You're looking at the front and back of a Hamilton 992b railroad watch. It was made in the 1950's and some consider these watches to be the finest ever made in America. This model was introduced in 1940 and was in production until the 1960's.

This was my dad's watch, one of his prized possessions. He always looked up to my mothers father. Grandpa Ed was a Mason and carried a Hamilton pocket watch. My grandfather worked for the railroad and used a pocket watch like many railroad men did. My dad became a Mason in 1955 and to honor his new membership, my mother bought him his own railway special.

The watch is now one of my prize possessions. I told my dad years ago that I would like to have it after he was gone and he gave it to me sometime after that. I don't typically carry it, but I do wind it once or twice a week to keep it in good running condition. Occasionally I take the back off and admire the movement and listen to the precision tick that I used to hear much better when I was a child.