Watch Description
What makes the Chicago 524 unique: For this year's Valentine's Day Special Release, we are actually showcasing two incredible watches together at the same time. Both of these watches are made in the hunting style, with the crown at the 3 position, with incredible presentation dials. The pair can stand alone individually, but also could make for quite a matching pair for you and your partner. This first watch is our Chicago 524, originally produced by the Elgin National Watch Company in Elgin, Illinois in 1925. The dial on this watch will instantly draw you in to inspect all of the fine details and gold-colored accents that are sprinkled about amongst these incredible bold Roman numerals. Gold-flashed hands stand out against the crisp white background and add to the gold features along with this gold-plated crown. We topped it off with gold hardware to piece together this comfortable Merlot strap.Valentine's Day is an ancient holiday that dates back to the Roman Empire. During the 3rd century, the Roman Empire celebrated a pagan holiday called Lupercalia, which was held annually in mid-February and was dedicated to the Roman god of fertility. During this celebration, Roman men would sacrifice goats and dogs, then whip women with the hides of the animals in order to make them fertile. Eventually, Emperor Claudius II outlawed the holiday, believing that it made men too eager to marry and leave the military. It wasn't until the 5th century that Pope Gelasius declared February 14th St. Valentine's Day, a day to honor the martyrdom of Saint Valentine. Since then, Valentine's Day has been celebrated around the world as a day of love and romance.
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.
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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: 27657791
- Manufacture Year: 1925
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
Valentine's Day is an ancient holiday that dates back to the Roman Empire. During the 3rd century, the Roman Empire celebrated a pagan holiday called Lupercalia, which was held annually in mid-February and was dedicated to the Roman god of fertility. During this celebration, Roman men would sacrifice goats and dogs, then whip women with the hides of the animals in order to make them fertile. Eventually, Emperor Claudius II outlawed the holiday, believing that it made men too eager to marry and leave the military. It wasn't until the 5th century that Pope Gelasius declared February 14th St. Valentine's Day, a day to honor the martyrdom of Saint Valentine. Since then, Valentine's Day has been celebrated around the world as a day of love and romance.
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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.