Golden Tempus II
1959–1962 · 10k Yellow Gold Filled · Manual Wind
About the Golden Tempus II
Made from 1959 through 1962, the Golden Tempus II pairs Hamilton's caliber 735 with a 10K yellow Gold Filled circular case and a two-toned dial featuring textured gold Roman numeral markers and a sweep seconds hand. It belongs to the Golden Tempus family, a small grouping of dress watches from the same era sharing similar proportions and Gold Filled cases. The sweep seconds configuration was a deliberate choice for this model, giving it a livelier presence on the wrist than the subseconds dials common on many of its contemporaries. At $95 in 1959, it sat in the mid-upper range of Hamilton's catalog.
The two-toned dial is the thing to focus on when evaluating one of these. The textured gold markers on a two-toned surface are prone to losing their crispness if the dial has been exposed to moisture or a careless cleaning, so look closely at the marker condition before anything else. The yellow dial variant turns up occasionally and is worth confirming against known references if provenance matters to you.
From the Catalog
Hamilton described the Golden Tempus II in 1959 as an 18-jewel watch with a 10K yellow gold-filled case, yellow engraved markers, and sweep seconds, offered on a strap at $95. The engraved marker language confirms the textured character of the Roman numerals, which is one of the details that distinguishes this dial from simpler printed alternatives at similar price points.
Hamilton Catalog Images
1959
1960
What to Look For
| Dial | Examine the two-toned surface carefully for moisture damage, spotting, or any sign that the dial has been refinished. The textured gold Roman numeral markers should show clean definition, not softened or worn edges. A redial will typically lose the texture detail entirely. |
| Crystal | Check for chips, deep scratches, or crazing. A degraded crystal can trap moisture against the dial, which leads to the kind of damage that is difficult or impossible to reverse. |
| Movement | Ask about service history. Dried oil in the caliber 735 creates enough friction to stop the movement outright, so a watch that has been sitting for years without service should be treated as needing one before you rely on it. Also worth knowing: the caliber 735 requires careful handling during reassembly, as the escape wheel pivot can break if any force is applied while the movement is being put back together. |
| Case | Gold-filled cases from this period wear through at the lugs and high contact points first. Look at the lug edges and the caseback under good light. Some wear is expected and honest, but worn-through spots exposing base metal affect both appearance and long-term durability. |
| Crown | Confirm the crown winds and sets the hands smoothly without slipping or grinding. An original Hamilton crown is a small detail, but replacement crowns on gold-filled cases rarely match the finish well and are worth factoring into your assessment. |
The Movement
The caliber 735 is an 18-jewel manual wind movement that Hamilton used across several of its dress watch lines in this period. It winds from the crown, keeps a traditional lever escapement, and runs the sweep seconds hand directly off the gear train rather than using a separate subseconds register. It is a capable movement when properly serviced, though it has a reputation among watchmakers for requiring patience during reassembly, particularly when aligning the gear train before closing the movement.