Watch Description
The Rockford 038 is the 38th one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Rockford" 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 Rockford 038 Unique: The Rockford Watch Company was established in 1873 on the Rock River, about 93 miles outside of Chicago. They focused on making very small runs of incredibly high-quality watches. The overall quantity of Rockford watches made is very small compared to other watch manufacturers that we use, which is why we love it when we can showcase these impressive watches. This watch in particular has so much character, partially due to its age (It’s over 110 years old!). When we find watches with wear and tear on the dial, we like to celebrate it, rather than try to work around it. This watch tells stories of being passed through many different hands over the years, making it a perfect conversation piece. We paired the Rockford 038 with a machined titanium case to complement its crisp white dial and then added a crimson strap to accentuate the red, minute indicators around the outside of the numerals. Copper crown and hardware round off the fantastic details of this beautiful timepiece. The 21 jewel movement is a real eye catcher, with the signature machined radial rays going outward from the center, as well as curved bridges holding the second and third escapements. Everything about this watch was meticulously detailed and manufactured, making it one of the most unique and impressive watches of its time. Originally manufactured in Illinois in 1910, this watch was one of only 2,000 total watches made by Rockford that year. Not far away at the same time, the very first air flight containing commercial freight flew from Dayton, Ohio to Columbus, Ohio.
1910
835423
Movement Manufacturer Information
The movement inside of this watch was made by Rockford Watch Company. We call this model "The Rockford" because the company was located in Rockford Illinois.
The Rockford Watch Company began operation in 1873 with equipment purchased from the Cornell Watch Company. Four hundred local businesses and individuals pledged $150,000 (over $3mil with inflation) of support to stimulate the growth of their town. The company struggled to keep up with demand early on, and eventually went bankrupt. Rockford was rejuvenated in 1901, but a major fire and lightning strike slowed the company further in 1903. By 1915 the company closed its doors, though the building still stands vacant.
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: Machined Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Copper
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Rockford Watch Company
- Serial Number:
- Manufacture Year:
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 21 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Rockford 038 is the 38th one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Rockford" 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 Rockford 038 Unique: The Rockford Watch Company was established in 1873 on the Rock River, about 93 miles outside of Chicago. They focused on making very small runs of incredibly high-quality watches. The overall quantity of Rockford watches made is very small compared to other watch manufacturers that we use, which is why we love it when we can showcase these impressive watches. This watch in particular has so much character, partially due to its age (It’s over 110 years old!). When we find watches with wear and tear on the dial, we like to celebrate it, rather than try to work around it. This watch tells stories of being passed through many different hands over the years, making it a perfect conversation piece. We paired the Rockford 038 with a machined titanium case to complement its crisp white dial and then added a crimson strap to accentuate the red, minute indicators around the outside of the numerals. Copper crown and hardware round off the fantastic details of this beautiful timepiece. The 21 jewel movement is a real eye catcher, with the signature machined radial rays going outward from the center, as well as curved bridges holding the second and third escapements. Everything about this watch was meticulously detailed and manufactured, making it one of the most unique and impressive watches of its time. Originally manufactured in Illinois in 1910, this watch was one of only 2,000 total watches made by Rockford that year. Not far away at the same time, the very first air flight containing commercial freight flew from Dayton, Ohio to Columbus, Ohio.
1910
835423
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.
