If you see a Hamilton with an automatic movement, or a movement with a day/date complication, it has a Swiss made movement behind the dial. Hamilton used a couple of different manufacturers to source their autos, and in the case of the Day 'N Date 5000, they selected A. Schild.
The Day 'N Date 5000 was first introduced in 1971 and was produced through the 1973 catalog. It has a one-piece, or monocoque, stainless steel case. This type of case is also referred to as a 'front loader' since the dial and movement are accessed through the front of the case only after the crystal is removed.
As received this watch would tick for a few seconds when shaken, but wouldn't run. It was also very difficult to set the time, so difficult that the crown actually unscrewed from the stem. The fact that it still ticks is heartening though; the other faults should be fairly straight forward to solve.
The crystal is removed using a crystal lift. This tool squeezes the acrylic crystal uniformly so that it can be lifted out of the case.
Using hand levers and a piece of plastic to protect the dial, the hands are removed.
The monocoque case is in good shape, other than being a little dirty.
One-piece cases use two-piece stems so that the movement can be inserted (or removed). This watch uses a female crown post and a male stem. The two halves of the stem snap together and hold the crown securely. To remove the crown, it's just a matter of pulling very firmly on the crown until the connection is broken.
There's no question that this is an A Schild movement. The ball bearings on the weighted rotor are a legacy from AS's association with the Eterna watch company. On this particular movement, AS's hallmark has been drilled away, but on other examples it can be found under the balance cock.
With the movement nearly completely stripped down, the automatic module is visible at the 2 o'clock position. This little module transfers the motion of the weighted rotor to the crown and ratchet wheel and will wind the watch just with the motion of the wearer's arm.
This movement is shock protected. The brass colored shock absorber has just enough give to move slightly if the balance experiences a shock. This protects the balance pivots from breaking or bending. You can also see just how dirty this movement really is under tighter magnification.
There's not much to the automatic works. Just a handful of parts is all it takes.
I think this crystal is too far gone to rescue. A new one will have to be installed.
Well, here's the main reason the watch wouldn't run more than a few seconds. That is a broken mainspring. Since the mainspring is the source of power for the watch, there just wasn't any chance for this watch to run in this state. I'll dig through my stash and find the correct mainspring for this movement.
After all the parts were disassembled and cleaned, it's time for reassembly. I was able to find a correct mainspring so I can get it wound and installed into the barrel.
There, much better.
The balance jewels are inspected and lubricated while they are out of the movement. It doesn't take much oil on the end stone to properly lubricate the balance pivots. That miniscule drop of oil will last several years.
Just before the automatic module is reinstalled, this movement cleaned up very well.
The day and date wheels are refitted and are looking great.
Breaking out the relume kit, I'll get the dial and the hands fixed up and glowing again.
Using a balance tack to hold the hour and minute hands, the surface tension of the lacquer and luminescent powder mixture spans the gap.
A fine oiler is used to add a spherical pip of lume to the dial.
Time to install a new acrylic crystal.
The process is largely just the opposite of removing the crystal from the case; using this jig, the crystal is squeezed with the crystal lift. Then the crystal is pushed into the case. When the crystal lift is loosened, the acrylic crystal expands and presses itself against the sides of the case.
Not too shabby. Now I'll get it back on its freshly cleaned stainless steel expansion bracelet and this baby will be ready to go.