Watch Description
Scroll down to the vintage advertisements to read about the history of the Comparing Watch!
June 6th, 2024 marked 80 years since the Allied Forces launched the largest amphibious assault in military history. Code-named “Operation Overlord,” the beaches of Normandy were filled with 156,115 troops supported by 6,939 ships and landing vessels. Today we call it “D-Day” and many recognize it as a massive inflection point of the Second World War.
The United States Navy trusted Hamilton Watch Company to manufacture the timepieces for their warships, and we get to preserve a handful of them as wristwatches. The Comparing Watch’s purpose was to assist in navigating warships for the United States Navy.
The Comparing Watch houses an antique Hamilton 2974B pocket watch with an original dial, hands, and movement. We used a stainless steel case, crown, and hardware along with a stitched black Horween Shell Cordovan strap, all Made in the USA specifically for this watch. The watch features a sapphire crystal case back allowing you to see the antique movement.
This watch will ship inside our custom Vortic Watch Company Otterbox Drybox along with a special surprise gift!
Only 10 pieces will be made.
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.
Legal Disclaimer: All product and company names, logos, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to within Vortic's products and services are the property of their respective intellectual property rights holders, if any. Those intellectual property rights holders, other than Vortic, LLC, are not affiliated with Vortic, LLC, our products, or our website. They do not sponsor or endorse our materials.
Watch Specifications
- Manufacturer: Vortic Watch Company
- Model Year: 2024 Military Special Edition
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 49mm
- Lug Width: 24mm
- Case Material: Machined Steel
- Crown/Hardware: Stainless Steel
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Domed German Glass (front)
Sapphire Glass (back) - Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Custom Navy Leather with White Stitching
Movement
- Manufacturer: Hamilton Watch Company
- Serial Number: Varies
- Manufacture Year: Varies 1938 to 1950
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original Antiques
- Size: 16s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
Getting A Fix On Your Location
The Comparing Watch’s purpose was to assist in navigating warships for the United States Navy.
During World War II, the US Military commissioned Hamilton Watch Company to design and produce the Model 21 Chronometer. These highly accurate marine chronometers were carried on Navy craft and used to determine the ship's position by celestial navigation.
With its hacking sub-second the Comparing Watch would be set to the exact time of the chronometer. The Comparing Watch was then carried up to a ship’s bridge where the navigators shot the sun, stars, or moon to determine the ship's latitude, longitude, and position in the fleet according to a nautical chart. They called this process “getting a fix” on their location.
The Model 21 Chronometer
Hamilton chronometers were essential to the war effort; they had their own maintenance manual and received specialized care. Naval regulations prohibited moving a ship's chronometer about the vessel since it was the master time source. Therefore, a Comparing Watch, Hamilton Watch Company’s Grade 2974B model pocket watch, was included with every Chronometer.
A crew member, usually the Chief Quartermaster, ensured the ship's chronometer was wound each day and carefully maintained. He was also responsible for its safety, wrapping it and “putting it to bed" in case of battle and taking it with him if ever the crew was forced to abandon ship.
The Officer of the Watch
The Officer of the Watch [OW] was the crew member responsible for the Comparing Watch. It was carried by these officers 24/7 throughout the ship’s deployment. On receipt of the watch from the OW he was relieving, it would be wound and checked to ensure the watch was keeping time in concert with the ship’s chronometer.
In addition to its use in navigation, it would be carried to mission-critical stations on the ship to ensure that all clocks on board requiring close time were set precisely. Among these locations would be the gun turrets, the message center, the radio room, and the Master Chief 's quarters.
Restoration of the Original Antiques
Most of the movements we find were manufactured between 1938 and 1950. They were likely used in war-time but were discarded or forgotten shortly afterward. This means the original mechanical, manually wound mechanisms have not been properly serviced or cared-for in recent years.
Vortic's team of expert watchmakers meticulously restores each movement to near factory conditions using only original parts. Thankfully, because these were built as tools for the U.S. Military, extra parts were built for field servicing. We even have access to the original field service manuals from the, now defunct, watch companies!
We do the best we can to restore and regulate each one, but "perfect" timekeeping similar to a modern wristwatch is not achievable. Each watch will be adjusted to keep excellent time on a day to day basis, but there will be variations from watch to watch.
The Wristwatch Engineering System
The Military Edition is an engineering system designed to protect and preserve pieces of American history.
It has been over-built to house these extremely rare and valuable military mechanisms. Every metal component has been precision cut from blocks of stainless steel inside Vortic's Colorado facility.
Only the best materials were sourced for this project due to the priceless nature of the timepieces being converted.
The Glass Crystals
For the front crystal of the Comparing Watch, we decided to use domed sapphire glass.
The domed glass creates a beautiful side profile that makes this watch stand out from all others. It also makes more room inside the watch for the very tall pinion holding the hands.
On the back, we used flat sapphire just like our other watches. The scratch-resistant crystal has a clarity rating of nearly 100 meaning it's completely transparent and perfect for showing off the piece of American military history inside.
The Hand Crafted Strap
A watch this special can't have any normal wrist-band. That's why we partnered with Hadley Roma in Largo Florida to create these beautiful black straps using Horween Shell Cordovan leather.
Each Comparing watch will come with one black leather strap with white stitching. We believe its fitting for a watch used by the U.S. Navy, as the black strap and white dial would fit right in to a formal dress uniform.
We will also have a special gift for you inside the box that has something to do with a second strap. You'll have to get one to find out what that surprise is!
The Veterans Watchmaker Initiative
We've partnered with the Veterans Watchmaker Initiative to provide jobs to U.S. Military personnel when they come home. $500 from the sale of each Military Edition watch will directly benefit their mission to educate and certify the next generation of American watchmakers.
With the rise in popularity of vintage and mechanical wristwatches, there's an ever-growing need for skilled watchmakers to restore and service these timepieces. Every watch company from Vortic to Rolex is actively seeking trained workers and the Veterans Watchmaker Initiative is filling those skill-gaps.
The current program can only train about 20 students at a time, but there are hundreds on the waiting list. By purchasing the any watch in the Military Edition including the Comparing Watch you will be directly impacting the Past, Present, and future of American watchmaking.
