Watch Description
What makes the Chicago 474 unique: Today, we’re thrilled to present you this highly rare, antique watch originally manufactured by the Elgin National Watch Company in the late 19th century — the Chicago 474. Elgin only produced 3,000 of these breathtaking pocket watches, and its original run quantity was only 1,000 models. The watch sports a pristine white background with unique, stylized numerals that showcase the watch’s sophisticated design. The dial also features navy hour and minute hands and a subtle, gold-colored pattern underneath its distinct numerals. We emphasized the watch’s elegant design by encasing it in our glimmering, scratch-resistant Machined Titanium case, and we equipped it with a luxurious-looking gold-plated crown. The back of the watch features stunning, stylized engravings that convey the watch’s historic manufacturer, the Elgin National Watch Company. You can also view the watch’s 194-grade open-face movement with a jeweled safety barrel, golden center wheel, and bronze-plated gears. Finally, the watch boasts 23 sumptuous ruby jewels with gold settings atop its ¾ plate. We paired the watch with our comfortable, artisan-designed navy leather watch strap. The Elgin National Watch Company initially produced this piece in Elgin, Illinois, in 1898 — the same year the Spanish-American War occurred. The war only lasted from April 21 to August 13, 1898. The war’s conclusion with an American victory marked the end of Spanish colonialism in North and South America.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: Gold Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Elgin Watch Company
- Serial Number: 7425224
- Manufacture Year: 1898
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 23 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.
