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At NavList 4772, Lu Abel wrote:
>
>
>Much of train movement on American railroads was based on trains being
>in a certain place at a certain time (think train schedule).  Conductors
>and other trainmen were required to carry highly accurate watches.   The
>standards for these "Railroad Watches" evolved over time from their
>first introduction in the 1850s.   Here is a specification from the
>early 1900s:


The Hamilton watch making company made a (minority) number of RR watches,
but during WWII they were the main - if not the only - producer of
chronometers for the US Navy. The were an improvement of the Swiss Ulysse
Nardin chronometers, on which they were based, which were no longer
available as the supply route was blocked. People who are experts on
chronometers seem to rate the Hamilton design as the zenith of the
clockwork chronometer. Not only were they the best chronometers ever made,
they were designed to be very easy to repair, so that repairs could be
undertaken at sea by a navy rating (with the help of a detailed manual)
rather than have to wait until a return to port when the chronometer would
be sent back to the factory.

Geoffrey Kolbe


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