Watch Description
What makes the Lancaster 060 unique: The use of titanium, a material commonly associated with modern aerospace engineering applications, may seem like a juxtaposition when used to house a pocket watch dial and movement built less than 20 years after the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, but we think it makes perfect sense.
One of our missions at Vortic is to not only showcase and celebrate but also preserve and protect the incredible pieces of antique American craftsmanship that we convert, so a versatile and durable titanium alloy with a high strength-to-weight ratio accomplishes the task wonderfully. We machine each watch case in our Fort Collins, Colorado workshop out of a single piece of metal in a seamless construction, and both the front and back of each watch are covered with ultra-hard sapphire crystal to keep every Vortic conversion securely protected.
The rich, graphite-hued titanium case and bezel of this model stand in contrast to the Lancaster 060's beautiful gilt dial with its vertical-brushed finish, Art Deco numerals, stamped center, and sunken seconds subdial, and the hands have been heat-blued in a perfect complement to the metallic colors of the dial and case components.
Those hands are powered by one of the Hamilton Watch Co.'s robust 916-grade movements, a 17-jewel workhorse manufactured in 1923. The craftsmen in their Lancaster, Pennsylvania factory finished the movement with Geneva-striped decoration and gilt engraving on the balance bridge. Gold-plated wheels and jewel-caps stand out against the nickel-plated plates and bridges and highlight the workmanship and quality that made Hamilton Watch Co. one of the largest and most successful pocket watch manufacturers in the world.
Whether it's the modern materials and craftsmanship or the horological precision showcased by the antique dial and movement, the Lancaster 060 is a timepiece that gives everyone whose eye it catches a reason to admire it.
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
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 45mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 50mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Tumbled Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Titanium
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Hamilton Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3101796
- Manufacture Year: 1923
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Lancaster 060 unique: The use of titanium, a material commonly associated with modern aerospace engineering applications, may seem like a juxtaposition when used to house a pocket watch dial and movement built less than 20 years after the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, but we think it makes perfect sense.
One of our missions at Vortic is to not only showcase and celebrate but also preserve and protect the incredible pieces of antique American craftsmanship that we convert, so a versatile and durable titanium alloy with a high strength-to-weight ratio accomplishes the task wonderfully. We machine each watch case in our Fort Collins, Colorado workshop out of a single piece of metal in a seamless construction, and both the front and back of each watch are covered with ultra-hard sapphire crystal to keep every Vortic conversion securely protected.
The rich, graphite-hued titanium case and bezel of this model stand in contrast to the Lancaster 060's beautiful gilt dial with its vertical-brushed finish, Art Deco numerals, stamped center, and sunken seconds subdial, and the hands have been heat-blued in a perfect complement to the metallic colors of the dial and case components.
Those hands are powered by one of the Hamilton Watch Co.'s robust 916-grade movements, a 17-jewel workhorse manufactured in 1923. The craftsmen in their Lancaster, Pennsylvania factory finished the movement with Geneva-striped decoration and gilt engraving on the balance bridge. Gold-plated wheels and jewel-caps stand out against the nickel-plated plates and bridges and highlight the workmanship and quality that made Hamilton Watch Co. one of the largest and most successful pocket watch manufacturers in the world.
Whether it's the modern materials and craftsmanship or the horological precision showcased by the antique dial and movement, the Lancaster 060 is a timepiece that gives everyone whose eye it catches a reason to admire it.
Let customers speak for us
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.
