Watch Description
The NATO Conversion Watch is our latest tribute to American military timekeeping—this time with a twist in the timeline. At the heart of each piece is a rare Hamilton 3992B movement originally built for the U.S. Navy during World War II, later repurposed by the British Royal Navy, and upgraded in the 1970s by NATO with a special decimal dial used for time studies or what some call "work studies." These pocket watches were tools of precision and survival, used aboard naval vessels and in military labs to coordinate missions, navigate vast oceans, and conduct critical calculations in 1/100ths of minutes instead of seconds.
At the heart of each piece is a rare Hamilton 3992B movement originally built for the U.S. Navy during World War II, later repurposed by the British Royal Navy and upgraded with a special decimal dial. These pocket watches were tools of precision and survival, used aboard naval vessels and in military labs to coordinate missions, navigate vast oceans, and conduct critical calculations.
This is where form meets function. The restored white dial features dual timekeeping systems: an inner track of black hour numerals and an outer ring of red decimal minute markers, designed for quick mathematical conversions in high-pressure environments. Around the edge, traditional black numerals keep it grounded in familiar territory, while needle-tipped blued whip hands and a red sweeping seconds hand glide above the surface with clarity and intent.
At the core is a 22-jewel Hamilton 3992B movement—fully rebuilt, visually stunning, and mechanically uncompromising. These movements feature a hacking function that stops the seconds hand when the crown is pulled, enabling military teams to synchronize watches to the second. Each movement is marked as U.S. government-issued and decorated with Geneva stripes, gold-plated gears, and fine-tuned for accuracy.
Notice the 4 screws in the dial.... similar Colorado's GCT! We found these after we created the new GCT. Isn't that wild?!
Encased in a 49mm Titankote ™ DLC-coated titanium case with a matching coin-edge bezel and knurled DLC crown, this piece is clean, rugged, and unmistakably military. Each customer receives both strap options: a black leather strap and a rugged olive NATO-style canvas strap—our first ever in this style—crafted exclusively for this project by Greg Stevens Design. Only eight will be made available. Once they’re gone, they’re history.
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
- Model Year: NATO First Edition
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 49mm
- Lug Width: 24mm
- Case Material: Machined Stainless Steel
- Crown/Hardware: Stainless Steel
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Domed Sapphire Glass (front)
Sapphire Glass (back) - Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: (1) Custom British Saddle Leather by Greg Stevens (2) Custom Swiss Military Canvas by Greg Stevens
Movement
- Manufacturer: Hamilton Watch Company
- Serial Number: Varies
- Manufacture Year: 1942
- Function: Manual Wind
- Hands: Original Antiques
- Size: 16s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
Restoration of the Original Antiques
Most of the movements we find were manufactured between 1938 and 1950. They were likely used in war-time but were discarded or forgotten shortly afterward. This means the original mechanical, manually wound mechanisms have not been properly serviced or cared-for in recent years.
Vortic's team of expert watchmakers meticulously restores each movement to near factory conditions using only original parts. Thankfully, because these were built as tools for the U.S. Military, extra parts were built for field servicing. We even have access to the original field service manuals from the, now defunct, watch companies!
We do the best we can to restore and regulate each one, but "perfect" timekeeping similar to a modern wristwatch is not achievable. Each watch will be adjusted to keep excellent time on a day to day basis, but there will be variations from watch to watch.
The Wristwatch Engineering System
The Military Edition is an engineering system designed to protect and preserve pieces of American history.
It has been over-built to house these extremely rare and valuable military mechanisms. Every metal component has been precision cut from blocks of solid bronze inside Vortic's Colorado facility.
Only the best materials were sourced for this project due to the priceless nature of the timepieces being converted.
The Glass Crystals
For the front of the Post-War Conversion Watch, we decided to go with a domed sapphire crystal.
The domed glass creates a beautiful side profile that makes this watch stand out from all others. It also makes more room inside the watch for the very tall pinion holding the hands.
On the back, we used sapphire again just like our other watches. The scratch-resistant crystal has a clarity rating of nearly 100 meaning it's completely transparent and perfect for showing off the piece of American military history inside.
The American Made Strap
A watch this special can't have any normal wrist-band. That's why we partnered with Greg Stevens Design in Salt Lake City. Greg typically makes batches of straps for us for these Military Edition watches, but we convinced him to do these Special Edition straps too!
Each Royal Pheon Watch will come with one brown saddle leather strap and one Swiss military canvas strap, all made by Greg.
The Veterans Watchmaker Initiative
We've partnered with the Veterans Watchmaker Initiative to provide jobs to U.S. Military personnel when they come home. $500 from the sale of each Military Edition watch will directly benefit their mission to educate and certify the next generation of American watchmakers.
With the rise in popularity of vintage and mechanical wristwatches, there's an ever-growing need for skilled watchmakers to restore and service these timepieces. Every watch company from Vortic to Rolex is actively seeking trained workers and the Veterans Watchmaker Initiative is filling those skill-gaps.
The current program can only train about 20 students at a time, but there are hundreds on the waiting list. By purchasing the any watch in the Military Edition including the Comparing Watch you will be directly impacting the Past, Present, and future of American watchmaking.
