Vintage 1941 WWII Hamilton Model 21 Marine Chronometer No. 8134 With Outer Boxes

Vintage 1941 WWII Hamilton Model 21 Marine Two Day Marine Chronometer No. 8134 With Outer Boxes. The silver dial with black numerals, sub seconds at 6, outer minutes tracking in black with power reserve at 12, matching blue steel hands is signed Hamilton Lancaster PA. USA N8134 1941, Dial and movement have matching serial numbers. The 2E8134, model 21 key wind 14 jewel marine chronometer fusse chain driven movement with Earnshaw spring detent escapement movement is working well and running strong, just serviced, fully signed, Model 21 14 jewels Hamilton watch co Lancaster PENN. The large gimballed brass case with screw on front bezel is in nice original condition, complete wirth both inner and outer wooden boxes and original winding key.

Anticipating the arrival of war, the U.S. Naval Observatory had asked American watch manufacturers in 1939 for their participation in mass-producing chronometers. Hamilton and Elgin agreed to undertake the design and production, but only Hamilton's product met Navy accuracy requirements. Hamilton delivered two prototypes to the Navy on 27 February 1942, which passed with an error rate of 1.55 seconds per day. The firm went on during the war to mass-produce 8900 more chronometers for the Navy, 1500 for merchant shipping and 500 for the Army. Between 1942 and 1944.

Hamilton's design for its Model 21 chronometer introduced key changes to improve accuracy, including the famous ovalising balance.

_gsrx_vers_1480 (GS 9.1.1 (1480)