This "Canteen" style Buships WWII watch produced by Hamilton is a rugged classic. ‘BUSHIPS’ stands for the United States Navy’s Bureau of Ships, which was established by Congress on June 20, 1940, and abolished by 1966. This establishment consolidated the operations of the Bureau of Engineering and the Bureau of Construction and Repair. The Rear Admiral and BUSHIPS’ first Chief was Samuel M. Robinson, and Rear Admiral Alexander H. Van Keuren was the first Deputy-Chief.
'BUSHIPS’ responsibilities were vast and included the supervision of procurement, overall design, construction, conversion, maintenance, and repair of ships for the Navy. BUSHIPS also managed shipyards and the many tasks involved with keeping operations running smoothly. These Hamilton USN canteen watches were issued to the NCDU (members of the Naval Combat Demolition Units) and underwater demolition teams (UDT). These teams cleared the harbors and obstructions within them during the war.
| Stock # | HMLTBUSN | |
| Brand | Hamilton | |
| Style | Buships | |
| Model | "Canteen" | |
| Serial | N/A | |
| Size | Men's | |
| Material | Stainless Steel | |
| Dial | Matte Black | |
| Millimeters | 31 | |
| Strap | Leather Bund |
CASE & BRACELET
This strong but well-worn case is believed to be unpolished and exhibits the appropriate signs of honest military use. The watertight "canteen" style screw down outer crown is steel plated brass, unlike the rest of the case and the crown itself which are stainless steel. The outer crown plating has partially worn away and developed a strong patina, and reveals the same amount of honest wear as the case and still functions perfectly. The original stainless steel crown is still present. The caseback engravings are very deep and in impeccable condition. Comes supplied on a 3 piece black leather bund style strap.
DIAL & HANDS
The matte black dial is in overall very handsome condition giving the watch age, there is some degradation in the dial near the 2 o'clock numeral. There is some bubbling and minor chipping on the numerals, but they all remain intact and clearly visible. If you look closely, the word HAMILTON is debossed above 6 o'clock and remains clearly legible. The original radium lume plots have aged to a black coloration almost matching the dial, under U.V. light inspection the lume plots remain full and round, without degradation. The original hands have been professionally restored with tritium before our acquisition.
ACCESSORIES
None. Watch is functioning and keeping time perfectly, previous service history is unknown.
