Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 544 unique: We’re pleased to present to you this sophisticated watch that was originally manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company almost a century ago — the Springfield 544. This American-made antique movement features a splendid light-tan dial with hints of brown sprinkled throughout the front of the watch, and the piece also boasts a highly distinct and intricate center design pattern. You can also see the watch’s stylish black numerals and sumptuous-looking golden diamond kite watch hands. We encased the historic pocket watch within our robust, Machined Titanium case and equipped it with a gold-plated crown, matching the piece’s watch hands. On the back of the watch, you can view its 274-grade open-face movement with a nickel finish, pendant setting, and Going barrel. The movement also has a stylish engraving that reads “Diplomat” as well as 21 stunning jewels and gold-plated gears. Finally, we topped this one-of-a-kind watch off with our comfortable and elegant Cordovan Oxblood leather watch strap, adding additional style to this already eye-catching piece of manufacturing history.The Illinois Watch Company first released the Springfield 544’s remarkable pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1925 — the same year the original Hetch Hetchy Moccasin powerhouse was constructed in Tuolumne County, California, powering San Francisco. The powerhouse receives water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir near Yosemite National Park, and the force of the water over the dam spins turbines that generate hydroelectricity. The original powerhouse was replaced in 1969. Today, it’s able to generate up to 405 megawatts (405 million watts) hourly, and the facility supplies almost 20% of San Francisco's electrical needs.
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: Gold Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 4651502
- Manufacture Year: 1925
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 21 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Illinois Watch Company first released the Springfield 544’s remarkable pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1925 — the same year the original Hetch Hetchy Moccasin powerhouse was constructed in Tuolumne County, California, powering San Francisco. The powerhouse receives water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir near Yosemite National Park, and the force of the water over the dam spins turbines that generate hydroelectricity. The original powerhouse was replaced in 1969. Today, it’s able to generate up to 405 megawatts (405 million watts) hourly, and the facility supplies almost 20% of San Francisco's electrical needs.
Let customers speak for us
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.
