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Hamilton Royal Navy Pilots Chronograph "Valjoux Cal. 7733", 1970s — view 1 of 6
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Hamilton Royal Navy Pilots Chronograph "Valjoux Cal. 7733", 1970s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Hamilton (maker)
Date
1970s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Stock no.
HAMCHRONMIL
Credit line
Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (HAMCHRONMIL)
Catalogue title (original)
1970s Hamilton Royal Navy Pilots Chronograph "Valjoux Cal. 7733" (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number HAMCHRONMIL), this is a wristwatch by Hamilton, made in Switzerland, dated 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

Hamilton was founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1882 and initially specialized in producing pocket watches. The brand boasts a long and impressive history of breakthroughs in design and technology, and while probably best known for their military associations and fantastic field watches, they've put out some really remarkable outliers as well. During the 1970s Hamilton, CWC, Precista, and Newmark were contracted by the British Ministry of Defense and Royal Navy to provide them with pilot's chronographs under the ordinance DEF-STAN 66-4 which specified all chronographs be outfitted with start, stop, and reset pushers. The Valjoux Cal. 7733 chronograph movement was selected for these applications for its reliability and accessibility of parts. SPECS Stock # HAMCHRONMIL Brand Hamilton Style Military Pilots Chronograph Model 0552/924-3306 Serial N/A Size Men's Material Stainless Steel Dial Matte Black Millimeters 39 Strap 2pc Handmade Leather Strap CASE & BRACELET The handsome asymmetrical case exhibits no notable signs of previous polishing, retaining a crisp brushed finish throughout. The watch does appear to be demilitarized, however, as the fixed spring bars have been removed to accommodate removable straps, which is very common for military watches after service. The case retains its original pump pushers and unsigned crown. The case back retains all of its military markings in deep and legible condition. The watch will come supplied on a 2pc handmade leather strap. DIAL & HANDS The original matte black dial features the "circle T" tritium designation and the British military arrow, per the MOD specification, and is exceptionally well-preserved, showing no damage or notable elements of age. The tritium lume plots feature a subtle pale green coloration with some spots of darker patina as well, under UV light inspection the dial exhibits no degradation. The original tritium hands match the dial perfectly and show some minor cracking and lume loss when inspected under UV light and remain stable. ACCESSORIES

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

Atlas type guide

Chronographs and split-seconds watches

A chronograph is a watch with an additional seconds hand that can be started, stopped and returned to zero independently of the timekeeping. Louis Moinet built an early example in 1816 and Nicolas Rieussec a recording 'chronographe' in 1821; Adolphe Nicole's heart-shaped reset cam (patented 1862) made the modern return-to-zero possible. Split-seconds (rattrapante) chronographs add a second hand that can be stopped for intermediate times; flyback chronographs restart instantly.

Chronographs were essential tools for doctors (pulsometer scales), artillery (telemeter), engineers and sport. In wristwatches, Valjoux, Venus, Lemania and later the automatic chronographs of 1969 (Zenith El Primero, the Chronomatic Calibre 11 group and Seiko 6139) are milestones.

What to look for

  • Push-pieces on the case band or a single button in the crown (monopusher).
  • Subsidiary registers for minutes and hours; tachymeter, telemeter or pulsometer scales.
  • Column wheel versus cam control visible in the movement.
  • Calibre markings of specialist makers (Valjoux, Lemania, Venus, Landeron).

Dating clues

  • Pocket chronographs with heart cam reset: after 1862.
  • Wrist chronographs: from c. 1910; two-button designs from the 1930s.
  • Automatic chronographs: from 1969.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Read next:Flyback chronographChronograph

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