Watch Description
What makes the Lancaster 171 unique: Today, we’re thrilled to showcase this splendid piece of American manufacturing that was initially produced by the Hamilton Watch Company in 1928 — the Lancaster 171. This antique watch features aged numerals and a floral center pattern that look stunning against its light-copper-colored background. The front of the watch also features a useful subdial as well as blued steel solid diamond kite watch hands, with an especially distinct minute hand that slightly protrudes beyond the watch’s minute markings. We matched this beautiful pocket watch with our glimmering, Machined Titanium case, drawing further attention to its gorgeous copper-colored dial, and we equipped it with a fitting copper crown. Our Machined Titanium case comes with a transparent back, enabling you to view its antique 912-grade open-face movement with a Reed regulator, ¾ plate, and vivid black inlay colors indicating the watch’s impressive heritage. The movement features the markings “Hamilton Watch Co.,” “Lancaster, PA.,” “912,” and other impressive engravings corroborating the piece’s authenticity. Finally, the movement features robust gold-plated gears and 17 screw-set jewels. We made this stunning antique watch wearable with our hand-crafted and comfortable Natural leather watch strap, complementing the crown and dial’s copper coloring.Movement Manufacturer Information
The movement inside of this watch was made by Hamilton Watch Company. We call this model "The Lancaster" because the company was located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Hamilton is named after famous Pennsylvanian Alexander Hamilton and is the result of multiple re-organizations of attempted watch companies in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1892, Hamilton had a reputation for superior quality and maintained half of the railroad watch market share during some of the most prolific years of American railroad history. During World War II, Hamilton was integral to the production of accurate timepieces for the Military. Deemed "the watch that won the war," the company established an employee-run newsletter so that employees turned soldiers could keep up with life at the factory. While the original factory still stands as luxury apartments, the company stopped producing watches in the US in 1969. Hamilton now produces watches in Switzerland and is owned by the Swatch Group.
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Watch Specifications
- Manufacturer: Vortic Watch Company
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 47mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Machined Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Copper
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Hamilton Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3294042
- Manufacture Year: 1928
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
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The Movement
The engine that powers this watch is an antique American pocket watch movement. All the gears and springs that make it tell time are roughly 100 years old on average. We call these watches the American Artisan Series because we're celebrating the history and legacy of the artisan watchmakers who built this engineering marvel a century ago in the United States.
The Story
Today most pocket watches are scrapped for the gold or silver of the case (the outside of the antique timepiece), leaving the inside (what we call the "movement") as trash.
We take pride in upcycling these pieces of American history by salvaging as many as we can, then preserving them inside our wristwatches.
Our expert team of watchmakers restores the antique movement and then we manufacture a custom wristwatch case here in Fort Collins, Colorado.
The Strap
We partnered with Worn & Wound to produce a custom set of straps for our American Artisan Series watches. We now have 15 different colors to choose from including our two Horween Shell Cordovan options. These straps are made in the USA and are based on the Windup Model 2 Premium strap that Worn and Wound offers.