Watch Description
What makes the Chicago 236 unique: Today we present this amazing timepiece from the Elgin National Watch Company. This brilliant, dark gunmetal case grabs you immediately and pulls you in to take a closer look. Accompanied by these thick, bold hands and crisp rounded numerals that stand out against this softly aged dial. The minute indicators around the outside edge are the small details that set it apart, topped off nicely with our nickel-plated crown and hardware throughout. The movement inside this watch is begging to be shown off, with this classic Elgin main plate shape that lets the gold-plated gears beneath show through next to the balance wheel. The gears spin consistently on 17 screw-set jewels, while this Moseley regulator keeps the balance wheel perfectly on track. The delicate machining can be seen throughout, as the spiral pattern on the mainspring wheel spins and produces an extra element of movement to follow along with. This watch was originally produced in Elgin, Illinois in 1933 just a bit outside of Chicago. March 4th of 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated as the 32nd President of The United States and vowed to pull America out of the Great Depression.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: Gunmetal Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Elgin Watch Company
- Serial Number: 33803584
- Manufacture Year: 1933
- 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.
