Watch Description
What makes the Indiana 009 unique: Some pocket watches we convert for our Artisan Series feature flawless enamel dials that appear to have been produced just yesterday, while others, like the Indiana 009's dial, proudly bear the marks and patina of their age. We highlighted the 108 years of this South Bend, Indiana timepiece's age by outfitting it with a sandblasted, sulfur-dipped, and lightly buffed 47 mm bronze case, a bronze crown with a forced patina, and a made-in-America full-grain leather strap in Cognac.
The raised pattern of flourishes in the center of its dial radiates outward to block numerals and sits atop a seconds subdial with a coin-edged border. The texture and patina of the dial have developed beautifully over its lifetime of utilization and purpose, and heat-blued open kite hands complete the century-old face of the Indiana 009.
The movement, on the other hand, is almost flawlessly preserved. The architecture of the South Bend Watch Co.'s 19-jewel 429 movement features minimalistic bridges that allow a greater portion of the wheels and gears to be visible and has been beautifully decorated and engraved.
It's a one-of-a-kind Vortic conversion that exhibits the cohesion we strive for in all of our designs, and it serves as a celebration of the history and legacy imbued both literally and metaphorically in the antique timepieces that inspire us and serve as the basis for our builds.
Movement Manufacturer Information
The movement inside of this watch was made by South Bend Watch Company. We call this model "The Indiana" because the company was located in South Bend, Indiana.
Founded in 1902 by sons of the Studebaker Auto Company, South Bend Watch company started producing high-quality watches in 1905 using equipment and employees liquidated from the failed Columbus Watch Company. While initially successful, the company's use of an "on credit" payment system led to its downfall during the stock market crash of 1929. A fire finally destroyed the original factory in 1957.
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: 2024
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 47mm
- Thickness: 13.5mm
- Lug to Lug: 59mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Bronze
- Crown/Hardware: Bronze
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: South Bend Watch Company
- Serial Number: 854619
- Manufacture Year: 1916
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 19 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Indiana 009 unique: Some pocket watches we convert for our Artisan Series feature flawless enamel dials that appear to have been produced just yesterday, while others, like the Indiana 009's dial, proudly bear the marks and patina of their age. We highlighted the 108 years of this South Bend, Indiana timepiece's age by outfitting it with a sandblasted, sulfur-dipped, and lightly buffed 47 mm bronze case, a bronze crown with a forced patina, and a made-in-America full-grain leather strap in Cognac.
The raised pattern of flourishes in the center of its dial radiates outward to block numerals and sits atop a seconds subdial with a coin-edged border. The texture and patina of the dial have developed beautifully over its lifetime of utilization and purpose, and heat-blued open kite hands complete the century-old face of the Indiana 009.
The movement, on the other hand, is almost flawlessly preserved. The architecture of the South Bend Watch Co.'s 19-jewel 429 movement features minimalistic bridges that allow a greater portion of the wheels and gears to be visible and has been beautifully decorated and engraved.
It's a one-of-a-kind Vortic conversion that exhibits the cohesion we strive for in all of our designs, and it serves as a celebration of the history and legacy imbued both literally and metaphorically in the antique timepieces that inspire us and serve as the basis for our builds.
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.
