Watch Description
The Chicago Railroad 033 is the 33rd one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Chicago Railroad" line of the American Artisan Series. This watch contains the original movement (timepiece), dial (face), and hands from a vintage (1880’s – 1950’s) pocket watch. The American Artisan Series is a line of fully American Made wristwatches powered by restored, U.S. made pocket watch movements.
What makes the Chicago Railroad 033 Unique: It is our pleasure to present this near perfect Railroad watch. The double sunk, grand feu enamel dial is in spectacular condition. Produced by the Elgin watch company in 1917, this is a Veritas 23jewel Double Roller movement - Elgin’s highest grade. A “Double Roller” movement literally has two rollers fitted to the balance staff which allows a more efficient engagement between the guard pin and the roller. With this watch being a Railroad lever set movement, you actually remove the bezel and pull the lever in order to set the time. We chose a matte stone strap to compliment the machined titanium case while allowing the dial to truly shine. We love the style of the of these big numbers and bold hands as they make it easy to read the time at a quick glance!
1917
19363295
https://player.vimeo.com/video/456767140
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
- Model Year: 2020
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Diameter: 51mm
- Case Material: Machined Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Bronze
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Elgin Watch Company
- Serial Number:
- Manufacture Year:
- Function: Manual Wind, Lever-Set
- Jewels: 21 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: Railroad
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Chicago Railroad 033 is the 33rd one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Chicago Railroad" line of the American Artisan Series. This watch contains the original movement (timepiece), dial (face), and hands from a vintage (1880’s – 1950’s) pocket watch. The American Artisan Series is a line of fully American Made wristwatches powered by restored, U.S. made pocket watch movements.
What makes the Chicago Railroad 033 Unique: It is our pleasure to present this near perfect Railroad watch. The double sunk, grand feu enamel dial is in spectacular condition. Produced by the Elgin watch company in 1917, this is a Veritas 23jewel Double Roller movement - Elgin’s highest grade. A “Double Roller” movement literally has two rollers fitted to the balance staff which allows a more efficient engagement between the guard pin and the roller. With this watch being a Railroad lever set movement, you actually remove the bezel and pull the lever in order to set the time. We chose a matte stone strap to compliment the machined titanium case while allowing the dial to truly shine. We love the style of the of these big numbers and bold hands as they make it easy to read the time at a quick glance!
1917
19363295
https://player.vimeo.com/video/456767140
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.
