Watch Description
What makes the Chicago 466 unique: Today, we're thrilled to bring you this beautiful piece originally manufactured by the Elgin National Watch Company in 1926 — the Chicago 466. The dial sports an ivory white background along with navy blue hour and minute hands. One feature that makes the pocket watch's dial especially unique is its distinct, stylized numerals that showcase the piece's antique qualities. We enclosed the pocket watch in our robust and scratch-resistant Machined Titanium case and a copper-plated crown, both of which draw attention to the piece's elegant dial. Our Machined Titanium's clear back reveals a 345-grade open-face movement with a ¾ plate and double roller. You can also view the watch's captivating inner workings, including its gold-plated gears powered by 17 ruby and sapphire jewels. To top it all off, we paired the watch with our artisan-designed Merlot leather watch strap, adding both comfort and even more beauty to the finished piece. The Elgin National Watch Company manufactured the pocket watch in Elgin, Illinois, in 1926 — the same year that American physicist and inventor Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket. Goddard first became interested in utilizing liquid propellants in 1909. After a series of experiments in the early 1920s, he launched his rocket named "Nell" in Auburn, Massachusetts, in 1926. He used gasoline and liquid oxygen as propellants, ultimately resulting in the rocket reaching a height of 41 feet over the course of 2.5 seconds. Today, you can visit the Goddard Rocket Launching Site in Auburn, Massachusetts.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
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 47mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Machined Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Copper
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Elgin Watch Company
- Serial Number: 28567149
- Manufacture Year: 1926
- 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.
