We have your weekly round-up below, but first...
Have you actually held a Military Edition? There's something special about seeing that piece of history on your own wrist. Luckily, we have not one but two in-person events upcoming and we would love to see you!
First off, Florida! We're headed to Daytona Beach next weekend to share our watches at the Halifax Art Festival. If you're in the area, you should come by and try on a Military Edition to see what you think!
WHEN?
Saturday, November 6th - 9am - 5pm
Sunday, November 7th - 10am - 4pm
WHERE?
On Beach Street from Orange Ave. to International Speedway Blvd., Magnolia Ave., and NEW this year on City Island. Use GPS address of 166 South Beach Street, Daytona Beach, FL.
We're not stopping there, we're headed right back out on the road and we will be back in Arizona at the Fountain Festival of Fine Arts & Crafts! We loved getting to see so many of you at this event last spring so please come back and see us.
Please note this event does not start until the day after the launch of the Military Edition, and we may not have any left to purchase. We will have one for you to try on though!
WHEN?
November 12 - 14, 2021
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
(10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Sunday)
Rain or Shine!
WHERE?
Ave. of the Fountains & Saguaro Blvd.
in Fountain Hills
Here's your Weekly Roundup!
The time is now (pun intended) to pick your one-of-a-kind Vortic Watch. Our team has been working hard to provide you with a variety of unique timepieces. Take a look, there's something for everyone!
Click the images of the watches to learn more about them. Make sure to check the website at 12 PM Mountain Time for the Watch of the Day! They tend to sell quickly.
Today we are very pleased to bring you this stunning watch from the Illinois Watch Company, our Springfield 445. The dial of this watch is so incredibly unique and rare, we absolutely love how these art deco style numerals bring out so much character to this aged dial. The intricate wallpaper pattern that fills the entire face with a sense of movement really gives this watch a playful, fun motif. We set this watch inside our DLC black case to contrast the soft tones of the dial and help the hands and numerals stand out nicely. Our nickel-plated crown stands out on top, while the dark tones of this marsh green band complete the look.
We are so amazed by this impeccable movement as we turn the watch over to peek inside. Adorned by 21 spectacular jewels, screw-set into the build plate with brass hardware throughout. This watch displays a perfect balance of precious metal accents, such as rose-gold gears and brass, carrying your eye all throughout to explore the different design elements that went into making this watch. Originally produced in 1923 in Springfield, Illinois by the Illinois Watch Company. On nearly the other side of the world, Howard Carter and his team finally enter the tomb of King Tutankhamun. The excavation was slow and methodical, eventually coming to an end nine years later in 1932.
We are excited to bring you this beautiful timepiece from the Hamilton Watch Company, our Lancaster 110. We are always amazed by how unique and special each and every one of these antique watches are and how much they vary between the different models. We love the intricate design work that has been carefully machined into the face of this dial, with this one-of-a-kind look in the center. A nice amount of age brings character to the outer edge of this watch face, while these dark blue open-kite hands contrast nicely. We set the watch in our sandblasted titanium case, with a nickel-plated crown and black band.
As we turn this watch over to reveal the movement within, we are immediately drawn to the Geneva lines that are the focal point of craftsmanship all throughout the build plates. The spiral patterns on the mainspring wheel and crown wheel give a sense of motion as they slowly turn round and round. Gold-plated gears beneath give a nice visual appeal, and play well with the accents of 17 screw-set jewels. Stainless steel hardware against the nickel-plated build plate ties everything together and makes for a very clean and classic look.
This watch was originally manufactured by the Hamilton Watch Company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1923. Yankee Stadium opens its doors for the first time in April of this same year, in The Bronx, as the official home of the New York Yankees.
We have the pleasure of presenting to you the absolutely spectacular Burlington 017, a watch that is sure to stand out amongst the rest. This perfectly clean and bright white dial with stark black numerals immediately jumps out and catches your eye, with such a wonderfully modern feel from this watch that is just over 100 years old. The Burlington Watch Company was a mail-order company that had almost all of its watches contract built by the Illinois Watch Company out of Springfield Illinois. They weren’t around for a very long time, coming on to the scene around 1908 and only selling watches until the mid to late 1920s. Most of the watches that they made during this time were 16 size and Railroad Grade watches, typically 19 jewel or higher.
So with that being said, we are elated when we find this 21 jewel 12 size watch from Burlington. They are truly a testament to the craftsmanship and are some of the best quality watches that came out of the Illinois factory at that time. As we turn the watch over to reveal the movement within we are first drawn in to notice the unique shape of this bridge that is similar to a lot of what Illinois was making, but definitely its own custom shape and design specific to the Burlington style. A beautiful aged patina has given the different layers and build plates sort of a soft brass hue, that plays well with the rose-gold gears and brass balance wheel.
Everything about this watch is the highest of quality and craftsmanship and it shows when you take the time to explore the inside of this watch. Originally manufactured in 1920, this is the very same year that the Treaty of Versailles was signed, officially marking the end of World War I.
We happily present to you the Springfield 444, a stunning timepiece from the Illinois Watch Company. The gold-plated design work on the inner portion of this double-sunk dial is a great focal point to draw your attention to the finer details of this watch. We paired our gold-plated crown and hardware to tie in the vintage feel, cased in our machined titanium for extra visual appeal. Our natural strap brings everything together nicely, letting the craftsmanship of the dial shine through. As we turn this watch over, we are immediately taken aback by the intricacies and different layers of this amazing movement. The original craftsman named this watch accordingly, as you can see here with the insignia “Special” that is displayed across the main bridge plate. Gold-plated gears and a brass balance wheel bring precious metal accents, as well as the 17 screw-set jewels that keep everything spinning on track.
This watch was originally manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company in 1925 in Springfield, Illinois. The founder of Illinois, Jacob Bunn, passed away in 1897 and was replaced by his youngest son, Jacob Bunn Jr as president of the company. Bunn decided to discontinue building medium-grade watches and focused on improving quality and selling the brand as the most popular and most reliable railroad watch in the country. Beginning in 1914 they focused only on high-quality watches with 17 or more jewels, and the company was growing faster than ever. A typical Illinois Watch took anywhere from eight to twelve months from the time work began on it until it was ready to leave the factory. The watches were guaranteed to be accurate within 30 seconds a week in up to five positions, and at temperatures from nearly freezing to almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
This Watch of the Day is an amazing watch from the Hamilton Watch Company, our very own Lancaster 109. We are immediately drawn in to explore the intricate designs within the center of the dial, as well as the very uniquely shaped numerals all around the outer edge. We chose our sandblasted titanium case to compliment the soft feel of this slightly aged dial. Our copper crown and tobacco strap bring a great deal of contrast and color to brighten up the vintage look of this beautiful watch, as well as copper hardware throughout.
As we turn the watch over to reveal the movement inside, we are blown away by fine details. Inlaid text matches the copper settings that hold in the 17 screw-set jewels, while the gold-plated gears peek through from beneath. The build plate has been carefully machined with these spectacular Geneva lines, while the mainspring barrel and crown wheel show off this wonderful spiral pattern. This watch was originally produced in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1925 by the Hamilton Watch Company. In this same year, a man by the name of Frank Heath embarked on a two-year journey to visit all 48 states across the nation, on his beloved horse Gypsy Queen.
