The Military Edition Is Coming Together
We're in the process of building the Military Edition watches and wanted to share some behind the scenes photos!
But first... here's our Watch of the Week!
The Springfield 319
We are back with Vortic's signature 3D printed titanium case! Enclosing a classic Illinois Watch Company movement, this dial has a slight patina developed over time that cannot be fabricated. Sporting black art deco style numerals and traditional blue steel hands, this is a classic pocket watch look with an updated wristwatch feel.
We love the raw copper crown because it will also patina uniquely over time and the Mojave strap adds the perfect balance of texture with the rough 3D printed case. The movement in this watch was manufactured in 1923 and has 17jewels. Overall this classic, rugged look is one of our favorites!
How It's Made: The Military Edition
Between the Holidays coming up and the snow here in Colorado, we're really trying to get (and stay) ahead with producing the Military Edition. So far so good! We're on pace to finish the first batch by the end of the year and start our quality testing process.
Currently, we plan to ship some of them in January and most of them in February. If you're one of the lucky 65 people (15 Special Editions and 50 Second Editions), you'll receive an email soon with your serial number and estimated ship date.
For everyone, here are some fun images of our process behind the scenes!
Did you know the Military Edition comes with an aluminum block cut specifically for your nightstand? Check out our unboxing video of the First Edition to learn more about what else is in the box!
We start with a block of aluminum and cut each stand individually for you. We had some fun with the Second Edition stands and added engraving to tell you what each section of the stand is intended to be used for!
While one machine is cutting the stands, we use a different machine to make the inserts. These movement holders fit perfectly around the antique pocket watch movement and float inside our titanium or bronze case. Cut from Delrin, a specific type of plastic, these were designed and made in-house to be absolutely perfect.
We use what's called a pallet to make these parts so we can manufacture many of them at once. Each of those black rings is a different insert, but they will all be made in one "push of the green button" on our CNC machine.
We also make the small round parts, like the crown, in-house which gives us the ability to add customization like our logo to them!
Once we have all the parts, Derek, our watchmaker (above) can begin his craft of building each Military Edition watch one at a time.
We love watching them come together, especially adding the final touches and winding them up for the first time. It's a beautiful process and a wonderful experience for all involved!
This is why we do what we do. Look at that gorgeous movement. All original, these pieces of engineering were a critical tool for our armed forces and will now make the ultimate conversation piece for you.
Each watch includes the original pocket watch case, which has its own spot on your aluminum stand. The work we do could be reversed someday if you ever want to have this piece of history as a pocket watch again. We imagine most customers will keep all these parts together and treat them as a collector set.
These watches are waiting for a couple more parts before we can put the straps on and begin quality assurance. As you can see, they're coming together and we do believe we can keep our original January/February delivery timeline estimate!
We Have One Left!
Go to vorticwatches.com/military to learn more about the Military Edition and see what we have left. The Special Edition is sold out, but we do have ONE of the Second Edition remaining for pre-order!
