Watch Description
What makes the Rockford 040 unique: Today, we’re pleased to present this breathtaking watch originally manufactured by the Rockford Watch Company — the Rockford 040. The watch’s dial boasts a simple yet elegant design with a white background and bold black hour numerals. The front of the watch also features blood-orange minute numerals and unique royal blue hands. We’re excited to announce that for the next week, our pocket watches will feature our remarkable Gunmetal Titanium cases. The Gunmetal Titanium case looks stunning with the Rockford 040’s pocket watch, and we also equipped the piece with a copper crown, adding even more style. The back of the watch presents a 335-grade open-face movement with a stylish ¾ plate, nickel finish, and pendant setting. You can also view the piece’s robust and luxurious gold-plated gears powered by 17 jewels. Finally, we matched this one-of-a-kind watch with our comfortable Natural leather watch strap. The Rockford Watch Company initially produced the Rockford 040’s pocket watch in Rockford, Illinois, 1914 — the same year Babe Ruth began playing Major League Baseball. Ruth joined the Boston Red Sox in July 1914. Although Ruth later became a star player and baseball legend, he struck out 0-for-2 during his first time at bat and was benched in the seventh inning. Ruth continued playing for the Red Sox until they sold his contract to the New York Yankees in 1919.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
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 47mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Gunmetal Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Copper
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Rockford Watch Company
- Serial Number: 931622
- Manufacture Year: 1914
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
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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.
