Hamilton 992B Railway Special 21 Jewel Railroad Pocket Watch with Mauve Presentation Box (1961)

About this Hamilton 992B Railway Special

This Hamilton 992B came to us from its original owner together with its mauve Hamilton presentation box, and the pairing is what makes it special. Hamilton shipped the 992B in a flip-top plastic box lined in blue velvet, the box collectors call the "cigarette" box. Most were ivory, and only a relatively small number went out in other colors, so a mottled mauve box, still with the watch it came with, is a rare find. The movement is a 21-jewel 992B, finished in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1961 and adjusted to temperature and six positions, and it sits behind a crisp Hamilton Railway Special dial in a Hamilton Model 17 10K gold-filled case by the Star Watch Case Co. Built from 1940 to 1969, the 992B was the last railroad-grade pocket watch made in America, and this one is in excellent condition throughout.

The 992B Model 5 movement is lever set, with 21 jewels, and adjusted to temperature and six positions, one more than the five the railroad standard required. Its nickel three-quarter plates are finished in fine straight-line damaskeening, and its jewels sit in gold-toned settings. The 992B was a new design from the winding arbor to the balance when Hamilton introduced it in 1940, and it brought Hamilton's own alloys to the railroad watch: an Elinvar Extra hairspring, which holds its elasticity nearly constant through heat and cold and resists magnetism and rust, working with a solid monometallic balance and a double roller escapement, powered by Hamilton's Dynavar alloy mainspring. Hamilton built 531,750 of them in 32 runs, and this one comes from a run of 6,600. The movement is pristine, and it represents the pinnacle of American railroad horology.

The dial is Hamilton's Railway Special, the name Hamilton registered in December 1939 for its railroad dials, with bold black Arabic numerals, a full minute track and a subsidiary seconds register at six. It is melamine, the durable dial material Hamilton used on the 992B by the late 1950s, and it is clean and bright. Black spade and whip hands read instantly against the white. Setting it is done the railroad way: unscrew the bezel, pull out the setting lever at the edge of the dial, and the clutch shifts from the winding pinion to the setting wheels, so turning the crown moves the hands. Push the lever home, replace the bezel, and the crown goes back to winding only, so the time can never be moved by accident.

The case is Hamilton's Model 17 in 10K gold-filled, made by the Star Watch Case Co. and stamped inside the back with both the Hamilton Watch Company, Lancaster, Pa. and Star names. The Model 17 first appeared in Hamilton's January 1956 price list and was the last new factory case Hamilton introduced for the 992B. Its bezel and back are edged with a twisted rope engraving, the bar-over-crown bow is hinged over a crown signed Hamilton Railroad, and the gold-filled surfaces have a warm glow and a comfortable weight in the hand. Star had made watch cases since 1899, in Ludington, Michigan from 1906. The case shows only very light wear and remains in excellent condition.

1961 was a year of new beginnings. John F. Kennedy was inaugurated on January 20, and on May 5 Alan Shepard flew Freedom 7 to become the first American in space; three weeks later Kennedy asked Congress to land a man on the Moon within the decade. The railroads were under strain as passengers moved to the highways and the airlines, and on July 7 the New York, New Haven & Hartford filed for reorganization. In watchmaking, Bulova had introduced its electronic Accutron the previous October, yet Hamilton kept building the mechanical 992B in Lancaster for the railroad men who relied on it. This one was kept by its original owner for all the years since, and it comes to you with the presentation box it came in.

All Vintage Pocket Watches are cleaned, oiled and adjusted for accuracy and warranted for one full year from the date of purchase.