A thing of beauty

[Clark J]

I think I read that Elgin alone made 200000+ A-11s.As for bands Jeff for the first time in his life is correct on the 1 pieced band..can save on a BIG repair bill if you happen to break a spring bar!

 

[Andrew]

Thanks for the link chaps. The one I have is one piece and that's what I want to get again.

 

[TankBuster]

I think I read that Elgin alone made 200000+ A-11s.As for bands Jeff for the first time in his life is correct on the 1 pieced band..can save on a BIG repair bill if you happen to break a spring bar!

Nice one buddy! :lol: What have you been sneaking in the house since the wifey is out of town? You and Mark have to get up here!

 

[bazelot]

Thanks for the link chaps. The one I have is one piece and that's what I want to get again.

Andrew, is that the Elgin marked strap that you have? If so they are NOS WWII production. I have a few of those and they are the only ones I use on my watches (except for the one I put on my R88, it's a repro from Clark. Thanks again Clark)

The Elgin A-11s are definitely more common to find but they are getting harder to get in good shape. I used to have 5 or 6 of them and I sold them all. Andrew got the last one .

 

[bazelot]

What is the diff between a R88 and a FSSC??

I do not think there is a difference. They both are the 88-W-800 serie. I would love to find out why they used the R88 and the FSSC designations though.

 

[siddhartha]

If you decide to use it as a daily wearer, I'd highly recommend finding someone reputable to service it. It's got an uncertain history, and a little preventative maintenance will go a long way.

May be pricey to do so, but less than a major repair down the line.

Chris

 

[deeb7]

May be pricey to do so, but less than a major repair down the line.

Such good advice, a dry watch may keep running for years, but eventually you can end up replacing everything that moves.

You wouldn't do it to the car ....

 

[bazelot]

I just received another Hamilton R88 watch and it is amazing. All it needs is a new crystal and I will try to get that done this weekend. It also needs to be cleaned up a bit and I will do that as soon as I get the crystal installed. This one is named to a Marines pilot

 

[TankBuster]

Another great watch Tom!

I picked up another FSSC as well since this thread. It's a FSSC made by Waltham with all the correct original components. Not as valuable as the Hamilton, but a rare watch as well.

 

[bazelot]

You should post pics Jeff. I still own a lot of Waltham FSSC watches but my daily wearer is a Hamilton.

 

[bazelot]

I also recently acquired this beautiful USMC R88 sub second watch.

It came to me not working and needing hands, a crystal, a stem, a crown and a few wheels in the movement. A guy I know here in the Bay Area did an amazing jovb fixing it.

 

[TankBuster]

You should post pics Jeff. I still own a lot of Waltham FSSC watches but my daily wearer is a Hamilton.

I will Tom.

Looks like you've been busy lately. Another nice pickup!

 

[bazelot]

You should post pics Jeff. I still own a lot of Waltham FSSC watches but my daily wearer is a Hamilton.

I will Tom.

Looks like you've been busy lately. Another nice pickup!

I have been mostly focusing on my WWII flight helmet collection lately but I also love collecting those Hamilton R88 or FSSC pilot watches when they are affordable and available.

 

[Happy Hooligan]

wonderful watches! I'd love a few of those myself

 

[bazelot]

I just received another Hamilton R88 watch and it is amazing. All it needs is a new crystal and I will try to get that done this weekend. It also needs to be cleaned up a bit and I will do that as soon as I get the crystal installed. This one is named to a Marines pilot

My USMC Hamilton R88 finally has a crystal. I finished cleaning it up yesterday and it is a beauty. I wanted to get aperfect crystal for it (low profile military types) and there are so many different sizes out there that it was not easy to find. Ia m wearing it today and it is just beautiful.