

Sunday, April 27, 2014

1970's Ladies Pendant

I bet there are more ladies' wrist watch models than there are men's.  However, ladies' models seem to all look same - well mostly anyway - since the vast majority of them are cocktail watches of various ilk.      I have restored quite a few but they're not very popular, in my opinion, so they're not very collectible.

I recently did see an interesting ladies watch though… it's a pendant and comes on a golden chain.  What's cool about it is it's an acrylic sphere.

I wasn't able to find it in the ladies catalogs, although I seem to recall seeing it somewhere before - so I'll keep looking and post more info if I find it.

The acrylic dome magnifies the dial so once it's popped off you can see the dial and hands is actually quite small.. it's about the size of a penny.

Popping the other half dome off the back reveals the Swiss-made Hamilton 48.  It doesn't say who the Swiss maker is but I think it is A. Schild, based on the shape of the AS 1727 and the AS 1828… I don't  know the exact grade though.

Everything gets taken apart and cleaned, just like a larger men's movement - only everything is really small!

Also like a man's movement, the regulator is easy to adjust to try to tune in the timing.  Even a tiny adjustment can have a big impact on the rate, so it took me a little while to get it to even out.

And here's the re-assembled watch ready to go into my daughter's jewelry box.  She likes "sparkly things" so I'm sure this watch will be a hit.

I think the back is as interesting as the front!


  1. Hi Dan, I found a silver version of this pendant watch somewhere. Do you have any indication on how rare it is and what it would be worth? Please contact my on my email address!

    1. Hey Bart, I don't know what metric describes "rare" but they can be found occasionally. I've seen them sell for well over $100 and for under $50. So it varies. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all.

  2. Thanks for your answer, Dan!

  3. I have a pendant almost identical to this that belonged to my great grandmother. She bought it while in Switzerland visiting family. It is not currently keeping time. Is this a task that can be handled by most jewelers or do I need to find someone who specializes in these?

    1. Jewelers no. Watchmakers yes. Going to a jeweler is going to a middle man, most likely. Email me or contact me through Etsy for a referral to a professional watchmaker.