Watch Description
The Boston 397 is the 397th 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 397 Unique: We knew right away when we saw this dial that it would be a perfect match for our new sandblasted titanium case. We love the subtle, metallic glint this watch gives off after pairing it with a copper crown. The soft, silver tones of the double-sunk dial and light gold, raised numerals help this watch shine, in addition to its unique floral pattern. To tie it all together, we added a tobacco strap and blue, kite-shaped hands. 17 jewels are friction set into this amazing build plate, with a fantastic checkerboard-machined pattern. The eye-catching movement is nickel-plated with stainless steel hardware. This Boston was originally manufactured by Waltham Watch Company in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1929. At the same time in Tennessee, The Seeing Eye was established by Dorothy Harrison Eustis and Morris Frank. This is the oldest seeing eye dog school in the country. Still one of the largest schools of its kind, The Seeing Eye still trains dogs today!
1929
26927066
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: Copper
- 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 397 is the 397th 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 397 Unique: We knew right away when we saw this dial that it would be a perfect match for our new sandblasted titanium case. We love the subtle, metallic glint this watch gives off after pairing it with a copper crown. The soft, silver tones of the double-sunk dial and light gold, raised numerals help this watch shine, in addition to its unique floral pattern. To tie it all together, we added a tobacco strap and blue, kite-shaped hands. 17 jewels are friction set into this amazing build plate, with a fantastic checkerboard-machined pattern. The eye-catching movement is nickel-plated with stainless steel hardware. This Boston was originally manufactured by Waltham Watch Company in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1929. At the same time in Tennessee, The Seeing Eye was established by Dorothy Harrison Eustis and Morris Frank. This is the oldest seeing eye dog school in the country. Still one of the largest schools of its kind, The Seeing Eye still trains dogs today!
1929
26927066
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.
