All-original 16-size 21-jewel 1st-model Hamilton 992

Imagine stopping at the local jeweler on your way home from the factory in 1911. Trouble is brewing in Europe and if called you intend to serve, so you want a reliable pocket watch. You choose this brand-new Hamilton from behind the counter, wind it for the first time, set the hands, pay the clerk, and proudly head home for dinner, feeling its steady ticking in your pocket. Want to be the next owner?

Shipped FREE anywhere in America.

Check or money order only. Contact us to purchase.

$1,595

Watch Description

Hamilton's 16-size 21-jewel 992 debuted in 1903 with a pattern identical to the older and larger 18-size 940, which eventually became known as the First Model, even though there were two mechanical variants within the run that should have qualified as model changes but didn't. The Second Model appeared a decade later with the very same design but with pinstripes, which was entirely cosmetic, so it shouldn't have qualified as a separate model but did. The two variants within the first model were the number of dial feet, which went down from four to three, and the change from the two-screw crown boss to a single larger LHT one. This beautiful and original example is the earliest of all the variants and was just restored for the next owner with all twenty-one jewels still intact and all hardware present and correct, still in its original 25-year gold-filled Crescent clamshell case. The dial is the correct double-sunk light Arabic and is flawless behind blued moon hands and a new beveled glass crystal. Matching lanyard and display stand included.

Watch Specs

Manufacturer - Hamilton

Serial Number - 796236

Watch Size - 16

Watch Model - 1

Watch Grade - 992

Jewel Count - 21

Winding/Setting - Stem/Lever

Production Year - 1911

Company History

Just What Restored Means

Restoring a watch doesn't mean to make it brand new again, which isn't possible. Nobody can remove the mileage, the scratches, and the history.

What it means is complete disassembly and cleaning, and to examine every component for defects under a 30x scope. It means making sure that every gear, every screw, every spring, everything under the dial is the correct part and operating within the tolerances set at the factory all those years ago. It means timing it in all positions as close to zero error as its escapement will allow. It means making sure the dial is the proper one for a given model and that it's cleaned well and repaired if necessary. It means that all the hands are the ones that are supposed to be there and not just any ones found in a jar. It means the case is immersed in a tank and the pendant cleaned separately, that the bow and crown are right for that brand, and a new crystal.

It means a mechanical work of art you can be proud of.

Buy Back Policy

There will come a time when you want or need to sell this watch for one of several reasons. If it's going to a fellow collector or someone who will genuinely appreciate it, then that's fine. On the other hand, if you're consigning it to an auction house or selling it to your local jeweler or gold hog it will almost certainly end up on eBay in pieces with the case melted down.

Instead of the watch being parted out for the bottom feeders to pick over, we will gladly buy the watch back from you, less 10% and the cost of a COA, plus anything else needed to return the piece to the condition in which you originally bought it.

American Timekeeper

All-original 16-size 21-jewel 1st-model Hamilton 992

Watch Description

Watch Specs

Just What Restored Means

The Accessories

Leather Straps

Storage Chests

Buy Back Policy

The Warranty