Hamilton Electric Converta

I love the idea of taking something useful from the past and restoring it to its purpose.

The details:

• Brand & Model: Hamilton Electric Converta
• Year: 1959
• Diameter: 36mm
• Height: 12mm
• Movement: 500
• Battery Life: 1-2 years
• Jewels: 11
• Lume: Vintage
• Frequency: 18,000bph (2.5Hz)
• Crystal: Sapphire, Domed
• Water Resistance: 0
• Strap: Brown Leather
• Original Cost in 1959: $140
• Estimated Value: $700

A vintage watch is a great addition to any collection, whether it be of monetary, sentimental, or historic value. This post is about a watch that leans toward historic value.

I wanted a vintage Hamilton Electric. Something made in the U.S.A. before Hamilton was sold off to the Swatch group. I also did not want to bust the bank. So I watched eBay auctions and eventually a Converta (I or II) came up for auction. I went with the buy-it-now option since I thought the price was reasonable. It was in non-working order at time of purchase. This watch is dated 1959.

Note: Dial was in fairly ok shape, hands needed changed or re-lumed, normal wear on case, missing bezel, years of accumulated dirt, and it had no strap. Check out those battery leads 🙂
A lot of classic 50’s and 60’s watches were “gold” watches. I am not a huge fan of gold anything, but I thought one gold dial in the collection would be nice. Regardless, the main reason I wanted this watch was because it had the 500 movement. Although the 500 is known to be moody, it was the first battery-powered watch in history. It is not solely mechanical and it is not quartz. It is utterly unique as a hybrid battery-powered mechanical movement that is fully-jeweled with 11 jewels.

Note: The Converta I in the lower-rightI knew I was going to have either fix it up myself or have it professionally refurbished and serviced. After weighing time and cost I decided that having this professionally handled was probably best, especially to get it back in working order after who knows how many years. For future work I will probably handle it myself, but there is a very knowledgeable and friendly chap in Texas that specifically handles Hamilton Electrics. If you are looking for Hamilton Electric services I recommend Jarret @ http://www.unwindintime.com.

Here are the results.

The H design on the crown is wonderful. I chose a steel bezel from a Converta IV to replace what was originally either an 18k or 14k gold bezel on this Converta I or II model. The hands were replaced with identical ones with vintage lume that was not chipped. I have tried to find out more about the original owner, but no luck yet. Note the date of the service award (5-1-59).

This will be a wonderful watch to wear at formal events! And as someone who loves to hold a mechanical watch to the ear every so often to hear the beats, this Hamilton Electric Converta with the 500 movement has a temperamental and one-of-a-kind sound.

Also, I do not plan on opening up the case-back and taking pictures of the clean and serviced movement until absolutely necessary!