And whoever decided to designate the watch as Hamilton grade 971 was apparently unaware that Hamilton had used that number 971 for a 16-size, 21-jewel, pendant-set, hunting-case movement, made only between 19, with a total production of 2,497. The ELGIN 847 marking on the movement was replaced by HAMILTON 971.Īpparently nobody bothered to inform Hamilton people in Lancaster, PA about all this. Steele dropped the Elgin name and grade number from the watch and started marking it as HAMILTON with the stylized "H" logo above the center and on the dial, and "23 JEWELS" below the center.
no., now 02/SX, with some extra number added (02/SX7, 02/SX0 according to Table 1 of the article.Īfter Hamilton acquired the Buren Watch Co. Steele's import mark "SX", added to the Buren cal. According to a RAILROADERS' CORNER column some time ago in the NAWCC BULLETIN by Ed Ueberall and poster Kent, titled "Buren & Its Mexican Railroad Watches", these watches had H. As Elgin agents, naturally they used the Elgin name on the railroad standard watches they imported, though Elgin may not have been involved with the new Grade 847. Steele y Cia., had been Elgin agents/importers in Mexico, and also operated "Servicio de Tiempo", which operted the watch inspection service for the various Mexican railroads, and which sold standard watches to railroad employes. 01 had all the latest improvements such as alloy balance and hairspring and "Novostone" friction jewel settings.įor many years H. 02, and its companion, the similar but negative pendant-set cal. 02 originated c.1960 as an upgraded version of earlier Buren movements that had also been furnished for use as Mexican railroad standard watches. Based on Buren calibre 02, the same movement was actually in use even earlier as a Mexican railroad standard watch, Elgin Grade 847. The Buren-made (Swiss) "Hamilton" Grade 971, 23-jewel watch was in use as a railroad standard watch in Mexico several years before Hamilton ceased movement production in Lancaster, officially in 1969. Actually, even Hamilton was confused by this one!!
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