Watch Description
What makes the Lancaster 106 unique:
The Lancaster 106 is a visual tribute to the beauty of timeworn precision. Its silver dial has gracefully aged over nearly a century, bearing warm patina, subtle spotting, and soft wear that together enhance its character. Applied minute dots trace the edge of the dial with sculptural dimension, while the angled, slightly raised numerals add depth and shadow. At center, a textured ring of fine concentric engraving creates a coin-edge effect that perfectly echoes the watch’s sandblasted coin-edge bezel. Completing the composition, a set of heat-blued diamond kite hands stand out with crisp clarity against the aged dial, drawing the eye toward the recessed sub-seconds display at 6 o’clock with railroad-style markings.
Powering this timepiece is a 17-jewel Hamilton movement from 1931. Though nearly a century old, the movement remains brilliantly preserved—its bridges adorned with gentle horizontal striping and minimal tarnish. The gear train remains sharply defined, and the blued screws and polished jewel settings catch light with refined elegance. This level of craftsmanship and longevity is a testament to Hamilton’s legacy of American watchmaking excellence.
The case is built from precision-machined stainless steel with a sandblasted coin-edge bezel that pairs seamlessly with the knurled sandblasted titanium crown. Together, these elements enhance grip while providing a rugged, industrial contrast to the warm, vintage dial. The strap is a deep navy American-made leather with off-white stitching, providing a clean, modern frame that grounds the historical design in contemporary style.
In 1931, the Empire State Building officially opened its doors, becoming the tallest building in the world at the time and a symbol of American ambition during the Great Depression. Like the Lancaster 106, it stands as a monument to enduring craftsmanship and vision, built to last and admired for generations.
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: 45mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 50mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Machined Steel
- Crown/Hardware: Titanium
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Hamilton Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3348235
- Manufacture Year: 1931
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Lancaster 106 unique:
The Lancaster 106 is a visual tribute to the beauty of timeworn precision. Its silver dial has gracefully aged over nearly a century, bearing warm patina, subtle spotting, and soft wear that together enhance its character. Applied minute dots trace the edge of the dial with sculptural dimension, while the angled, slightly raised numerals add depth and shadow. At center, a textured ring of fine concentric engraving creates a coin-edge effect that perfectly echoes the watch’s sandblasted coin-edge bezel. Completing the composition, a set of heat-blued diamond kite hands stand out with crisp clarity against the aged dial, drawing the eye toward the recessed sub-seconds display at 6 o’clock with railroad-style markings.
Powering this timepiece is a 17-jewel Hamilton movement from 1931. Though nearly a century old, the movement remains brilliantly preserved—its bridges adorned with gentle horizontal striping and minimal tarnish. The gear train remains sharply defined, and the blued screws and polished jewel settings catch light with refined elegance. This level of craftsmanship and longevity is a testament to Hamilton’s legacy of American watchmaking excellence.
The case is built from precision-machined stainless steel with a sandblasted coin-edge bezel that pairs seamlessly with the knurled sandblasted titanium crown. Together, these elements enhance grip while providing a rugged, industrial contrast to the warm, vintage dial. The strap is a deep navy American-made leather with off-white stitching, providing a clean, modern frame that grounds the historical design in contemporary style.
In 1931, the Empire State Building officially opened its doors, becoming the tallest building in the world at the time and a symbol of American ambition during the Great Depression. Like the Lancaster 106, it stands as a monument to enduring craftsmanship and vision, built to last and admired for generations.
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.
