# Hamilton 925 From 1902 With A Replacement Face



## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

I was given an old Hamilton 925 pocket watch last Christmas. Lovely old watch, but the face was badly chipped and repaired with what looked like Snopake. After much searching, I found a replacement face at a site in the US, and the price wasn't too bad. Luckily, my "American Pocket Watches" data book gave me the dial feet settings so, when it arrived, it fitted the movement perfectly!


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## Rotundus (May 7, 2012)

nice that.


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## no8yogi (Oct 1, 2012)

I love that, have you got a picture of the movement? My grandfather in law has a lovely Hamilton from the 40's great pocket watches


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## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

Here's the movement: It's not sophisticated by later standards, but it was classed as railroad grade in its day.


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## clockworkorange (Jan 9, 2012)

very nice ,i havn't seen a hamilton pocket watch movement ,quite different from your elgins and walthams


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## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

The later Hamilton movements are not dissimilar from other American pocket watch movements like Illinois, Elgin or Waltham, etc. - just that this one is from an older period of design.


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## DJH584 (Apr 10, 2013)

I am not going to cast dispersions on your thoughts about this being a Railroad grade watch however, according to pocketwatch database and using the serial number from your movement, I found the following:

Grade: 925

Movement Serial Number: 131652

Estimated Production Year: 1900

Run Quantity: 1000

Size: 18s

Jewels: 17j

Movement Configuration: Hunting

Movement Finish: Nickel

Model: 2

Movement Setting: Lever

Plate: Full Plate

Adjusted: No

Railroad Grade: No

However, you have done a superb job replacing that dial and that watch would look superb amongst my collection so well done you on your restoration.


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## hjs (Dec 3, 2008)

Really like the look of the movement


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## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

Hi David - you're quite correct in saying that it wasn't classified as "railroad grade" - my lazy description, I'm afraid. However - as has been noted before on this forum - there was a subtle difference between "RR grade" and "RR approved" - where many early pocket watches were approved to be of railroad use. It was forum member Shiner who picked me up on my rather naive definition of RR watches and pointed out the difference. "Railroad approved" is nearer the mark in this instance! :notworthy:


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## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

Will Fly said:


> Hi David - you're quite correct in saying that it wasn't classified as "railroad grade" - my lazy description, I'm afraid. However - as has been noted before on this forum - there was a subtle difference between "RR grade" and "RR approved" - where many early pocket watches were approved to be of railroad use. It was forum member Shiner who picked me up on my rather naive definition of RR watches and pointed out the difference. "Railroad approved" is nearer the mark in this instance! :notworthy:


It's the other way round Will. Many watches were of 'Railroad Grade', but for one reason or another they were not 'Railroad Approved'. It is the Railroad approved watches that were used by Railroad Engineers and Conductors. The railroad grade watches were for people who wanted a high quality watch that was extremely reliable and as accurate as the robustly cased approved versions, but maybe in a highly decorative gold case with perhaps pendant setting as opposed to lever setting. :yes:


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## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

Will, Just to clarify the situation. Although your watch is in an open case it is in fact a hunter movement, that's why it winds at 3 0'clock not 12 o'clock. Your Watch is an 18 size Grade 925 and is a hunter movement, with no adjustments and by 1900 when your watch was made the qualifications for railroad grade were becoming more stringent, and so would not have met the requirements of railroad grade and so would not have been railroad approved. Whereas the Grade 924, 926, 934, 936, 938, 940, 942, 944 and 946 were all railroad grade and approved. Notice they are all even numbered 18 size, and there are no odd numbers mentioned at all. The even numbers are open faced and the odd numbered movements were hunter cased.


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## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

Thanks Shiner - I'll get this right one day! My American friend who gave me the watch (a great collector of Hamiltons) insisted that the watch was RR grade. Why he should do so when it's now patently obvious that it's not is a mystery... Thanks once again for the clarification.


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