Watch Description
What makes The Chicago 091 unique:
The Chicago 091 brings together soft, timeworn texture and refined design in a way that feels both deliberate and quietly expressive. Its pale dial is marked by vertical streaks of patina that resemble brushstrokes—giving the surface a painterly quality rarely seen in pieces of this era. Around the edge, additional speckled patina settles near the minute markers, creating a natural vignette effect. The black numerals, each rendered with a subtle flourish, feel elegant yet approachable. Heat-blued diamond-kite style hands sweep across the face with confident clarity, balanced by a neatly defined sub-seconds dial at 6 o’clock.
Inside, this piece is powered by a 17-jewel Elgin movement manufactured in 1925. Viewed through the open caseback, the movement’s bridges are adorned with geometric engine turning and distinct engraving that lends texture and dimensionality to the architecture. Gold-toned gears and polished steel components provide just the right contrast, highlighting the intricacy of early 20th-century American engineering.
We’ve encased this piece in a 45mm machined stainless steel case with a smooth steel bezel and a knurled sandblasted-steel crown. It’s paired with a richly toned oxblood leather strap with contrast stitching that complements the warmth of the dial’s aged finish.
In 1925, American inventor Charles Francis Jenkins achieved a breakthrough in television by transmitting moving silhouette images—an early milestone in the creation of modern broadcasting. It was a year defined by innovation, much like the craftsmanship preserved within this timepiece.
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: 2025
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 45mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Machined Steel
- Crown/Hardware: Stainless Steel
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Elgin Watch Company
- Serial Number: 27961082
- Manufacture Year: 1925
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes The Chicago 091 unique:
The Chicago 091 brings together soft, timeworn texture and refined design in a way that feels both deliberate and quietly expressive. Its pale dial is marked by vertical streaks of patina that resemble brushstrokes—giving the surface a painterly quality rarely seen in pieces of this era. Around the edge, additional speckled patina settles near the minute markers, creating a natural vignette effect. The black numerals, each rendered with a subtle flourish, feel elegant yet approachable. Heat-blued diamond-kite style hands sweep across the face with confident clarity, balanced by a neatly defined sub-seconds dial at 6 o’clock.
Inside, this piece is powered by a 17-jewel Elgin movement manufactured in 1925. Viewed through the open caseback, the movement’s bridges are adorned with geometric engine turning and distinct engraving that lends texture and dimensionality to the architecture. Gold-toned gears and polished steel components provide just the right contrast, highlighting the intricacy of early 20th-century American engineering.
We’ve encased this piece in a 45mm machined stainless steel case with a smooth steel bezel and a knurled sandblasted-steel crown. It’s paired with a richly toned oxblood leather strap with contrast stitching that complements the warmth of the dial’s aged finish.
In 1925, American inventor Charles Francis Jenkins achieved a breakthrough in television by transmitting moving silhouette images—an early milestone in the creation of modern broadcasting. It was a year defined by innovation, much like the craftsmanship preserved within this timepiece.
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.
