Watch Description
The Boston 396 is the 396th one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Boston" 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 Boston 396 Unique: We’re in love with the complementary colors on this brilliant watch from Waltham. The soft and worn dial showcases its age while the gold-plated crown and hardware accent its bold, golden numerals. We chose a dark navy band to pair with the minimal, blue steel, space hands. The warm gold tones against navy is the perfect amount of contrast for this classic beauty. Our machined, titanium case creates the perfect setting for both the dial and movement. The 17 jewel movement has been meticulously designed with a damaskeening process to create these elaborate patterns across the bridge plate. Gold-plated gears and stainless steel hardware accents balance out the ornate and bright shine of the bridge plate. This watch was originally manufactured in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1921. The company was founded in 1850 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Waltham had a number of names and different products over the many years they were in business. They produced about 40 million products, including watches, clocks, speedometers, compasses, time-delay fuses, and other precision instruments.
1921
23984472
Movement Manufacturer Information
The movement inside of this watch was made by Waltham Watch Company. We call this model "The Boston" because of the company's proximity to the city.
Also known as American Watch Company and American Waltham Watch Company, Waltham was one of the leaders in attempting an entirely new concept, machines making machines. Prior to this, a watchmaker would hand-make each part of a movement one-at-a-time. Operating from 1851-1957, Waltham called its product the "Scientific Watch." Waltham's innovative, precise machining techniques made parts interchangeable, and their early version of the assembly line made high-quality watches efficient to produce. Legend has it that Henry Ford drew inspiration for his assembly line production from a visit to Waltham's factory. Located on the bank of the Charles River in "Watch City" (Waltham), Massachusetts, the factory has since been converted to apartment lofts.
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: Waltham Watch Company
- Serial Number:
- Manufacture Year:
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Boston 396 is the 396th one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Boston" 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 Boston 396 Unique: We’re in love with the complementary colors on this brilliant watch from Waltham. The soft and worn dial showcases its age while the gold-plated crown and hardware accent its bold, golden numerals. We chose a dark navy band to pair with the minimal, blue steel, space hands. The warm gold tones against navy is the perfect amount of contrast for this classic beauty. Our machined, titanium case creates the perfect setting for both the dial and movement. The 17 jewel movement has been meticulously designed with a damaskeening process to create these elaborate patterns across the bridge plate. Gold-plated gears and stainless steel hardware accents balance out the ornate and bright shine of the bridge plate. This watch was originally manufactured in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1921. The company was founded in 1850 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Waltham had a number of names and different products over the many years they were in business. They produced about 40 million products, including watches, clocks, speedometers, compasses, time-delay fuses, and other precision instruments.
1921
23984472
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.
