Watch Description
What makes the Chicago 510 unique: We’re excited to present to you this gorgeous wristwatch that features an antique movement originally manufactured by the Elgin National Watch Company over 115 years ago — the Chicago 510. The original pocket watch is a Lord Elgin variation, and it presents a beautiful cream-colored watch face with stylish and bold black numerals. This antique, single-sunk dial also boasts splendid blued steel solid diamond kite watch hands. We encased this elegant pocket watch within our robust and fashionable Gilded Titanium case and equipped it with an eye-catching nickel-plated crown, complementing the dial’s color palette. Our Gilded Titanium case features a transparent back, enabling watch enthusiasts to view its original 194-grade open-face movement with a jeweled safety barrel, quick train, Breguet hairspring, and Moseley regulator. You can also see the watch’s breathtaking 23 ruby jewels with raised gold settings that energize its gold-plated gears. We matched this remarkable watch with our comfortable, hand-crafted Olive leather watch strap, perfectly complementing our exquisite case.The Elgin National Watch Company first released the Chicago 510’s pocket watch in Elgin, Illinois, in 1906 — the same year that the first legal forward pass was thrown in gridiron football (American football). Gridiron football developed from rugby, which doesn’t allow the forward pass. In the early 20th century, gridiron football was incredibly violent and even resulted in a number of player deaths. Some wanted to outlaw the sport entirely, and President Theodore Roosevelt demanded that the game’s rules change in an effort to make the sport safer. In 1905, representatives from over 60 schools got together and developed new rules to make the sport safer, including the forward pass. The first legal forward pass was executed by Saint Louis University’s player Bradbury Robinson a year later.
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: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Elgin Watch Company
- Serial Number: 12147108
- Manufacture Year: 1906
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 23 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Elgin National Watch Company first released the Chicago 510’s pocket watch in Elgin, Illinois, in 1906 — the same year that the first legal forward pass was thrown in gridiron football (American football). Gridiron football developed from rugby, which doesn’t allow the forward pass. In the early 20th century, gridiron football was incredibly violent and even resulted in a number of player deaths. Some wanted to outlaw the sport entirely, and President Theodore Roosevelt demanded that the game’s rules change in an effort to make the sport safer. In 1905, representatives from over 60 schools got together and developed new rules to make the sport safer, including the forward pass. The first legal forward pass was executed by Saint Louis University’s player Bradbury Robinson a year later.
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.
