Watch Description
What makes the Chicago 471 unique: Today, we’re pleased to present you this historic, one-of-a-kind piece initially produced by the Elgin National Watch Company in 1911 — the Chicago 471. This early 20th-century watch sports a breathtaking cream-colored dial with a sophisticated floral design in its center. The antique piece also features dark, stylized numerals and vivid blue hour and minute hands, and it also sports a subdial with a matching hand. We encased the historic pocket watch within our robust and scratch-resistant Machined Titanium case, which draws further attention to the watch’s elegantly-designed dial. On the back of the watch, you can view its breathtaking 347-grade open-face movement, which comes with a Moseley regulator, and a going barrel. The watch also features sumptuous gold-plated gears powered by 17 jewels atop its ¾ plate. We paired this exquisite watch with our artisan-designed Natural leather watch strap along with a gold-plated crown, emphasizing the watch’s distinguished style. The Elgin National Watch Company originally manufactured this piece in Elgin, Illinois, in 1911 — the same year that the Indianapolis 500 race began. The first race occurred on Decoration Day — now officially called Memorial Day — on May 30. Ray Harroun won the first Indy 500 race with a stylish Marmon automobile, which was an Indianapolis-based car manufacturer. Today, racing fans can view Harroun’s yellow “Wasp” Marmon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.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: Sandblasted Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Gold Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Elgin Watch Company
- Serial Number: 15800514
- Manufacture Year: 1911
- 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.
