Watch Description
The Chicago 218 is the 218th one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Chicago" 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 Chicago 218 Unique: When we procured this dial we knew it must be used for something special and while Saint Patrick's Day was temping, once we got this stunning dial in a machined bronze case with a Cordovan Oxblood strap it was a game over. This watch is simply meant to be boasted through the holidays. One of our co-founder's R.T. actually grew up on his family's Christmas tree farm, helping families every season find their perfect tree for the holiday! 2020 was the final year for the DeLong Christmas Tree Farm and so we would like to dedicate this watch to R.T.'s family legacy, a nod to the entrepreneurial spirit he continues to embody, and Jean, R.T.'s mom, who passed earlier this year. A true Conversation Piece, this dial is not only Christmas tree green but it has a scalloped texture to the dial that reminds us of the layers of branches. The gold numerals are accented by small circles and diamonds like ornaments decorating the dial. The movement is nothing to scoff at either, 17jewels produced by the Elgin Watch Company in 1911 - more than 100 years ago! There is a bit of a fracture at the bottom of the dial, to be expected for being 109 years old! You can see some designs engraved on the movement including the floral swirl you can find on many Elgins. This watch is very special to us and we look forward to it finding the perfect wrist to call home for many generations to come.
1911
15468969
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: 2020
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 47mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Machined Bronze
- Crown/Hardware: Gold Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Horween Shell Cordovan Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Elgin Watch Company
- Serial Number:
- Manufacture Year:
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Chicago 218 is the 218th one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Chicago" 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 Chicago 218 Unique: When we procured this dial we knew it must be used for something special and while Saint Patrick's Day was temping, once we got this stunning dial in a machined bronze case with a Cordovan Oxblood strap it was a game over. This watch is simply meant to be boasted through the holidays. One of our co-founder's R.T. actually grew up on his family's Christmas tree farm, helping families every season find their perfect tree for the holiday! 2020 was the final year for the DeLong Christmas Tree Farm and so we would like to dedicate this watch to R.T.'s family legacy, a nod to the entrepreneurial spirit he continues to embody, and Jean, R.T.'s mom, who passed earlier this year. A true Conversation Piece, this dial is not only Christmas tree green but it has a scalloped texture to the dial that reminds us of the layers of branches. The gold numerals are accented by small circles and diamonds like ornaments decorating the dial. The movement is nothing to scoff at either, 17jewels produced by the Elgin Watch Company in 1911 - more than 100 years ago! There is a bit of a fracture at the bottom of the dial, to be expected for being 109 years old! You can see some designs engraved on the movement including the floral swirl you can find on many Elgins. This watch is very special to us and we look forward to it finding the perfect wrist to call home for many generations to come.
1911
15468969
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.
