Watch Description
The Chicago 302 is the 302nd 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 302 Unique: Today we have the pleasure of bringing you our Chicago 302. This watch immediately stands out with this very unique Breguet-style, bold numerals against the very crisp and clean white dial. A small chip at the bottom shows a repair attempt at some point in this watch’s very long life, but an otherwise pristine appearance. We are always curious when we notice certain marks and characteristics; if only this watch could tell the story of all the different people who have used it over the years. We wanted to keep this classic look with our machined titanium case, gold plated crown and finished it with a dark stout strap. This watch calls to be taken off in order to show the beauty that is inside. Elgin is known for elaborate designs, carefully machined all throughout the movement. There is a wonderful gear pattern on the crown wheel and mainspring barrel, while gold inlaid text and floral pattern on the regulator pair well with the gold-plated gears beneath. 17 jewels screw-set with stainless steel hardware throughout continues to impress us as we marvel at the impressive craftsmanship. This watch was originally produced in Elgin, Illinois in 1917, over 100 years ago. A very trivial time in our world’s history at the time as tensions with Germany escalate. President Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to declare war and join the fight in WWI in April of this year.
1917
19572163
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: 2021
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 47mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Machined Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Gold Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: 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 302 is the 302nd 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 302 Unique: Today we have the pleasure of bringing you our Chicago 302. This watch immediately stands out with this very unique Breguet-style, bold numerals against the very crisp and clean white dial. A small chip at the bottom shows a repair attempt at some point in this watch’s very long life, but an otherwise pristine appearance. We are always curious when we notice certain marks and characteristics; if only this watch could tell the story of all the different people who have used it over the years. We wanted to keep this classic look with our machined titanium case, gold plated crown and finished it with a dark stout strap. This watch calls to be taken off in order to show the beauty that is inside. Elgin is known for elaborate designs, carefully machined all throughout the movement. There is a wonderful gear pattern on the crown wheel and mainspring barrel, while gold inlaid text and floral pattern on the regulator pair well with the gold-plated gears beneath. 17 jewels screw-set with stainless steel hardware throughout continues to impress us as we marvel at the impressive craftsmanship. This watch was originally produced in Elgin, Illinois in 1917, over 100 years ago. A very trivial time in our world’s history at the time as tensions with Germany escalate. President Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to declare war and join the fight in WWI in April of this year.
1917
19572163
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.
