Watch Description
The Chicago 418 is the 418th one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Chicago" line of the American Artisan Series. This watch contains the original movement (timepiece), dial (face), and hands from a vintage (1880’s – 1950’s) pocket watch. The American Artisan Series is a line of fully American Made wristwatches powered by restored, U.S. made pocket watch movements.
What makes the Chicago 418 Unique: 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.
1916
18716959
Movement Manufacturer Information
The movement inside of this watch was made by Elgin Watch Company. We call this model "The Chicago" because of the company's proximity to the city.
Also known as Elgin National Watch Company, Elgin wasn't only the largest watch manufacturer in the United States, but the largest watch manufacturer in the world for almost 100 years, operating from 1864-1964. The company often used a depiction of father time on advertisements. At one point, the company was making 7,500 watch movements per week and had 2,300 employees. The factory was demolished in 1966 and replaced with a shopping center.
Legal Disclaimer: All product and company names, logos, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to within Vortic's products and services are the property of their respective intellectual property rights holders, if any. Those intellectual property rights holders, other than Vortic, LLC, are not affiliated with Vortic, LLC, our products, or our website. They do not sponsor or endorse our materials.
Watch Specifications
- Manufacturer: Vortic Watch Company
- Model Year: 2021
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 47mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Machined Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Gold Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Elgin Watch Company
- Serial Number:
- Manufacture Year:
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Chicago 418 is the 418th one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Chicago" line of the American Artisan Series. This watch contains the original movement (timepiece), dial (face), and hands from a vintage (1880’s – 1950’s) pocket watch. The American Artisan Series is a line of fully American Made wristwatches powered by restored, U.S. made pocket watch movements.
What makes the Chicago 418 Unique: 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.
1916
18716959
Let customers speak for us
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.
