Watch Description
What makes the Chicago 117 unique: For today’s Watch of the Day we bring you this wonderful example from the Elgin National Watch Company, our Chicago 117. We love the classic look of this watch, featuring these very bold Roman Numerals following the outside face of the dial. With such a crisp white dial, we wanted to give this watch a stark black and white feel and decided to place it inside of our machined titanium case with a nickel-plated crown and classic black strap. The kite-shaped blue steel hands bring some visual interest and color to give a little more character and add to the appeal of the hard contrast within this watch. As we turn this watch over, we notice the light, floral designs on the Moseley regulator, a signature design that we come to enjoy from these older Elgin movements. A shiny nickel-plated surface all across the build plate brings focus to the intricate designs throughout, while the 17 screw-set jewels stand out nicely. Gold-plated gears and a brass balance wheel beneath are the heart of this watch, powering everything nicely. This watch was originally manufactured all the way back in 1912, in Elgin, Illinois. This is the same year that Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad finally completed construction, with the attempt to take advantage of trade passing through the Panama canal. The idea was to create a trade route that would take goods from South America through the canal, and train them up through Florida to the West Coast.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.
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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: 16363240
- Manufacture Year: 1912
- 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.
