Watch Description
What makes the Lancaster 189 unique: Today, we’re featuring a new entry in our Watch of the Day series that boasts a stunning pocket watch produced by the Hamilton Watch Company — the Lancaster 189. This breathtaking piece displays an ivory-white dial with stylish, aged numerals and a dark-gray circle design with a dark-blue outline. You can also see the watch’s black solid diamond kite watch hands and subdial. We matched this antique watch with our powerful and fashionable Blued Titanium case and a nickel-plated crown, complementing the dial and making it all the more eye-catching. On the watch’s rear side, you can see its 918-grade open-face movement with 19 screw-set ruby jewels with gold settings as well as its gold-plated gears. The movement features additional remarkable details, including its Micrometer regulator, Breguet hairspring, and ¾ plate. We made this one-of-a-kind pocket watch all the more special by pairing it with our comfortable, artisan-designed Cordovan Oxblood leather watch strap.The Hamilton Watch Company originally manufactured the piece’s pocket watch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1934 — the same year that that famous bank robber John Dillinger was mortally shot by law enforcement outside of the Biograph Theater in Chicago, Illinois. The notorious gangster led the Dillinger Gang, which allegedly robbed 24 banks as well as four police stations. Before attracting national attention for his crimes, Dillinger was incarcerated for almost a decade for assault, battery, and stealing $50 from a grocery store. While in prison, he learned about bank robbing from career criminals Harry “Pete” Pierpont, Charles Makely, Russel Clark, and Homer Van Meter. Dillinger was paroled in 1933 and personally robbed 12 different banks before his death the following year.
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: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Hamilton Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3148756
- Manufacture Year: 1934
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Hamilton Watch Company originally manufactured the piece’s pocket watch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1934 — the same year that that famous bank robber John Dillinger was mortally shot by law enforcement outside of the Biograph Theater in Chicago, Illinois. The notorious gangster led the Dillinger Gang, which allegedly robbed 24 banks as well as four police stations. Before attracting national attention for his crimes, Dillinger was incarcerated for almost a decade for assault, battery, and stealing $50 from a grocery store. While in prison, he learned about bank robbing from career criminals Harry “Pete” Pierpont, Charles Makely, Russel Clark, and Homer Van Meter. Dillinger was paroled in 1933 and personally robbed 12 different banks before his death the following year.
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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.
