Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

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River Rat
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by River Rat » Sat Aug 04, 2018 4:33 am

Well did a little work on the outer box.
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Before
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After. Cleaned up the box a little and I replaced the missing carrying leather strap and used a extra issued number plaque I found in the bottom of the inner box.
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Picked up the movement at the post office in the morning the other day had to wait until the afternoon to check it out and put her back in the gimble box. Had to take my brother to the VA emergency at Fort Harrison a 100 mile drive one way so messing with this chronometer had to wait wish the VA would help him all ways seems like they just put a band aid on health problems these days. Well she runs great. Before the service this movement had some problems. Like when you wound it you did not hear the clicks and if you wound it when it was running the second hand would go backwards a little and the movement would stop and the brass tub the key hole were you put the key in to wind it has a spring loaded cover you move to put the key in and it covers the hole when not in use to protect the movement from dust did not work good. Well all those problems are now taken care of. She runs great now. Probably been 40 years since this sucker been serviced.

ncstate1201
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by ncstate1201 » Sat Aug 04, 2018 5:24 am

Looking good, hard to find one with inner box intact let alone with the outer and now a leather strap and number plaque

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Grahamcombat
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by Grahamcombat » Sat Aug 04, 2018 7:41 am

That’s really cool Mike.

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gonzomantis
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by gonzomantis » Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:06 am

Outstanding! Makes me want to start looking, as if I need another place to spend money.

River Rat
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by River Rat » Sat Aug 04, 2018 9:15 am

Now for any one thinking of getting one. These are delicate Navigation instruments. Don't trust most Ebay seller who sell them just make sure there in running condition and they know how to cork the balance wheel for shipping and the brass case with movement in it's own cardboard box and the wooden boxes in another mine the movement in the brass tub was in it's own box and the wooden box the main box so both were in the main box and well padded if the brass tub left in the wooden gimble box damage to the wooden box can happen in shipping so ask the seller a lot of questions . Before you use it for long periods have it serviced here is who I used he had the best price out of two I would trust working on these he was half the price.
http://jlcrabtree.com/clox.html
Never move the hands backwards can damage the movement all ways forward, you will notice when you wind it when at a complete stop it will not start you wait for the correct second on the GOVT. time web site and give it a gental twist at the right second and she running then set the hour and minute hands with the winding key in the center of the hands a nut the key fits there and turn for the proper time. They say keep these running 24/7 so wind it every day or it could change the timing. Or if you let it sit for a while cork the balance wheel with a small piece of paper or a real piece of cork cut really small a slever and let it run down for a complete stop before you do it protects the balance wheel and detent. Just some pointers. These were sold to the Navy for 680.00 apiece in WW2 with inflation that would be about 10 grand a lot of money back in WW2. I did not pay that the military all ways over pays for stuff even back then.

River Rat
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by River Rat » Sat Aug 04, 2018 9:54 am

You know when you open the outer and inner box to this chronometer you all most smell the sea. There's a musty smell I will never forget like this deck equipment locker on my first ship that was 3-4 decks down you used block and tackle to pull stuff out only way in was a scuttle hatch strait down and a ladder. Some A-hole put FTN on a locker in our deck department berthing space so the boatswain took away all deck department liberty that day after working hours had us remove every thing from the deck equipment locker and put it on main deck as punishment 3-4 decks worth of shit. Anchor chain links turnbuckles pelican hooks for the anchor chain heavy shit with a block and tackle and all kinds of stuff this was in Guam no air-conditioning then clean it and put every thing back we looked like wet rats and black from dirt when done. I would of kicked that guys ass who put FTN on a locker if I knew who he was. It did work no one ever put FTN on a locker after that.
Last edited by River Rat on Sat Aug 04, 2018 1:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

River Rat
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by River Rat » Sat Aug 04, 2018 10:55 am

Here is one for sale on our favorite auction site ya right.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Marine-Chronom ... 0.XHa.TRS1
Some one cleaned it up. What different on this it has a devise you use a allen wrench to tighten it down and loosen it on the movement to secure the balance wheel instead of corking it. The Navy did this when they got serviced at the Naval observatory and put these on. His price a little high I would say it will need a 400 dollar service make a offer of 2000 due to the service it will need. And see if he takes it if you want one for the collection.

River Rat
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by River Rat » Mon Aug 06, 2018 8:24 am

I set the time last Friday to the GOVT. time site. So far +3s in four days I will do another time check on this Friday for a 7 day run time. Not bad for a 73 year old timepiece.

River Rat
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by River Rat » Sun Aug 19, 2018 8:03 am

When I told the story of the USS Abner Read DD 526 well here is the ending story weird how I was thinking about this and now this.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/a ... a-found-o/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/photos/r ... hp#image=1

River Rat
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by River Rat » Sat Feb 02, 2019 9:10 am

Well bought a new toy to go with this chronometer. This sextant was used along with this chronometer to get a navigation fix so you know exactly were you were at sea maybe since I got a lot of time on my hands being retired and all I mite figure how it works. Been looking at these for a while on good old fleabay they all wanted over 300 to 400 for Junkers got this for under 150.00 with buy it now so no bidding war how I like to by stuff on flea bay.
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Can't wait to get it does look mint they did come with extra mirrors and screw driver see those missing if it had them originally. But other wise think I got a deal.

River Rat
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by River Rat » Sat Feb 02, 2019 9:57 am

A photo when our US Navy was well trained in ships navigation god forbid the Russians or the Chinese don't take out our GPS satellites or our Navy and even weapons systems will be put out of commission in WW3.
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River Rat
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by River Rat » Sat Feb 02, 2019 10:34 am

Wonder if Schick the company that made this Sextant was the razer blade company a lot of Company made a lot of stuff for the war effort in WW2 like the Remington typewriter co made 1911 pistols and ford and other car manufactures made aircraft during WW2. That effort what made the USA win WW2.

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Steve O.
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by Steve O. » Mon Feb 04, 2019 2:42 pm

River Rat wrote:
Sat Feb 02, 2019 9:10 am
Well bought a new toy to go with this chronometer. This sextant was used along with this chronometer to get a navigation fix so you know exactly were you were at sea maybe since I got a lot of time on my hands being retired and all I mite figure how it works. Been looking at these for a while on good old fleabay they all wanted over 300 to 400 for Junkers got this for under 150.00 with buy it now so no bidding war how I like to by stuff on flea bay.
Image
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Can't wait to get it does look mint they did come with extra mirrors and screw driver see those missing if it had them originally. But other wise think I got a deal.
Interesting. Looks like fun.
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things." - George Carlin

River Rat
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by River Rat » Thu Feb 07, 2019 6:38 am

Well I get a email from the seller saying it got stolen with some tools and he wanted to give me some free movie CD's and a refund for my trouble sounds like he got a better offer. Told him were to stick those movies and just give me back my money and the feed back will tell the story after I ask to see the police report what do you know no police report. Told him it will be neutral and he said it was stolen so he can't use that one again on a buyer.
Well I just bought this one on Ebay hopefully this seller better at delivering it.
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Should clean up the ivory along the degree marks are dirty the brass and the ivory and the black coating should clean up. The first one was a stadimeter for doing distance from ships and for targeting for gunnery and be used a little for certain navigation since it was missing the colored glass for use with the sun the incoming sextant got the colored glass so can be used for all around navigation. The new sextant even has a built in light the battery's would go into the holding handle bet it don't work now being made in 1946.

River Rat
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Re: Incoming Hamilton model 21 chronometer

Post by River Rat » Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:11 pm

Here are a few other collectibles I got for the collection.
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Got a British Navy officer of the deck telescope from 1944 the lenses are in great working order. A US Navy parallel ruler from 1943 with box used to plot the course on a chart. A British Navy chart of Gaum from the 1990's even has Polaris Point were my ship the USS Proteus was home ported there was a dive of a bar called Andy's Hut across from the ship made out of tin I guess a typhoon blew her down like the big bad wolf after I left for another ship we even had beer machines on the beach there you put in 50 cents and a Budweiser would pop out I bet those are long gone.
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A few of the sellers photo's I got a great price on this really cool piece of Naval history with WW2 going on when this was used.

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