Watch Description
What makes the Lancaster 129 unique: Today, we are excited to showcase this remarkable watch from the Hamilton Watch Company — the Landcaster 129. This piece features a classic Hamilton watch dial with art deco-style numbers and a luminous sub-dial. Some subtle aging, taking the form of black flecks, adds character to this piece and will remind its owner that they are wearing a piece of history. We love the stark contrast between the white dial and the cobalt blue hands, and our Machined Titanium case only adds to the watch’s luster. This 17-jewel piece is protected by our highly durable and scratch-resistant case, which lets you see through the clear back at the gold-plated gears. The curved shape of the bridge plate contrasts the machined lines that run diagonally across the plate, giving this 916-grade piece a truly remarkable design. Lastly, our Olive Leather strap brings out the earthy tones of the dial. This watch was originally produced in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1927 — the same year the Great Mississippi Flood submerged more than 23,000 square miles of land in standing water. After several months of consistent rain, the water levels of the lower Mississippi River steadily rose, eventually breaking levees and flooding the surrounding areas. In 1929, Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie released the song “When The Levee Breaks,” inspired by the Great Mississippi Flood.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
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 47mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Machined Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Hamilton Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3126896
- Manufacture Year: 1927
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
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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.
