Watch Description
What makes the Lancaster 108 unique:
The Lancaster 108 is a compelling blend of industrial charm and vintage elegance, brought to life through thoughtful details and aged character. Its vertically brushed dial carries warm striations and faint surface scratches that echo its century-old story. Applied gold-toned art deco numerals—with softened edges and natural patina—arc around the perimeter, rising just enough to catch the light. A subtle ring of circular minute markers adds visual rhythm, while the recessed sub-seconds dial features a two-tone finish and finely textured center. At the heart of the display, a striking pair of heat-blued solid diamond kite hands adds sharp vintage contrast and precision.
Powering this timepiece is a 17-jewel Hamilton movement originally manufactured in 1923. Visible through the open caseback, the movement reveals bold Geneva stripes rippling across the bridges, polished steel screws, and gold-plated gears—all laid out with remarkable clarity and balance. It’s a striking example of American watchmaking excellence at its peak.
This movement is encased in a 45mm titanium case with a stonewashed finish, paired with an angled bezel for added dimensionality. The knurled, machined titanium crown offers tactile grip and visual weight, balancing the refined face with rugged utility. We’ve completed the build with a tobacco-toned, American-made leather strap, chosen for its warm, natural hue and everyday durability.
In 1923, the same year this Hamilton movement was produced, the iconic Hollywood Sign was first erected in Los Angeles—originally reading “Hollywoodland” as an advertisement for a real estate development. Though meant to last just 18 months, it became a lasting symbol of American culture, resilience, and ambition.
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: Tumbled Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Stainless Steel
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Hamilton Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3103057
- Manufacture Year: 1923
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Lancaster 108 unique:
The Lancaster 108 is a compelling blend of industrial charm and vintage elegance, brought to life through thoughtful details and aged character. Its vertically brushed dial carries warm striations and faint surface scratches that echo its century-old story. Applied gold-toned art deco numerals—with softened edges and natural patina—arc around the perimeter, rising just enough to catch the light. A subtle ring of circular minute markers adds visual rhythm, while the recessed sub-seconds dial features a two-tone finish and finely textured center. At the heart of the display, a striking pair of heat-blued solid diamond kite hands adds sharp vintage contrast and precision.
Powering this timepiece is a 17-jewel Hamilton movement originally manufactured in 1923. Visible through the open caseback, the movement reveals bold Geneva stripes rippling across the bridges, polished steel screws, and gold-plated gears—all laid out with remarkable clarity and balance. It’s a striking example of American watchmaking excellence at its peak.
This movement is encased in a 45mm titanium case with a stonewashed finish, paired with an angled bezel for added dimensionality. The knurled, machined titanium crown offers tactile grip and visual weight, balancing the refined face with rugged utility. We’ve completed the build with a tobacco-toned, American-made leather strap, chosen for its warm, natural hue and everyday durability.
In 1923, the same year this Hamilton movement was produced, the iconic Hollywood Sign was first erected in Los Angeles—originally reading “Hollywoodland” as an advertisement for a real estate development. Though meant to last just 18 months, it became a lasting symbol of American culture, resilience, and ambition.
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.
