The Chicago 417 is the 417th 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 417 Unique: This week we are delighted to present a few very unique Hunting Style watches from the Elgin National Watch Company. When we say it is a Hunting Style, this refers to the position of the crown being at the 3 PM location instead of the common 12 PM. The reason they did this was that this watch would have had a clasp on the front to protect it, that pops open for viewing. With the crown located at the 3 PM position, it was thought that it was easily operated with one hand while your other handheld your rifle. This watch shows off its age with a wonderful amount of wear and tear on the dial, pronounced by this bold gunmetal case and dark blue steel hands. Our custom hunting style nickel-plated crown is a little smaller than our typical models and is complemented by nickel-plated hardware throughout. We paired the yellow tones of the dial with this rye strap to tie the whole watch together nicely. The movement of this watch contrasts the unique character of the dial with this incredibly clean and beautiful build plate, intricately machined to draw you in and want to explore this watch further. This movement is decorated with 17 screw-set jewels and stainless steel hardware all throughout. Beneath this large build plate and regulator lies gold-plated gears and a brass balance wheel, keeping everything ticking away all these years later. Originally manufactured in Elgin, Illinois in 1917, this watch is a wonderful representation of history and American craftsmanship. At this same time, WWI was heating up in Europe, eventually drawing America to join the fight. Men were leaving their hunting in the woods of Illinois to take their skills with a rifle across the Atlantic Ocean to defeat Germany. Perhaps they decided to carry their Elgin pocket watches with them to war and brought them back when the war was over to be passed on to future generations.
1917
19637720
