeley inspired.

Whilst it might be painful letting them go, do you really need duplicates of the same watch.

Flip them, and buy a Mortima


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## watchnutz (Jan 18, 2008)

Love those Railroad Specials!!

When you alerted me that you were going to do these photos, it got me looking at my RR watches again. I took this shot and now it's painfully clear I don't have the photography skills that you posess (nor the watch repair ones)










Front L-R

Hamilton #52

Accutron 1965 Canadian Railroad 218

Accutron 1976 218

Accutron 1969 214

Eterna Sonic tuning fork

Back L-R

Hamilton #50

Accutron 1966 218

Accutron 1964 214

Accutron 1974 Mark II 218

Hamilton #51


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Wow!

They look so nice... 

Great photos guys...


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## Stuart Davies (Jan 13, 2008)

Great job guy's :thumbsup:

Did they make these with anything other than white dials?


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## watchnutz (Jan 18, 2008)

> Did they make these with anything other than white dials?


Stuart, the quick answer is no.

The long answer is that in 1893 standards were set for a watch to be railroad approved. (of course at that time they were all pocket watches.) Regulations were: .... be open faced, size 18 or 16, have a minimum of 17 jewels, adjusted to at least 5 positions, keep time accurately to within a gain or loss of only 30 seconds per week, adjusted to temperatures of 34 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, have a double roller, steel escape wheel, lever set, micrometric regulator, winding stem at 12 o'clock, grade on back plate, use plain Arabic numbers printed bold and black on a white dial, and have bold black hands..."

Of course eventually wristwatches came to be accepted and in the US Hamilton and Accutron were the first. The Hamiltons have a micro adjuster on the regulator not found on the regular electric movement.


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Wow! and Eeeeek!

Paul, the tower is defo my easier with watches that have flat crystals... As soon as I saw your photo I had my hands up either side of the screen in case they toppled over! LOL


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

watchnutz said:


>


That's a nice selection on electric Railroads Bill. :thumbsup:

Were there any other electric Railroads by any other manufacturers that you're aware of? Wondered if Benrus, Belforte, Waltham, Wittnauaer etc did anything with an electric movement inside?

I know I have my new Accutron GMT Mark IV Railroad, but I really can't quite get on with that bulbous hour hand that they fitted to Accutron Railroads. I really don't like it.


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## watchnutz (Jan 18, 2008)

"Were there any other electric Railroads by any other manufacturers that you're aware of?"

Not that I am aware of, Paul. Waltham was one of the main players in Railroad watches in the pocket watch era. There are European railway watches of course and I believe Mondaine is the main one.

"I really can't quite get on with that bulbous hour hand that they fitted to Accutron Railroads. I really don't like it. "

That style hour hand was used on just about all the early pocket watch railroaders. It was part of the idea of making it quickly readable and part of the reg of "bold back hands".

I have this recent Timex quartz that is, of course, not railroad approved but it's style just screams railroad and would probably meet all the regulations.


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## watchnutz (Jan 18, 2008)

BTW the Accutron Canadian version pictured has a single hour hand with pointers 1 hour apart. One side is painted red and the other black. This was because they operated in two time zones. I have seen these have the red on the left and also, like this one, on the right. I would have to assume it would depend on whether it was for an Eastern or Western based crew. In this case it would be for western crew (assuming here) since the red arrow would indicate 1 hour ahead. Since I live in the Eastern TZ of the US the red is not useable ever unless you consider it the primary . Hope that made some sense.


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

Wow those collections are something else :notworthy:


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## Guest (Nov 15, 2008)

Superb collection


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## Stuart Davies (Jan 13, 2008)

watchnutz said:


> > Did they make these with anything other than white dials?
> 
> 
> Stuart, the quick answer is no.
> ...


Perhaps i should have asked for the quick answer :lol:

But seriously Bill that's a really interesting bit of information...do you reel this information striaght from memory? If so... :notworthy:


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