Watch Description
What makes the Lancaster 086 unique:
The Lancaster 086 carries a dial that speaks to time itself—aged to perfection, its warm patina tells the story of decades past. The bold, black numerals remain legible against the softened background, while the distinctive secometer display at 6 o’clock provides a unique way to track seconds, replacing the traditional sub-seconds dial with a window-style readout. Paired with spade & whip hands in a darkened finish, this timepiece embraces its vintage character while remaining effortlessly functional.
Inside, this watch houses a Hamilton 912 movement, a piece of American engineering from 1935 with 17 jewels ensuring smooth and reliable performance. The 912 was a staple of Hamilton’s high-quality pocket watches, built to withstand daily wear while maintaining precise timekeeping. In the same year this movement was produced, the world saw the introduction of the DC-3, the aircraft that would revolutionize commercial aviation with its reliability—just as Hamilton was revolutionizing pocket watch accuracy.
Encasing this historic movement is a brushed titanium case, offering both strength and lightweight comfort, paired with an angled machined steel bezel that provides subtle contrast. A knurled, machined steel crown adds a touch of rugged elegance, while the rye-colored leather strap ties together the warmth of the dial’s patina with the resilience of its new form. The Lancaster 086 is a masterful blend of history and modern craftsmanship, making it a truly one-of-a-kind piece.
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: 2025
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 45mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 50mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Brushed Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Stainless Steel
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Hamilton Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3427693
- Manufacture Year: 1935
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Lancaster 086 unique:
The Lancaster 086 carries a dial that speaks to time itself—aged to perfection, its warm patina tells the story of decades past. The bold, black numerals remain legible against the softened background, while the distinctive secometer display at 6 o’clock provides a unique way to track seconds, replacing the traditional sub-seconds dial with a window-style readout. Paired with spade & whip hands in a darkened finish, this timepiece embraces its vintage character while remaining effortlessly functional.
Inside, this watch houses a Hamilton 912 movement, a piece of American engineering from 1935 with 17 jewels ensuring smooth and reliable performance. The 912 was a staple of Hamilton’s high-quality pocket watches, built to withstand daily wear while maintaining precise timekeeping. In the same year this movement was produced, the world saw the introduction of the DC-3, the aircraft that would revolutionize commercial aviation with its reliability—just as Hamilton was revolutionizing pocket watch accuracy.
Encasing this historic movement is a brushed titanium case, offering both strength and lightweight comfort, paired with an angled machined steel bezel that provides subtle contrast. A knurled, machined steel crown adds a touch of rugged elegance, while the rye-colored leather strap ties together the warmth of the dial’s patina with the resilience of its new form. The Lancaster 086 is a masterful blend of history and modern craftsmanship, making it a truly one-of-a-kind piece.
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.
