Watch Description
The Chicago 437 is the 437th 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 437 Unique: Today we bring you this incredibly unique watch from the Elgin National Watch Company, the Chicago 437. Most of the movements we source come to us without their original case, as the cases themselves are often taken for the precious metals they are made of. This watch pays homage to its original case with this incredible octagonal design around the outside, which would have been the shape of the case that housed this watch. The design continues on the center of the dial, carefully machined with these intricate patterns that immediately draw you in for a second look. We matched the gold-colored dial with our gold crown and hardware, topping it off with our very classy black cordovan strap. Once you turn this watch over to reveal the inner workings, you will find even more character to tell its story. A nicely aged patina throughout the build plates shows its age, with gold-plated gears and a brass balance wheel bringing some contrast and color to the visual landscape. A very intricate pattern has been delicately machined into the build plate, subtly showing through upon second glance. We love the storied past of these watches and hope that this watch will continue to continue its legacy. This watch was originally produced in Elgin, Illinois in 1923 a little outside of Chicago. This is also the same year that the Sahara Desert was traversed by automobiles for the very first time.
1923
25713579
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 437 is the 437th 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 437 Unique: Today we bring you this incredibly unique watch from the Elgin National Watch Company, the Chicago 437. Most of the movements we source come to us without their original case, as the cases themselves are often taken for the precious metals they are made of. This watch pays homage to its original case with this incredible octagonal design around the outside, which would have been the shape of the case that housed this watch. The design continues on the center of the dial, carefully machined with these intricate patterns that immediately draw you in for a second look. We matched the gold-colored dial with our gold crown and hardware, topping it off with our very classy black cordovan strap. Once you turn this watch over to reveal the inner workings, you will find even more character to tell its story. A nicely aged patina throughout the build plates shows its age, with gold-plated gears and a brass balance wheel bringing some contrast and color to the visual landscape. A very intricate pattern has been delicately machined into the build plate, subtly showing through upon second glance. We love the storied past of these watches and hope that this watch will continue to continue its legacy. This watch was originally produced in Elgin, Illinois in 1923 a little outside of Chicago. This is also the same year that the Sahara Desert was traversed by automobiles for the very first time.
1923
25713579
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.
