Raleigh Engraved
1930–1932 · 14k green / white / Yellow Gold Filled Raleigh
About the Raleigh Engraved
Made from 1930 through 1932, the Raleigh Engraved is a rectangular-cased dress watch built around Hamilton's caliber 987, a 17-jewel movement that was a workhorse of Hamilton's American-made lineup during this period. The case came in 14k Gold Filled, offered in yellow, green, or white gold, with engraved decoration on the case that distinguishes it from the plain Raleigh. This model sits in Hamilton's early 1930s rectangular watch tradition, a period when the company was producing a wide range of dress watches aimed at the suit-and-tie market.
Finding one in genuinely good shape takes some patience. The engraved case decoration tends to wear unevenly over ninety-plus years, and the corners of the bezel near the crystal are particularly vulnerable to soft wear that can blunt the detail of the engraving. Green gold examples are worth a closer look when you encounter them, since the green gold tone was already fading from mainstream production by the mid-1930s and adds real visual character.
From the Catalog
Hamilton offered the Raleigh Engraved in 14k gold filled cases in yellow, green, or white, with the black figure dial included at no extra charge. Original pricing came in at $57.00 in the 1931 catalog.
Hamilton Catalog Images
1931
What to Look For
| Dial | The dial uses black Arabic numerals on a white dial. Look for hairline cracks, spotting, or edge separation near the feet, all common at this age. The numerals should be crisp and legible with no bleeding or fading. |
| Crystal | Almost certainly a replacement at this point. Check that it fits flush and that the original case channel hasn't been damaged by a poorly fitted aftermarket crystal. |
| Movement | Ask about service history. Oil in a caliber 987 of this age is almost certainly dried out, and dried lubricants create enough friction to stop the watch or cause erratic timekeeping even when it appears to be running. A watch running today on original oil is running on borrowed time. |
| Case | Examine the engraving closely, especially at the bezel corners. Polishing can soften or erase detail and is very hard to reverse. Look at wear in the same light angle from multiple directions before buying. |
| Crown | Check that the crown is original or at least period-appropriate in scale. An oversized replacement crown changes the look of a small rectangular watch considerably. |
The Movement
The caliber 987 is a 17-jewel lever escapement movement made in Hamilton's Lancaster, Pennsylvania factory. It's a manual-wind movement with a solid track record for reliability when properly maintained. The hairspring and balance pivots are delicate components that require a careful hand during service, so knowing who last worked on the watch matters.