Watch Description
What makes the Lancaster 102 unique:
The Lancaster 102 showcases a richly patinaed dial that reads like parchment weathered by time. Its warm beige tone is flecked with subtle spotting and age marks, giving the surface both texture and soul. At the center, a pair of nested arches create a quiet architectural tension, interrupted by a perfectly balanced circular frame that adds depth to the layout. Tall, gold-toned numerals in a squared, art deco style offer crisp legibility and vintage flair. Just below the surface, solid diamond kite hands extend across the dial with sharp, angular precision. A recessed sub-seconds dial at 6 o’clock echoes the dial’s coloring and features finely printed numerals and markers. A railroad-style minute track rings the perimeter, giving the watch a field-ready, utilitarian touch.
Inside this timepiece beats a 17-jewel Hamilton movement originally manufactured in 1938. Unlike most watches in our American Artisan Series, which house larger 12size movements, this one features a compact 10size movement—a rare choice that still delivers exceptional presence. The bridges are engraved in a small, technical font unique to this series and finished with wide, pronounced Geneva stripes that lend dimension and shine. Through the open caseback, you’ll catch a glimpse of the movement’s clean, efficient layout—punctuated by gold-plated gears and deeply recessed jewel settings.
This historic movement is housed in a machined stainless steel case with a matching smooth steel bezel. The vertically grooved crown offers both visual texture and easy grip. The oxblood leather strap—with its glossy finish and ivory stitching—ties in beautifully with the warmth of the dial, enhancing the vintage aesthetic without overwhelming it. While the movement may be smaller than most in our collection, the 43mm case allows the design to breathe, giving every detail room to shine.
In 1938, the year this movement was produced, the Santa Fe Railroad became the first U.S. railway to fully dieselize its long-distance passenger service—retiring steam engines in favor of sleek, modern diesel-electric locomotives. This marked a defining shift in American transportation history, and a new standard of power and precision—ideals we continue to celebrate with each timepiece we build.
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
- Model Year: 2025
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 43mm
- Thickness: 10mm
- Lug to Lug: 50mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Machined Stainless Steel
- Crown/Hardware: Stainless Steel
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Hamilton Watch Company
- Serial Number: X38989
- Manufacture Year: 1938
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 10s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Lancaster 102 unique:
The Lancaster 102 showcases a richly patinaed dial that reads like parchment weathered by time. Its warm beige tone is flecked with subtle spotting and age marks, giving the surface both texture and soul. At the center, a pair of nested arches create a quiet architectural tension, interrupted by a perfectly balanced circular frame that adds depth to the layout. Tall, gold-toned numerals in a squared, art deco style offer crisp legibility and vintage flair. Just below the surface, solid diamond kite hands extend across the dial with sharp, angular precision. A recessed sub-seconds dial at 6 o’clock echoes the dial’s coloring and features finely printed numerals and markers. A railroad-style minute track rings the perimeter, giving the watch a field-ready, utilitarian touch.
Inside this timepiece beats a 17-jewel Hamilton movement originally manufactured in 1938. Unlike most watches in our American Artisan Series, which house larger 12size movements, this one features a compact 10size movement—a rare choice that still delivers exceptional presence. The bridges are engraved in a small, technical font unique to this series and finished with wide, pronounced Geneva stripes that lend dimension and shine. Through the open caseback, you’ll catch a glimpse of the movement’s clean, efficient layout—punctuated by gold-plated gears and deeply recessed jewel settings.
This historic movement is housed in a machined stainless steel case with a matching smooth steel bezel. The vertically grooved crown offers both visual texture and easy grip. The oxblood leather strap—with its glossy finish and ivory stitching—ties in beautifully with the warmth of the dial, enhancing the vintage aesthetic without overwhelming it. While the movement may be smaller than most in our collection, the 43mm case allows the design to breathe, giving every detail room to shine.
In 1938, the year this movement was produced, the Santa Fe Railroad became the first U.S. railway to fully dieselize its long-distance passenger service—retiring steam engines in favor of sleek, modern diesel-electric locomotives. This marked a defining shift in American transportation history, and a new standard of power and precision—ideals we continue to celebrate with each timepiece we build.
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.
