The Chicago 359 is the 359th 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 359 Unique: Breathing new life into antique watches is a labor of love. It’s incredible to see how our team can transform them after they’ve lived so many years in different hands. This watch is no exception, with this incredibly unique dial. With much of its finer details worn away by time, the numerals are left behind to stand out. Blue steel, kite-shaped hands create contrast across the face of the dial and pair perfectly with our sandblasted titanium case. We added a custom patina on our copper crown and finished it off with a stout band. We appreciate that the movement powering this watch looks almost the same as the day it left the factory in Elgin, Illinois. A wonderfully designed bridge plate sprawls out over the inner workings of the gears and balance wheel. 17 dark, ruby jewels keep this moving running smoothly along with gold-plated gears and a brass balance. This movement was originally manufactured in 1924 by the Elgin National Watch Company. This was also the first year of the Winter Olympics, and American speed skater Charles Jewtraw won the very first Olympic Gold Medal to be awarded at the Winter Olympics.

1924

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