Watch Description
What makes the Lancaster 162 unique: Today, we’re excited to present to you this breathtakingly unique watch, originally produced by the Hamilton Watch Company in 1936 — the Lancaster 162. The Lancaster 162’s pocket watch movement features a cream-colored dial with stylized black numerals. The gorgeous front display also presents blued steel arrow hands and a subdial. We encased this magnificent pocket watch within our Blued Titanium case and added a gold-plated crown. Our contemporary additions to this antique piece make the final product even more stylish and unforgettable. On the back, you can view the pocket watch’s original 912-grade open-face movement with a nickel finish, black inlay color, and pendant setting. You can also see its sumptuous gold-plated gears and 17 screw-set jewels throughout its ¾ plate. To finish the piece off, we equipped it with our hand-crafted Merlot leather watch strap and a solid bronze machined buckle.The Hamilton Watch Company initially manufactured the Lancaster 162’s pocket watch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1936 — the first year that Billboard magazine released its first music hit parade list, today that list is known as the Billboard charts, such as the Billboard Hot 100 and Global 200. Although people now know Billboard for its music lists and articles, the magazine actually started as a publication for those working in advertising and bill postings in 1894. The magazine was originally called Billboard Advertising. During the Great Depression, the jukebox industry grew, leading Billboard to advertise the machine and focus progressively more on the music industry. Through the 20th century, Billboard became more focused on music and eventually phased out its coverage of other topics.
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: Gold Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Hamilton Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3430906
- Manufacture Year: 1936
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Hamilton Watch Company initially manufactured the Lancaster 162’s pocket watch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1936 — the first year that Billboard magazine released its first music hit parade list, today that list is known as the Billboard charts, such as the Billboard Hot 100 and Global 200. Although people now know Billboard for its music lists and articles, the magazine actually started as a publication for those working in advertising and bill postings in 1894. The magazine was originally called Billboard Advertising. During the Great Depression, the jukebox industry grew, leading Billboard to advertise the machine and focus progressively more on the music industry. Through the 20th century, Billboard became more focused on music and eventually phased out its coverage of other topics.
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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.
