V1, V2, V3... Oh My!
Your weekly roundup of now SIX one-of-a-kind watches is below, but first...
It's time for episode 5 of Custer & Wolfe, Building a Watch Company on YouTube! This week, we wanted to share how we’ve developed our American machining practices with each version (1, 2, and 3) of our American Artisan Series mechanical watches. We dive into how we used 3D printing, our favorite machine: the Haas Mini Mill, and how we’ve adjusted our goals to become the best one-of-a-kind made-in-America watches on the market.
Here's your Weekly Roundup!
Every Tuesday we send this Weekly Roundup of our most recent Watch of the Day watches. Most watches sell within minutes or hours, so be sure to check the website each day at noon Mountain Time or follow us on social media to get more frequent updates!
We're up to SIX watches per week now!
Click the images of the watches to learn more about them. Make sure to check the website at 12 PM Mountain Time for the Watch of the Day!
Today, we’re pleased to present this antique piece originally manufactured by the Hampden Watch Company in 1918 — the Canton 019. The watch sports an aged dial with a cream-colored background and dark-gray numerals, and it also features stunning blue hour and minute hands. We matched the pocket watch with our glimmering, scratch-resistant Machined Titanium case and equipped it with a copper crown.
Our Machined Titanium case features a clear back, revealing the watch’s breathtaking components. The piece boasts a 307-grade open-face movement with a bridge plate and a Hampden Star regulator. You can also view the watch’s stunning and robust gold-plated gears powered by 17 screw-set jewels. Finally, we paired the piece with our comfortable, hand-crafted Rye leather watch strap, making the complete package even more striking.
The Hampden Watch Company initially produced the pocket watch in Canton, Ohio, in 1918 — the same year that the Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. It was the last World Series the Red Sox won until they swept the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004. The Red Sox had only nine runs throughout the six games, the fewest runs by a winning team in World Series history.
We’re thrilled to present this stunning piece initially produced by the American Waltham Watch Company in 1924 — the Boston 440. The watch features a gold-colored dial with a dark-violet hour hand and a reddish-brown minute hand. The piece also sports uniquely stylized black numerals. We encased the pocket watch in our robust and scratch-resistant Machined Titanium case, and we paired the piece with a gold-plated crown that matches the dial.
Our gleaming Machined Titanium case features a rear display case, revealing the pocket watch’s intricate components. The piece boasts a 1225-grade open-face movement with a Breguet hairspring and bridge plate. The watch also sports luxurious gold-plated gears powered by 17 jewels. Finally, we paired the watch with our comfortable, artisan-designed Cordovan Oxblood leather watch strap, adding even more style to this stunning antique piece.
The American Waltham Watch Company originally manufactured the watch in Waltham, Massachusetts, in 1924 — the same year that the International Olympic Committee held the first-ever Winter Olympic Games. The first Winter Olympic games were held in Chamonix, France, and featured five sports: curling, ice hockey, Nordic skiing (which includes ski jumping), skating, and bobsleigh. Norway took home the most medals that year with four gold, seven silver, and six bronze. The United States won four medals: one gold in speed skating, one silver in ice hockey, one silver in figure skating, and one bronze in ski jumping.
We’re happy to showcase this unique piece originally manufactured by the Hamilton Watch Company in 1924 — the Lancaster 138. The watch features an antique dial with a light-cream-colored background and fashionable center design. It also sports distinct and stylish light-brown numerals. We matched the pocket watch with our glimmering, scratch-resistant Machined Titanium case, and we paired the piece with a copper crown, which emphasizes the dial’s notable numerals.
On the back of the timepiece, you can view its 912-grade open-face movement with a nickel finish, pendant setting, and black inlay color. The watch also boasts a Reed regulator as well as stunning gold-plated gears powered by 17 jewels on top of its ¾ plate. We further emphasized the watch’s rustic yet luxurious design and colors by equipping it with our hand-crafted Natural leather watch strap.
The Hamilton Watch Company initially produced the watch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1924 — the same year in which J. Edgar Hoover became the Director of the Bureau of Investigation, which was the predecessor to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Today, Hoover is an incredibly controversial figure known for abusing his power and wiretapping Martin Luther King Jr., but he also founded and shaped the FBI. He served as the first Director of the FBI from 1935 until his death in 1972.
We’re thrilled to present this fashionable piece initially produced by the Elgin National Watch Company in 1926 — the Chicago 476. The watch sports an antique, white dial with vivid light-blue hour and minute hands, and the piece also features black, stylized numerals with 45-degree angle text-shadow outlines. We encased the pocket watch in our incredibly robust and bold Diamond Like Coating (DLC) case and paired it with a copper crown, making the piece even more stunning. The DLC case features a clear back, enabling you to view the watch’s intricate inner workings.
The back of the watch features a 345-grade open-face movement with a ruby expansion balance wheel, Moseley regulator, and Breguet hairspring. Additionally, it boasts gold-plated gears powered by 17 ruby and sapphire jewels. To tie the piece together, we equipped the watch with our Cordovan Black leather watch strap, which pairs perfectly with our DLC case and the dial’s classic style.
The Elgin National Watch company originally manufactured this piece in Elgin, Illinois, in 1926 — the same year that the groundbreaking American author Earnest Hemingway published his novel The Sun Also Rises. Although the work received mixed reviews at the time of its release, many Hemingway scholars and enthusiasts — including Hemingway biographer Jeffrey Meyers — consider it Hemingway’s best and most important novel.
We're pleased to display this stunning piece originally manufactured by the Hamilton Watch Company in 1933 — the Lancaster 137. The pocket watch sports a breathtaking cream-colored dial with an intricate, textured center design with dark, stylized numerals. The piece also features blue hour and minute hands along with a fashionable yet straightforward subdial. We further emphasized the dial's sophisticated design by pairing it with our Machined Titanium case and nickel-plated crown.
The back of the watch features a 912-grade open-face movement with a nickel finish, black inlay color, and pendant setting. The watch also boasts stunning gold-plated gears powered by 17 screw-set jewels atop its ¾ plate. Finally, we equipped the piece with our comfortable, artisan-designed Cordovan Oxblood leather watch strap, making the final watch even more fashionable.
The Hamilton Watch Company initially produced the pocket watch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1933 — the same year that President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his famous inaugural speech. President Roosevelt's first inauguration occurred on March 4, 1933, while the United States struggled with unemployment in the Great Depression. President Roosevelt used his speech to discuss some components of his "new deal" plan. His iconic line, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," was paraphrased from the poet and philosopher Henry David Thoreau, who once wrote in his journal, "Nothing is so much to be feared as fear." Additionally, in the 16th century, English philosopher Francis Bacon wrote a similar line stating, "Nothing is terrible except fear itself."
We’re pleased to present you this luxurious piece originally manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company in Springfield, Illinois — the Springfield 493. The watch boasts a splendid, gold-colored dial with an intricate center pattern and dark numerals. The piece also sports a matching subdial with dark-gray minute and hour hands. We enclosed the original pocket watch within our PVD Zircon Gold case, and we paired it with a gold-plated crown. The crown and case make the final piece exude even more grandeur.
On the back of the watch, you can view its robust gold-plated gears powered by 17 splendid jewels atop its center bridge plate. The piece also features a 405-grade open-face movement with a nickel finish and pendant setting. Finally, we matched the pocket watch with our comfortable, artisan-designed Cordovan Black leather watch strap, which looks stunningly bold with the watch’s golden colors.
The Illinois Watch Company initially produced the pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1926 — the same year that the precursor to Black History Month came into being. Historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) — now called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) — proposed that the United States celebrate “Negro History Week.” They chose to celebrate in the second week of February because of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on February 12th and Frederick Douglass’ birthday on February 14th. Woodson and the ASNLH’s efforts inspired others to study and celebrate Black history, and in 1969, the Black United Students organization and educators at Kent State University created Black History Month. Seven years later, the United States officially began observing Black History Month.
