Hamilton

1979 Hamilton Military Watch (Mil-W-46374B)

Fresh from the personal collection of style icon, automobile enthusiast, and Urban Outlaw himself, Magnus Walker, comes a 1979 Hamilton in great condition.

The original Mil-W-46374 specification was first issued in the late 1960s during the Vietnam War, although it was revised multiple times over the years. Following the original model designation, each subsequent modification was assigned a letter.

This model B watch was part of the second generation of improved timepieces that began manufacture in 1975, following the Vietnam War's end. The B model was the first run of these watches to have all of the dials printed with the H3 and radioactive markings. These were designed to alert the wearer that the watch contained tritium (also known as hydrogen-3).

From the bead-blasted anti-reflective case, the radioactive markings on the matte black dial, the fixed spring bars, the military designations on the case back, and the modest overall size make for an excellent everyday military watch that is both stylish and flies under the radar. 

SPECS

Stock # HMLTUSMIL-MW
Brand Hamilton
Style Military
Model Mil-W-46374B
Serial N/A
Size Men's
Material Stainless Steel
Dial Matte Black
Millimeters 33
Strap Single Pass Perlon Strap

 

CASE & BRACELET

The excellent case features subtle evidence of being sleeve-polished and retains its factory bead-blasted finishing with no major signs of use. The bead-blasted smooth bezel also is in excellent condition and shows minimal signs of use. The case retains its original unsigned crown. The case back retains all of its original military markings. The watch comes supplied on an era-correct single-pass nylon ribbon strap.

DIAL & HANDS

The matte black "H3" dial is in honest vintage condition, showing some marks and spots of age, most notably there is a dark ring around the handstack from hand-drag. The tritium lume plots have taken on a beautiful creamy patina and show minor degradation when inspected under UV light. The lume in the original hands appears to have been restored at some point, which is common for military watches from this era.

ACCESSORIES 

None. The watch is keeping time, but the service history is unknown. A movement service can be provided upon request.

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