The Vortic Military Edition Watch
The Military Edition: In Honor of Veterans
Vortic Watch Company designed the Military Edition Watch to honor veterans and celebrate American military power. First released for pre-sale at Veterans Day 2019, this exclusive, limited edition watch is now almost fully sold out. Out of the 50 produced, only 1 remains, and we have our hands on it.
Vortic Watch company designed their exclusive Military Edition watches out of a partnership with The Veteran Watchmaker Initiative (VWI). This series is limited to only 50 pieces. These watches are created from pocket watches known as the “Navigator’s Watch,” which were commissioned by the U.S Army Air Corp during World War II to be used by aviators to aid in navigation. The pocket watches inside these wristwatches would have been used by pilots on the B-17s and B-24s bomber aircraft.
The Military Edition is made from original pocket watch movements that have been expertly restored. The watch bands are made with vintage military canvas bags, classic black leather, or bomber jacket material. The Navigator's watches are hard to come by, so the first run for the Military Edition was limited. Since the watches' release, only two remain in stock, which are currently in our possession.
With your purchase of a Military Edition watch, you will receive the watch with three different band options, as well as a vintage military case and a custom display mount. This collectable watch is available for $5,000. Click HERE to purchase.
The AN5740-1 was commissioned by the United States Government at the beginning of World War II and built for the Army Air Corps. There were strict requirements for this timepiece as the brave soldiers in the skies needed to know the most accurate time for their missions.
Three of the great American watch companies began production on the AN5740-1. Elgin from Illinois, Waltham from Massachusetts, and Hamilton from Pennsylvania all built mechanisms that met the U.S. Government’s strict specifications. It is said that General Henry Arnold, commander of the Army Air Corps during the European campaigns, thanked the watch companies for “providing aircraft instruments that played such an important part in [the Allies’] completely successful victory.”
The Watch - The dials were all standardized to be black with simple, white 24-hour markings. Each dial had a set of white hands, and a long sweeping second hand with a hacking feature that allowed the timepieces to be used not just as pocket watches but also as stopwatches. Each dial was marked with "GCT," known at the time as Greenwich Civil Time because that was the standard European timezone. These pocket watches needed to be extremely accurate and were even mounted inside gimbal systems to protect them from the aircraft vibrations.
The Case - Vortic is an engineering and manufacturing company with expertise in converting antique American pocket watch movements into wristwatches. The Military Edition has been over-built to house these extremely rare and valuable military mechanisms. Every metal component has been precision cut from blocks of titanium inside Vortic's Colorado facility before a military-grade Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) black coating is applied.
Partnering with Veterans, for Veterans
Vortic teamed up with the non-profit group the VWI to ensure that this edition of watches was helping veterans as well as celebrating them. The VWI is the only technical school in the United States solely dedicated to teaching disabled veterans. The small school, first opened in 2009, teaches war veterans the highly skilled art of watchmaking. The school is modeled after the Bulova Watch Co. program, which trained disabled veterans for decades after World War II, but later shut down in the 1980s when electronic watches became popular. However, the increasing demand for vintage wristwatches and the resurgence of American-made treasures has brought the VWI back into the spotlight. They were the perfect group for Vortic to partner with.
For every Military Watch sold, a portion of the sale is donated by Vortic to support American veterans.
About Vortic
Vortic Watch Company products are designed, manufactured, and built in America. Their unique designs feature original American pocket watches, mostly from the early 20th century, that are redesigned and repurposed to function as wristwatches. Now you can own a piece of history and use it, too.
Vortic uses metal 3D printing to encase their salvaged and restored antique American-made pocket watch movements to create bespoke wristwatches. Every Vortic watch is a one-of-a-kind timepiece.
Vortic operates out of a workshop space in Fort Collins, Colorado where the team salvages, restores, and preserves these pieces of American history. The engineering system is entirely made in the United States with most components produced in-house. Individual craftsmen rebuild the classic movement, then design, engineer and manufacture a case and strap system for the new watch.
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