Watch Description
What makes the Lancaster 175 unique: Today, we’re thrilled to announce this stunning new addition to our watch-of-the-day collection that was initially released by the Hamilton Watch Company — the Lancaster 175. This watch features a lightly-speckled dial with an intricate circular design surrounded by stylish black numerals. You can also see its blued-steel diamond kite watch hands that are notably eye-catching against the piece’s cream-colored background, and the dial also features a matching subdial. We complemented this sophisticated pocket watch by encasing it within our sleek Gunmetal Titanium case and topped it off with a nickel-plated crown. On the back of the watch, you can see the pocket watch’s antique 912-grade open-face movement with a Reed regulator, pendant setting, and nickel finish. The watch back also boasts sumptuous-looking gold-plated gears and 17 jewels throughout its ¾ plate. Finally, we made the final product even more stylish and extraordinary with our hand-crafted Olive leather watch strap.The Hamilton Watch Company originally produced our Lancaster 175’s pocket watch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1928, which was the same year that an important acquisition occurred in the automotive world — the Chrysler Corporation purchased Dodge. Horace Elgin and John Francis Dodge originally opened the automotive company’s doors in 1900 as the Dodge Brothers Company, and it was merely a machining shop that supplied parts for Detroit car manufacturers. The company began manufacturing and selling full vehicles in 1914 with the Dodge Model 30-35 touring car. By 1920, Dodge was the second most successful American automobile manufacturer, but tragically both Dodge Brothers died that year — John died of pneumonia and Horace died of liver cirrhosis — and the company quickly lost its impressive rank in car sales. The Dodge Brothers’ widows sold the company to Dillon, Read & Co — acquired by UBS in 1998 — but the investment bank sold the company to Chrysler three years later after unsatisfactory sales continued.
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
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 47mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Gunmetal Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Hamilton Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3302714
- Manufacture Year: 1928
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Hamilton Watch Company originally produced our Lancaster 175’s pocket watch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1928, which was the same year that an important acquisition occurred in the automotive world — the Chrysler Corporation purchased Dodge. Horace Elgin and John Francis Dodge originally opened the automotive company’s doors in 1900 as the Dodge Brothers Company, and it was merely a machining shop that supplied parts for Detroit car manufacturers. The company began manufacturing and selling full vehicles in 1914 with the Dodge Model 30-35 touring car. By 1920, Dodge was the second most successful American automobile manufacturer, but tragically both Dodge Brothers died that year — John died of pneumonia and Horace died of liver cirrhosis — and the company quickly lost its impressive rank in car sales. The Dodge Brothers’ widows sold the company to Dillon, Read & Co — acquired by UBS in 1998 — but the investment bank sold the company to Chrysler three years later after unsatisfactory sales continued.
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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.
