This fine Ball Hamilton 999P lever set railroad pocket watch was produced between 1938 and 1939 when the railroads in the U.S. employed up to two million individuals annually. For the rail industry, the United States, and the world, this was a time of great change and upheaval. The world was coming out of the Great Depression and straight into World War II. The Japanese Empire’s Pacific expansion was well underway, and Germany’s Third Reich went to war.

Meanwhile, in the U.S. rail industry, the end of the 1930s was also the beginning of the end of steam locomotives. Over the next two decades, when this watch served on the railways, diesel and steam locomotives ran side by side until the older steam engines were finally phased out in the 1950s. And somewhere on America’s vast rail system, a well-paid individual in a prominent position used this Ball Hamilton Grade 999P as a part of their duties.

While many railroad-grade watches were manufactured according to the railroad timekeeping standards, only a few were explicitly designed to not only meet but exceed the standards set forth by Webb C. Ball. And that is exactly what Ball Hamilton did with this Grade 999P movement, and then they housed it Ball’s patented Stirrup bow case.

To own this Ball Hamilton 999P is to own a piece of history, and not just any history, but a pivotal moment in humanity’s past, a time when technology was propelling us into a new era, a time when the fate of the world hung in the balance and old empires fell, and new empires rose. This is a wonderful timepiece for daily carry or display in your home or office, where it will show beautifully.