Watch Description
What makes the Chicago 465 unique: Today, we’re delighted to present this antique, exquisite piece that the Elgin National Watch Company originally manufactured in 1928 — the Chicago 465. The watch features a stunning dial with a pristine white background and captivating navy minute and hour hands. The dial also sports bold, stylized numerals with a 45-degree angle transparent text-shadow. We added even more sophistication to the original pocket watch by encasing it inside our scratch-resistant and robust Machined Titanium case. The glimmering case and nickel crown make the watch shine even brighter with its breathtaking, elegant design. Our Machined Titanium’s clear back reveals the watch’s open-face movement with 17 awe-inspiring ruby and sapphire jewels atop its ¾ plate. You can also view the watch’s incredible inner workings with its attractive gold-plated gears and Moseley regulator. We paired this gleaming watch with our comfortable and practical Moss leather watch strap, contrasting the bright dial with a rugged style. The Elgin Watch Company originally manufactured the piece in Elgin, Illinois, in 1928 — the same year that the New York Yankees became the first Major League Baseball team to sweep two consecutive World Series. In 1927, they swept the Pittsburgh Pirates, and in 1928, they swept the St. Louis Cardinals. Tragically, New York Yankees pitcher Urban Shocker died of heart failure only months after the Yankee’s 1928 World Series win. The iconic pitcher was known for his spitballs — which are now illegal in the MLB — and he had a total of 983 strikeouts.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
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 47mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Machined Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Elgin Watch Company
- Serial Number: 30096812
- Manufacture Year: 1928
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
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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.
