The Chicago 434 is the 434th 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 434 Unique: We extend our showcase of Hunting Style watches this week by presenting this truly one-of-a-kind watch from the Elgin National Watch Company. In the early 1920s and 1930s, railroad companies began to set standards for timekeeping and pocket watches to qualify for service on the trains. One of these specifications was that the crown had to be at the 12 o'clock position. Because of this, watch companies made these conversion dials that let you turn your older Hunting Style watch into an open-face watch by rotating the movement by 90 degrees, placing the second indicator over at the 3 o'clock position, and thus moving the crown up to the top. This watch could then pass railroad standards and be used by conductors without having to purchase a whole new watch. This makes for quite an interesting story, as most older watches like this would not expect to see the second indicator in this position. We love how the gold-colored accents of this dial contrast this soft, worn face. We matched the dial with this sandblasted titanium case, as well as gold-plated hardware and crown. As you turn the watch over to view the movement, you might notice everything is shifted in a different orientation, showing off the unique shape of this ¾ plate and carefully machined design. This watch is powered by 17 screw-set jewels as well as gold-plated gears, and a Moseley regulator. A brass balance wheel with double roller escapement helps everything run smoothly all these years later. Originally produced by the Elgin National Watch Company as a Hunting Style pocket watch in 1916 in Elgin, Illinois. In July of this same year, a series of deadly shark attacks occurred on the shores of New Jersey from the same shark, resulting in the death of four. Later known as the Jersey Shore Shark Attacks of 1916, this eventually became the inspiration behind the story Jaws, created by Peter Benchley.

1916

18614236