Watch Description
What makes the Lancaster 181 unique: We’re pleased to present this luxurious and splendid watch that was initially manufactured by the Hamilton Watch Company almost a century ago — the Lancaster 181. This remarkable antique boasts a paper-white dial with striking golden details, including its gold-colored center, numerals, and minute indicators. The front of the watch also displays a stunning “Hamilton” inscription, a useful subdial, and blued-steel diamond kite watch hands. We complemented this piece’s sumptuous-looking golden details by pairing it with our gold-plated crown, and we installed the pocket watch within our stylish Sandblasted Titanium case. Our Sandblasted Titanium case features an exhibition-style open back that displays the pocket watch’s 916-grade open-face movement with a nickel finish, pendant setting, and ¾ plate. The rear side of the watch continues showcasing its opulent-looking design with golden engravings that convey the pocket watch’s heritage, such as “Hamilton Watch Co.” and “Lancaster, PA,” and it boasts gold-plated gears as well as 17 eye-catching jewels. Finally, we tied this marvelous piece together by equipping it with our comfortable Cordovan leather watch strap.The Hamilton Watch Company initially released this pocket watch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1924 — the same year that acclaimed American poet Robert Frost won his Pulitzer Prize with his poetry collection New Hampshire: A Poem with Notes and Grace Notes. Some of Frost’s most famous works from the collection include “Fire and Ice,” “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Frost went on to win three more Pulitzers for his poem collections Collected Poems, A Further Range, and A Witness Tree.
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: Sandblasted Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Gold Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Hamilton Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3106031
- Manufacture Year: 1924
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Hamilton Watch Company initially released this pocket watch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1924 — the same year that acclaimed American poet Robert Frost won his Pulitzer Prize with his poetry collection New Hampshire: A Poem with Notes and Grace Notes. Some of Frost’s most famous works from the collection include “Fire and Ice,” “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Frost went on to win three more Pulitzers for his poem collections Collected Poems, A Further Range, and A Witness Tree.
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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.
