The Hamilton Watch Co. rightfully made a name for itself as the “Railroad timekeeper of America,” and railroad grade watches were the company’s bread and butter. As a result, the company made very few dress pocket watches. Therefore, this Hamilton Grade 975 Model 1 was an unusual departure for Hamilton.

In a nutshell, this watch was everything a railroad-grade watch could not be. It features a Roman numeral dial, a non-railroad grade movement, housed in a hunter case. Interestingly, the popularity of Roman numeral dials fell into decline after the advent of the 1895 railroad standards. And as the fortunes of the Roman numeral dial fell, the Arabic numeral dial surged in popularity. The railroad standards were only part of the reason for the shift from Roman numerals to Arabic numerals. Before 1890, dials were handpainted, and the Roman numerals were easier to paint by hand than the Arabic numerals. This changed when ink transfer techniques emerged after 1890, and with this new technique, the obstacle to making Arabic numeral dials had been cleared.

This Hamilton 975 movement is housed in a gorgeous and equally unusual yellow gold fill hunter case. It’s rare to find a turn-of-the-century hunter case in good condition because the harder steel spring clasp wore down, the softer gold fill case, wearing the case lid out where it would no longer stay closed. This case has retained its original function due to its owner’s care, carefully closing the lid each time by pushing the crown down to close the lid rather than simply snapping it shut. For future owners of this watch, it’s an important step to keep in mind to preserve the functionality of this increasingly rare turn of the century case type.

If you’re a fan of Hamilton’s fine pocket watches and are looking for an unusual specimen of the Hamilton Watch Company’s craftsmanship, this watch certainly fills that role. It displays beautifully, and the still-functioning hunter case elevates this timepiece into a league of its own.