The Chicago 418 is the 418th one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Chicago" 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 418 Unique: Often we come across antique watches with such an incredible amount of character and wear and tear that you can practically tell a story just by looking at it. This watch is no exception, with just the right amount of age shown on the dial, paired with one of the most elegant and ornate Elgin movements of this era. Hailing all the way back from 1916, the amount of detail and craftsmanship in this gold two-tone damaskeening is absolutely incredible. The plate itself is actually nickel that is gold plated, then lightly scratched by small discs and needles to create this beautiful design that showcases the nickel beneath. We wanted to showcase this special dial by contrasting it with this clean dark Gunmetal Titanium case and gold plated crown. The Rye strap and gold hardware to match the subtle gold in the dial really cap off the details of this watch for a wonderfully classy design. This watch was manufactured in Elgin, Illinois in 1916, not far away at this same time Ruth Law set the cross-country aircraft flight record of 590 miles flying from Chicago to New York State. It’s amazing to think about how far we have come in that short amount of time, and this watch continues to live on throughout all of it.

1916

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