Watch Description
What makes the Chicago 509 unique: We’re happy to present to you this stunning wristwatch that features a pocket watch from nearly a century ago — the Chicago 509. The Elgin National Watch Company originally manufactured the Chicago 509’s historic pocket watch, and it features an elegant cream-colored dial. The dial boasts bold black numerals with transparent drop shadows, blued steel solid diamond kite hands, and a matching subdial. We encased this remarkable pocket watch within our powerful and stylish Blued Titanium case and equipped it with a nickel-plated crown. Our Blued Titanium case features an open back, enabling horologists and watch lovers to view the pocket watch’s intricate inner workings, including a 477-grade open-face movement with a ¾ plate, nickel finish, and a pendant setting. Additionally, the movement features a quick train, Moseley regulator, Breguet hairspring, and a going barrel. Finally, this historic movement showcases 17 screw-set ruby and sapphire jewels that help turn the sumptuous gold-plated gears. We matched the watch with our Stone leather watch strap, adding even more style to this fashionable piece of history.The Elgin National Watch Company initially produced the Chicago 509’s pocket watch in Elgin, Illinois, in 1925 — the same year the New York Giants became a football team. Tim Mara established the football team by investing $500, and under Mara’s ownership, the team won the NFL Championship Game in 1927, 1934, 1938, and 1956 — these championships all occurred pre-Super Bowl, which was created in 1966. The first game that the New York Giants played was against the All New Britain team, a now-defunct team that was based out of New Britain, Connecticut. After the 26-0 victory, the team went on to finish the season 8-4.
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: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Elgin Watch Company
- Serial Number: 27399551
- Manufacture Year: 1925
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Elgin National Watch Company initially produced the Chicago 509’s pocket watch in Elgin, Illinois, in 1925 — the same year the New York Giants became a football team. Tim Mara established the football team by investing $500, and under Mara’s ownership, the team won the NFL Championship Game in 1927, 1934, 1938, and 1956 — these championships all occurred pre-Super Bowl, which was created in 1966. The first game that the New York Giants played was against the All New Britain team, a now-defunct team that was based out of New Britain, Connecticut. After the 26-0 victory, the team went on to finish the season 8-4.
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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.
