Watch Description
The Cleveland 039 is the 39th one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Cleveland" 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 Cleveland 039 Unique: The Ball Watch Company was founded in 1891 in Cleveland, Ohio after Webb C. Ball was appalled by the lack of accuracy and timekeeping standards observed by the Railroad Industry. Many close calls and deadly train crashes due to poor timekeeping inspired him to produce a better system. He created the “Ball Time Service,” which had a series of criteria to ensure that all railroad conductor’s watches kept perfect time or close to it. According to this system, conductors submitted their watches for inspection every two weeks to confirm that their watch maintained proper performance. This particular movement features 19 Jewels in raised, gold, screw-down settings that give the movement excellent visual dimensionality. The rose gold gear train, polished and decorated ratchet wheels, and geneva striped bridges only add to this movement’s pedigree. In terms of performance, this piece has a double roller escapement (part of Ball’s standards for watches; promotes consistency and prevents issues like overbanking) and a reed whipspring regulator to keep the hairspring in place. The dial displays a textured finish with a mild green patina from almost 100 years of use. The movement was manufactured in 1927. We think the moss green strap makes the subtle coloring of the dial and printed black numerals pop beautifully. Our machined titanium case has a black DLC coating that pairs well with the dark numerals and rustic, blued steel, diamond hands.
1927
B401699
Movement Manufacturer Information
The movement inside of this watch was made by Ball Watch Company. We call this model "The Cleveland" because the company was located within the Cleveland city limits.
Founded by Webb C. Ball in 1891, Ball Watch Company's watches focused on the railroad industry and had a reputation for quality that was second to none. Mr. Ball famously invented and implemented a standard set of watch inspections and requirements to qualify a watch for use on the railroad at a time when timekeeping was paramount to safety. This was known as a "Standard" or "Railroad Grade" watch. The core of the manufacturing for these watches was performed by Hamilton and Waltham Watch Companies, but the adjustment, finishing, and testing performed by Ball set them ahead of the pack. One of the few companies still in existence, Ball now makes watches in Switzerland and is owned by Hong Kong group Asia Commercial Holdings Ltd.
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: 2021
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 47mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: See Description
- Crown/Hardware: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Ball Watch Company
- Serial Number:
- Manufacture Year:
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 19 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Cleveland 039 is the 39th one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Cleveland" 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 Cleveland 039 Unique: The Ball Watch Company was founded in 1891 in Cleveland, Ohio after Webb C. Ball was appalled by the lack of accuracy and timekeeping standards observed by the Railroad Industry. Many close calls and deadly train crashes due to poor timekeeping inspired him to produce a better system. He created the “Ball Time Service,” which had a series of criteria to ensure that all railroad conductor’s watches kept perfect time or close to it. According to this system, conductors submitted their watches for inspection every two weeks to confirm that their watch maintained proper performance. This particular movement features 19 Jewels in raised, gold, screw-down settings that give the movement excellent visual dimensionality. The rose gold gear train, polished and decorated ratchet wheels, and geneva striped bridges only add to this movement’s pedigree. In terms of performance, this piece has a double roller escapement (part of Ball’s standards for watches; promotes consistency and prevents issues like overbanking) and a reed whipspring regulator to keep the hairspring in place. The dial displays a textured finish with a mild green patina from almost 100 years of use. The movement was manufactured in 1927. We think the moss green strap makes the subtle coloring of the dial and printed black numerals pop beautifully. Our machined titanium case has a black DLC coating that pairs well with the dark numerals and rustic, blued steel, diamond hands.
1927
B401699
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.
