Watch Description
The Chicago 423 is the 423rd 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 423 Unique: Today’s Watch of the Day is the Chicago 423! This beautiful Elgin gives us roasted-coffee-in-the-morning feelings, with its perfectly aged dial and monochromatic cafe au lait tones. The eccentric numerals jump out at you with a shadow effect and their unique, angled shape. Sporting gothic style hands that complement the floral background, this watch has a way of showing off while still maintaining its understated aura. We sandblasted the titanium case to round out the look of the dial without overpowering it and topped it off with a gold-plated crown and natural band. We love the way the movement has been carefully etched with such amazing detail. This is a beautiful example of an Elgin movement, with its unique bridge plate and signature regulator design. The 17 jewel screw set movement is powered by a Moseley regulator and a Breguet hairspring. This watch was originally manufactured in Elgin, Illinois in 1924 by the Elgin National Watch Company. 1924 also marks the very first year of the Winter Olympics. These Olympic games were held in Chamonix, France in a section of the French Alps.
1924
26969817
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 423 is the 423rd 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 423 Unique: Today’s Watch of the Day is the Chicago 423! This beautiful Elgin gives us roasted-coffee-in-the-morning feelings, with its perfectly aged dial and monochromatic cafe au lait tones. The eccentric numerals jump out at you with a shadow effect and their unique, angled shape. Sporting gothic style hands that complement the floral background, this watch has a way of showing off while still maintaining its understated aura. We sandblasted the titanium case to round out the look of the dial without overpowering it and topped it off with a gold-plated crown and natural band. We love the way the movement has been carefully etched with such amazing detail. This is a beautiful example of an Elgin movement, with its unique bridge plate and signature regulator design. The 17 jewel screw set movement is powered by a Moseley regulator and a Breguet hairspring. This watch was originally manufactured in Elgin, Illinois in 1924 by the Elgin National Watch Company. 1924 also marks the very first year of the Winter Olympics. These Olympic games were held in Chamonix, France in a section of the French Alps.
1924
26969817
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.
