…from an antique movement and a modern case.\u00a0 The movement is a Hamilton 4992B Navigator’s watch 16s movement.\u00a0 The serial number dates the production year to 1950, so it’s now 66 years old and is running perfectly.\u00a0 I purchased a pilot watch case that will fit this movement and began the work of turning this pocket watch movement into a wristwatch.\u00a0 I decided to use the original dial and hands for this build, mainly to show respect for the watch’s beginnings.<\/p>\n
The strap is a closed loop design, which allows the watch to fit your wrist or to be worn on the outside of a flight jacket without changing the strap.\u00a0 Since the strap is a loop, once you put your hand through the loop you can’t drop the watch while fastening the buckle – dropping mechanical watches will cause them to be exactly right twice a day – except for this watch, which will be exactly right once a day.\u00a0 Not nearly as useful as you might think.<\/p>\n
This is a 24-hour watch – meaning that the hour hand makes one revolution every 24 hours rather then the far more common once every 12 hours.\u00a0 It does take some getting used to, because at first glance it may look like 6pm, but it’s actually noon.\u00a0 When it looks like 9am, it’s actually 6pm, and when it looks like 3pm it’s actually 6am.\u00a0 Once you’ve worn it for a while your mind makes the adjustment but it does take a little while.<\/p>\n
This movement is a hacking movement, meaning that when you pull out the crown to set the time, the second hand stops.\u00a0 This allows you to synchronize the watch to a known standard time source.<\/p>\n
This movement is probably the finest movement ever made in America, and I know I will get comments that disagree with me.\u00a0 The Hamilton 992B movement (the same kind as in my Grandfather’s railroad pocket watch) and this movement (4992B) are very closely related.\u00a0 The differences are the 12 vs 24 hour display, the hacking addition on the 4992B, and the center second hand on the 4992B.\u00a0 The 992B has a sub second hand.\u00a0 Both of these movements are literally the finest examples of American watchmaking.<\/p>\n
On to the photos.\u00a0 In one of the photos on my wrist, the watch is showing 11:30 pm.\u00a0 In the other wrist photo, the watch is showing about 6:20 pm.<\/p>\n
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