Automatic K-576
1956–1959 · Stainless Steel · Automatic
About the Automatic K-576
Made from 1956 through 1959, the Automatic K-576 is part of Hamilton's broad Automatic family, which brought self-winding movements to a wide range of American dress and sport watches during the 1950s. It runs on the caliber 662, a 17-jewel automatic, and comes in a stainless steel round case with a silver dial featuring embossed silver numerals and luminous markers. Numerals appear at 6, 9, and 12, with markers filling the remaining positions, and a sweep seconds hand gives the dial a clean, uncluttered look. Hamilton marketed it as waterproof and offered it on either a bracelet or strap.
Examples that surface today tend to show their age most obviously in the dial, where the luminous material around the markers can discolor or flake over the decades. The embossed numerals and markers hold up reasonably well, but look closely at the edges of the embossing for any signs of past cleaning that went too aggressively across the dial surface. The K-576 is a straightforward, honest automatic from Hamilton's mid-decade run, and a clean one is a satisfying find.
From the Catalog
Hamilton's original catalog described the K-576 with a white dial carrying embossed numerals, luminous markers and dots, and listed it as waterproof. It was priced at $75.00 on a strap or $79.50 on a bracelet, which placed it in the accessible mid-range of Hamilton's automatic lineup for 1956. Note that vintage watches should not be relied upon for water resistance regardless of original ratings, as gaskets and seals degrade over time.
Hamilton Catalog Images
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
What to Look For
| Dial | Examine the luminous material in the markers closely. Discoloration is common and generally accepted, but flaking or missing lume that has left pitting behind changes the character of the dial significantly. Also check the embossed numerals and markers for any fine scratches from improper past cleaning. |
| Crystal | The original crystal on a watch from this era is almost certainly acrylic. Light hazing and minor scratches are normal and can often be polished out, but deep gouges or a replacement crystal that does not sit flush with the bezel are worth flagging. |
| Movement | Ask about service history. On a caliber 662 that has been sitting unserviced for years, oil dries and thickens to the point where it creates enough friction to stop the rotor and stall the mainspring from winding. If the watch winds manually but does not sustain power through the automatic mechanism, that is a likely culprit. |
| Case | The stainless steel case is durable, but check the lugs for wear. Swept lugs on mid-1950s Hamilton cases can show thinning at the tips from decades of strap changes, and excessively thinned lugs are difficult to restore without affecting the case profile. |
| Crown | Confirm the crown is original, screws down or seats properly, and that the stem engages cleanly through all positions. A loose or mismatched crown is common on watches that have been serviced without attention to correct parts, and it affects both the look and the seal of the case. |
The Movement
The caliber 662 is a 17-jewel automatic movement built for reliable everyday wear. It winds itself through a rotor that spins with wrist movement, storing energy in the mainspring without any manual winding required during normal use. It is a capable, mid-tier Hamilton automatic from the 1950s, robust enough for daily wear but, like all watches of this age, in need of periodic servicing to keep the oils fresh and the tolerances in order.