Watch Description
What makes the Chicago 063 unique: The Elgin pocket watch conversion we bring you today is a perfect encapsulation of what we do at Vortic: give new life to incredible antique American pocket watches by bringing them into the 21st century with new materials, finishes, craftsmanship, and style.
This beautifully aged antique dial's black Art Deco numerals are outlined to create a striking 3-dimensional effect, making them seem to float above the silver dial's textured center. The contrast between the severe, angular numerals and the decorative hanging garland is a testament to the unique design of the Chicago 063 and makes the heat-blued hands even more eye-catching.
We chose our angled steel bezel and steel winding crown, all machined right here in our Fort Collins workshop, to complement the dial's Art Deco fonts and paired them with a stainless steel case coated in black DLC to balance the timepiece's colors.
As unique and beautiful as the dial is, the movement raises the bar. The floral engraving on the balance bridge, the expert spiraling decoration, and the gold jewel settings and wheels make this 108-year-old movement look stunning, and its double rollers, Breguet hairspring, and Moseley regulator ensure that it functions as good as it looks.
Each component of this timepiece is impressively engineered and crafted, but it's the overall balance and synergy of the elements, when brought together, that make this conversion a masterpiece and a true Vortic.
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: 2024
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 45mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Black-DLC Stainless Steel
- Crown/Hardware: Stainless Steel
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Elgin Watch Company
- Serial Number: 18912251
- Manufacture Year: 1916
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Chicago 063 unique: The Elgin pocket watch conversion we bring you today is a perfect encapsulation of what we do at Vortic: give new life to incredible antique American pocket watches by bringing them into the 21st century with new materials, finishes, craftsmanship, and style.
This beautifully aged antique dial's black Art Deco numerals are outlined to create a striking 3-dimensional effect, making them seem to float above the silver dial's textured center. The contrast between the severe, angular numerals and the decorative hanging garland is a testament to the unique design of the Chicago 063 and makes the heat-blued hands even more eye-catching.
We chose our angled steel bezel and steel winding crown, all machined right here in our Fort Collins workshop, to complement the dial's Art Deco fonts and paired them with a stainless steel case coated in black DLC to balance the timepiece's colors.
As unique and beautiful as the dial is, the movement raises the bar. The floral engraving on the balance bridge, the expert spiraling decoration, and the gold jewel settings and wheels make this 108-year-old movement look stunning, and its double rollers, Breguet hairspring, and Moseley regulator ensure that it functions as good as it looks.
Each component of this timepiece is impressively engineered and crafted, but it's the overall balance and synergy of the elements, when brought together, that make this conversion a masterpiece and a true Vortic.
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.
