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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Marine chronometer · Marine deck watch

Hamilton Watch Company Two-Day Boxed Marine Deck Watch, Model 22-21, No. 2F13626

Partially verified

This Hamilton Watch Company Model 22-21 is a two-day boxed marine deck watch dating to circa 1940. Mounted in a brass gimbaled bowl within a three-tier walnut box, the instrument features a silvered dial measuring 5.84 cm in diameter. The dial displays black Arabic numerals, an outer minute track, an up-and-down 48-hour state-of-wind indicator below 12 o'clock, and subsidiary seconds at 6 o'clock, inscribed 'Hamilton, Lancaster, PA., U.S.A.' The auction catalog reports a nickel-plated lever escapement movement with bi-metallic compensation balance marked 'Hamilton Watch Co. Model 22-21, Made in the U.S.A., U.S. Navy-BU. Ships-1942, 2F13626'.

Top view of the silvered dial, brass gimbal mounting, and walnut housing of the Hamilton Model 22-21 marine deck watch
Top view of the silvered dial, brass gimbal mounting, and walnut housing of the Hamilton Model 22-21 marine deck watch — Sotheby's. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
www.sothebys.com
Category
Marine chronometer · Marine deck watch
Maker / attribution
Hamilton Watch Company
Reference
Model 22-21
Catalogue / lot identifier
404
Source-reported date
Circa 1940
Country
United States
Source-reported serial
2F13626

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Dial and Visual Features

The instrument features a 5.84 cm diameter silvered dial. It displays black Arabic numerals and includes a 48-hour state-of-wind indicator positioned below 12 o'clock, with a subsidiary seconds register at 6 o'clock.

The dial is signed 'Hamilton, Lancaster, PA., U.S.A.' The watch is suspended in a brass gimbal ring within a wooden housing.

Evidence for this section
  • “silvered dial, Arabic numerals, up-and-down indicator for 48-hours, and subsidiary seconds, signed Hamilton, Lancaster, PA., U.S.A.”
  • “Diameter of Dial: 5.84 cm”

Mechanism and Inscriptions

The movement is described by the source as a nickel-plated lever escapement with a bi-metallic compensation balance. These details are reported by the source and were not verified by inspection of the interior movement.

Internal movement inscriptions are reported as 'Hamilton Watch Co. Model 22-21, Made in the U.S.A., U.S. Navy-BU. Ships-1942, 2F13626'.

Evidence for this section
  • “nickel plated movement, lever escapement, bi-metallic compensation balance, signed Hamilton Watch Co. Model 22-21, Made in the U.S.A., U.S. Navy-BU. Ships-1942, 2F13626”

Housing and Physical Configuration

The watch is housed in a three-tier walnut box. The brass gimbaled bowl is stamped 'Watch Gimbal Chronometer U.S. Army, 2F13626'.

The source notes the presence of an outer travel box and a 1948 manual, though these items are not recorded as visually present in the provided documentation.

Evidence for this section
  • “three-tier walnut box with outer travel box”
  • “the brass gimbaled bowl stamped Watch Gimbal Chronometer U.S. Army, 2F13626”
  • “accompanied by a Manual for Overhaul, Repair and Handling of Hamilton 35-Size Chronometer Watch published in 1948”

Open research questions

  • What is the significance of the discrepancy between the movement marked 'U.S. Navy-BU. Ships' and the gimbal stamped 'U.S. Army'?
  • Is the provided 1948 manual considered standard equipment for this model or a supplementary inclusion?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Hamilton Watch Company Two-Day Boxed Marine Deck Watch, Model 22-21, No. 2F13626
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
ModelModel 22-21“Model 22-21”
Serial Number2F13626“No. 2F13626”
Movement InscriptionHamilton Watch Co. Model 22-21, Made in the U.S.A., U.S. Navy-BU. Ships-1942, 2F13626“signed Hamilton Watch Co. Model 22-21, Made in the U.S.A., U.S. Navy-BU. Ships-1942, 2F13626”
Case ConstructionThree-tier walnut box with outer travel box and brass gimbaled bowl“three-tier walnut box with outer travel box, the outer box fastened with the maker's plaque signed Hamilton Watch Co. Lancaster, PA., U.S.A, the brass gimbaled bowl stamped Watch Gimbal Chronometer U.S. Army, 2F13626”
Dial Diameter5.84 cm“Diameter of Dial: 5.84 cm”
Estimated DatingCirca 1940“Circa 1940”

Visible details

  • Silvered dial with blued spade hands and Arabic hour numerals
  • 48-hour power reserve indicator positioned below 12 o'clock and subsidiary seconds register at 6 o'clock
  • Suspended in a brass gimbal ring with a locking arm inside a walnut wooden box

Research qualifications

  • Movement details and military inscriptions are source-reported and not visible in the primary photograph
  • Outer travel box and the 1948 repair manual noted by the source are not shown in the image

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

Hamilton Watch Company | A two-day boxed marine deck watch, No.

Reviewed 2026-10-21 · Record 9e5ea3ba97

Terms in this record

Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.

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