Watch Description
What makes the Lancaster 103 unique: Today we are happy to release this stunning example from the Hamilton Watch Company, our Lancaster 103. This bright, crisp, and clean dial has everything we want from an antique watch while maintaining a modern feel. We love the bold characteristics of these blued-steel hands that stand out nicely against the white face of the dial. Cased in machined titanium to grab your attention, then softened off with our natural leather strap. A copper crown and hardware to match are the finer details that bring everything together nicely on this fantastic timepiece. At the heart of this watch is a 912 movement originally manufactured in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1930. Carefully decorated across this large bridge plate with these eye-catching Geneva lines and accented with stainless steel hardware. The brass balance wheel and jewel fittings contrast well, bringing a touch of color to the nickel-plated elements that make up this movement. In the same year that this watch was originally produced, we saw the passing of the Tariff Act of 1930, which raised taxes on imports to the highest rates ever in the United States. Experts say that this didn’t necessarily cause the Great Depression, but definitely worsened the effects of it due to other countries retaliating and raising their prices on exported goods coming to America. Thankfully, with this watch being American-made, this bill likely didn’t affect the watchmaking industry in the same ways.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: 3322947
- Manufacture Year: 1930
- 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.
