Your Weekly Roundup With A Side Of Huge News!
Check out the images below for the Weekly Roundup of our most recent Watch of the Daywatches, but first, did you get the most recent issue of Entrepreneur Magazine? (March)
Our David & Goliath Story Made Massive News!
Did you see us in Entrepreneur Magazine? It's the one with Ryan Reynolds on the cover!
Distributed to over 500,000 people, Entrepreneur Magazine is one of the largest media outlets to cover our story - 6 pages in the centerfold!
"Could This Watch Company's Legal Battle Change Trademark Law Forever?" by Liz Brody is the most comprehensive story about our Hamilton v Vortic lawsuit.
The SWATCH Group is illustrated here as a massive snake hissing at the tiny depiction of Vortic Watch Company. The story takes us back to when it all started in 2015, and tracks through the massive David v Goliath battle that concluded (for now) in September of 2020 when it was announced that we won.
We're working on ordering extra copies so we can send them to customers. If you want a print copy, please reply to this email and we'll put you on the list. If you want to read it online, click the button below.
Note that it's behind a paywall on Entrepreneur's website, so you may have to sign up for a free trial or subscribe to view it online.
The Weekly Roundup
Here's your weekly round-up! 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 sell quickly. This week we have five watches queued up. Keep your eyes out for the perfect watch for you!
The Chicago 419 (Today's Watch)
Today’s Watch of the Day is the Chicago 419, a beautiful example of a classic Elgin with a very special and rare Strand movement from 1917. These older Elgin movements have a way of making a nice, clean and simple dial look distinguished and sophisticated.
Our mojave strap and machined titanium case compliment this watch making it very modern and rustic without being overstated. We topped it off with a copper crown to bring some contrast to the Blue Steel solid kite hands. This watch was manufactured in 1917 in Elgin, Illinois, which proved to be a somewhat difficult time for the Chicago area as WWI was breaking out.
The largest immigrant population of Chicago at that time was primarily German-Americans, which created a lot of tension as the city was trying desperately to be portrayed as neutral to the war, so as to not upset some of its citizens who were sympathizing with Germany. Elgin continued to manufacture watches throughout this time and we are happy to see these watches continue to come through the shop from time to time.
The Boston 390 (SOLD)
It’s all in the details in this amazing Illinois watch, with this intricately machined dial and movement. The vertical raised rows in the dial really set this watch apart, accented by the machined titanium case and nickel-plated crown. The movement has matching accent lines as well as 17 beautiful jewels and gold set screws. The rose gold gear train, polished and decorated ratchet wheels, and double roller escapement add to the flare of this watch.
This wonderful piece of history was manufactured in Springfield, Illinois in 1923. At this time period, Illinois was primarily manufacturing the movement and dial as one, which would then be sold to private jewelry stores. The watch would then be cased and finished by the jeweler in the store after being purchased by the customer.
This was a common practice for the Illinois Watch Company as well as others during this time, and they continued this process until the early 1930’s when they began casing the watches at the factory. Here we are, almost 100 years later placing this movement in a new case once again, in what we hope will last this movement for at least the next 100 years.
The Boston 243 (SOLD)
For this cheerful Holiday Special Edition, we bring you our 2021 Easter watch the Boston 243. We do our best to reserve some of our dials and movements for special occasions to really stand out and mark the holiday.
The detail in this ornate dial goes so perfectly with these intricately cast gold hands and decoration, we knew right away when we found this watch that it would be designated for a special date. 17 screw-set jewels and machined bridge plate bring this movement to life, with matching gold gears throughout.
We used a natural strap and gold plated crown to softly match the rest of the subtle details. For the first time ever we decided to soften the exterior of this machined titanium case post-production. This finish reduces the shimmer of the titanium for a less polished look that really lets the movement do all the showing off. This watch was originally manufactured in 1925 in Waltham, Massachusetts and almost 100 years later has finally been given new life.
This watch has a subtle way of grabbing your attention right at first glance with this stunning double set gold dial and dark black roman numerals. The large cobalt blue full moon hands pop nicely off the face, set into this very clean black DLC titanium case. Capped with a copper crown and coal straps, this watch has a very modern sleek look with just the right amount of antique flair.
We love each and every single Autocrat movement that comes through our doors and this one has all the unique details we love to see. The copper accents on the lettering go well with the rose gold gears, the decoration at the regulator really makes this movement stand out amongst others in its class. The 17 screw set jewels stand out nicely among the highly decorated and intricately machined bridge plate. This watch was originally manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company in Springfield, Illinois in 1917.
At the same time in 1917, The United States of America broke off diplomatic relations with Germany in regards to WWI and declared war on Austria-Hungary. Thankfully, our country hadn’t begun mandating wartime manufacturing of goods for war efforts quite yet, so Illinois was allowed to continue making watches during this time and we couldn’t be happier about that.
The Chicago 418 (SOLD)
Often we come across antique watches with such an incredible amount of character and wear and tear that you can practically tell a story just by looking at it. This watch is no exception, with just the right amount of age shown on the dial, paired with one of the most elegant and ornate Elgin movements of this era.
Hailing all the way back from 1916, the amount of detail and craftsmanship in this gold two-tone damaskeening is absolutely incredible. The plate itself is actually nickel that is gold plated, then lightly scratched by small discs and needles to create this beautiful design that showcases the nickel beneath. We wanted to showcase this special dial by contrasting it with this clean dark Gunmetal Titanium case and gold plated crown.
The Rye strap and gold hardware to match the subtle gold in the dial really cap off the details of this watch for a wonderfully classy design. This watch was manufactured in Elgin, Illinois in 1916, not far away at this same time Ruth Law set the cross-country aircraft flight record of 590 miles flying from Chicago to New York State. It’s amazing to think about how far we have come in that short amount of time, and this watch continues to live on throughout all of it.
