Hamilton “Lester” 1940’s

The Lester is one of the early post war watches Hamilton made to re-enter the consumer market after dedicating all it’s production to the military. It came with a 19 Jewel manual wind 982 movement.  This is a popular gold filled rectangular watch made in 1949. It is most noted for its elegant look and reliable movement. It has raised gold applied applied 18K hour markers and hands and a second hand in the six o’clock position. Hamilton produced many of its dials from this era with an oyster-silver color known as a Butler finish.  Hamilton released the “Lester” in 1945 and continued production until 1952. You will find that the “Lester” falls into a group of watches with similar designs such as the Boulton, Stuart, Grover and Emerson. These models are the most popular vintage Hamilton watches.