VINTAGE 1951 HAMILTON “Brent” Gold Filled 17J 780 with Gift Box


About Hamilton Watches


Today, the Hamilton Watch Company is a manufacturer of wristwatches based in Bienne, Switzerland. Founded in 1892 as an American firm, the company produced watches from their plant in Lancaster, PA, using Swiss movements.  Hamilton ended American manufacture in 1969, and eventually became integrated into the Swatch Group, the world's largest watch manufacturing and marketing conglomerate.


Originally, Hamilton was known as the “railroad watch” because of its accuracy and innovation (e.g.,mainsprings that did not expand and contract with temperature). The company also has a long history in the movies, being worn on screen by everyone from Marlene Dietrich and Clive Brook (The Orient Express), to Elvis Presley, Roger Moore (James Bond), Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar), and is an essential part of the uniform for Men in Black.  Hamilton cites 500 major movie appearances. 


About this watch


The model was made for two years. The 10K gold filled models typically received the 17 jewel grade with the, the 980 movement, and this is the model offered here (see movement photo.  The sterling silver butler-finished dial has solid 18K yellow gold numerals and diamond-shaped markers.  This watch has a signed crown and is on a Spiedel Flex band.


The thing that makes the Brent unique is it has a gabled, or faceted, crystal with a line that separates the top half from the bottom half.  If you're a fan, it's an interesting look and creates a prism-like effect as the light is bent when it passes through the varying angles.  If you are not a fan, it's like getting your first set of bi-focals.


As they say in Hollywood, "She's had some work."  In the case of a 75-year-old watch, that's a good thing. It means you won't have to worry about it.  This watch has been clean, oiled, and timed; I curated it for that reason.  I will warranty the watch for one year of normal wear.


This watch is quite giftable and comes with a period gift box.

About me

I buy and sell a few old watches from the mid-1930s through the mid-1960s.  I like Hamiltons and the occasional Bulova.  Sometimes I will venture into British watches (e.g., Ingersoll).  I deal in mechanical and automatics.  Like a tracker pipe organ (also an interest of mine) they are a combination of history, architecture, and machine: little artworks.  I confess to owning a Citizen for work use, but I generally eschew battery powered appliances.


If the items in my collection seem similar, it is because I like aparticular style and function.  I preferreal numbers on a watch face and need to tell time at a glance while speaking.  I typically wear these watches for weeks, months, or years before selling them—ahh— to make sure everything works as it should.  I am not just an eBay flipper.  If I tell you a watch runs and keeps time: it runs and keeps time.  When I make a buying mistake (oh, it happens) the watch goes to off to a professional watchmaker to be rebuilt and restored and, after my recovering some cost by wearing it, offered as such at a premium.


All the watches I sell are intended to be ready to wear and giftable.