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Lancaster horological supply9/10/2023 The Hamilton "Model 22" is a classic Marine Chronometer and Deck Watch that certainly played a significant role in American horology, so it was only a matter of time before someone decided to pay homage to this watch and to come out with a wristwatch in the tradition of the Hamilton Model 22.įounded in Mount Joy (Lancaster County), Pennsylvania around 1991, Roland Murphy's "RGM" watch company has long been an insider's tip for great quality American watchmaking. A fine regulation (that reminds me a little of a swan neck regulator somehow) helps adjust the regulator lever in small increments to regulate the movement to perform to chronometer specs even today. Model 22, 21 jewels, Adjusted to Temp & 8 positions, Made in U.S.A." and in my case " US NAVY - BU Ships 1942" as well as the individual serial number. Its designation is engraved and states " Hamilton Watch Co. The movement itself is nicely decorated with Geneva stripes. The back is easily unscrewed as well and a soft iron cover protects the movement from magnetic fields. So how did Hamilton address the issues at hand in the 1940's? How did they come up with ways to keep the watch wound properly, avoid that an operator might setting the time by mistake when winding the watch, keep the movement running accurately in different positions and at different temperatures?Īn acrylic (plastic) crystal in a coin edge bezel that is simply screwed onto the watch case covers the dial, making it a breeze to replace the crystal even without special tools should the need ever arise. Earnshaw invented a particular form of escapement with a device called a "spring detent" and a type of balance wheel that compensated for changes in temperature. So in the 1780s and 1790s two great rivals, John Arnold and Thomas Earnshaw developed a new form of chronometer that could be mass-produced. Harrison’s clock however was extremely complex and difficult, thus expensive to reproduce. Harrison proved that it was possible to create a timepiece that was both accurate enough to be used for navigation aboard a ship and small enough not to interfere with the ship's operation. In the year 1761, John Harrison's famous "Chronometer #4" was successfully taken along during a sea voyage to use accurate time as a method of navigation (Longitude). The challenge was nothing new: an English carpenter by the name of John Harrison was the first to build a successful clock that actually worked on a ship moving in all 3 dimensions. A mass produced (yet nevertheless accurate) ships chronometer was an important detail to help keep ships moving and supply lines going. Ships at the time had to rely on accurate timepieces not only for Navigation, but also to synchronize movements with other ships for example in supply convoys, radio discipline and so on. When the US Navy Bureau of Ships was looking for an inexpensive deck chronometer for use on Navy vessels, Hamilton responded. Over one million different watches were produced in their factory during the war and Hamilton continued to develop and produce new timepieces in Pennsylvania for as long as 1969. Ever since, the Hamilton Watch Factory is part of the Swatch Group and over the past few years has released a number of homage watches celebrating some of their past horological successes. But let's go back to the 1940's and World War II. But in 1940, the Hamilton watch factory focused production on timepieces for the US military and supporting the war efforts. Founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1892, Hamilton has been producing watches for the general public since 1893.
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