Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 496 unique: Today, we’re thrilled to present this antique, one-of-a-kind watch originally manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company — the Springfield 496. The timepiece features a rustic dial with bold Roman numerals and stunning blue hour and minute hands. Our Machined Titanium case and nickel-plated crown draw further attention to the watch face’s historical qualities, and the American-machined case also provides the original pocket watch with robust protection. The back of the watch boasts a 405-grade open-face movement, and it features a center bridge plate with a stylized engraving that reads “The Garland.” The timepiece also features bronze-plated gears powered by 17 jewels. To top it all off, we matched the watch with our Moss leather watch strap, emphasizing the clock’s antique style. The Illinois Watch Company initially produced the Springfield 496’s pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1924 — the same year that the Macy’s Herald Square held the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. The historic parade began with Macy’s employees marching to the department store on 34th street along with floats, living animals, and live music. The inaugural Thanksgiving Day celebration drew in an audience of over 250,000 people, which led Macy’s to establish the parade as an annual event.Movement Manufacturer Information
The movement inside of this watch was made by Illinois Watch Company. We call this model "The Springfield" because the company was located in Springfield, Illinois.
Originally called the Springfield Watch Company, Illinois came to Springfield, Illinois in 1869 while the "modern" watch industry was fairly new but highly promising. City officials felt that the addition of industry to the city of Springfield would be excellent for the city's growth. However, after a series of failures and re-brandings, the company had a slow start until 1903 when they decided to manufacture high-quality watches only. Eventually making some of the most beautiful watches of their time, the company sold to Hamilton in 1927. Hamilton continued producing watches under the Illinois name for some time, but the original Springfield factory no longer stands.
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Watch Specifications
- Manufacturer: Vortic Watch Company
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 47mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Machined Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 4493759
- Manufacture Year: 1924
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
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The Movement
The engine that powers this watch is an antique American pocket watch movement. All the gears and springs that make it tell time are roughly 100 years old on average. We call these watches the American Artisan Series because we're celebrating the history and legacy of the artisan watchmakers who built this engineering marvel a century ago in the United States.
The Story
Today most pocket watches are scrapped for the gold or silver of the case (the outside of the antique timepiece), leaving the inside (what we call the "movement") as trash.
We take pride in upcycling these pieces of American history by salvaging as many as we can, then preserving them inside our wristwatches.
Our expert team of watchmakers restores the antique movement and then we manufacture a custom wristwatch case here in Fort Collins, Colorado.
The Strap
We partnered with Worn & Wound to produce a custom set of straps for our American Artisan Series watches. We now have 15 different colors to choose from including our two Horween Shell Cordovan options. These straps are made in the USA and are based on the Windup Model 2 Premium strap that Worn and Wound offers.
