Hamilton Art Deco Dynotron

An electronic Hamilton with an art deco dial

Description:

This art deco styled Hamilton is a beautiful silvery watch that combines a relatively modern (for vintage) electronic movement with a gorgeous dial and styling.

1970 Hamilton Electronic Advertisement

Unfortunately, this 1970 era watch is close to the end of the line for Hamilton, a once proud and innovative company. The movement for this watch is the ESA 9154, the second iteration of the "Dynotron" electronic balance wheel movement series. This watch is Swiss made by Hamilton's Buren subsidiary, which made all Hamilton watches from 1969 until 1972 when Hamilton stopped making watches and became merely a brand, now owned by the Swatch group.

The main attraction of this watch is obviously the hands and dial. The dial features beautiful stylized numerals at 6 and 12 and a delicately textured metallic dial. The dial has a radial grooved texture and is ever so slightly slivery / cream colored. The dial has a shiny inner ring which marks the movement of the small second hand. All and all, a very striking and elegant design.

One unusual aspect of this watch is that it does not open through the back - it opens through the crystal like an Omega Dynamic. Keep this in mind when it comes time to change the battery!

Condition:

Case: Very good.
This case has only the tiniest marks on the bezel. There are a few minor scratches on the case back which are only visible because it is highly polished.

Face / Hands: Very good.
The face, numerals and hands, which are the most distinctive aspect of this watch are in very good condition. The silvery linen pattern on the dial is near perfect and unmarked.

Crystal: Very good.
Appears almost perfect. Upon super close inspection, the crystal has two tiny marks that are just visible in bright sunlight.

Band / Bracelet: Good.
The bracelet for this watch is not original. It measures about 7 3/4" in length. It can be worn on an 8" wrist but will be a bit tight.

Function / Accuracy: Good.
The watch keeps very good time. One thing that I noticed is that after changing the time or date, you must give the watch a good shake to get the balance wheel moving again. I'm not sure if this is a quirk specific to this watch or if this is common to this movement type. Once you get it going again, it seems very reliable.