Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 559 unique: Today, we have a truly magnificent watch that boasts the remarkable American craftsmanship of the 1920s — the Springfield 559. The pocket watch was initially released by the Illinois Watch Company and features an unforgettable dial with an intricate center design and dark brown numerals. You can also see its blued-steel heavy moon watch hands that gleam vividly against the dial’s aged, cream-colored background. Finally, the front of the piece boasts a helpful matching subdial. We matched this piece with our Machined Titanium case and equipped it with a tasteful copper crown. The rear side of our Machined Titanium case exhibits the pocket watch’s historic 405-grade open-face movement with a center bridge plate featuring the engravings “Forum,” “Illinois Watch Co,” and “Springfield.” The movement presents additional stunning particulars including its Going barrel, nickel finish, pendant setting, 17 jewels, and gold-plated gears. We paired this one-of-a-kind watch with our Cordovan Black leather watch strap, making it all the more distinct and special.The Illinois Watch Company originally manufactured the pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1922 — the same year that the first bat mitzvah was celebrated publicly in the United States. This first Jewish coming-of-age ceremony for women in the 'States was celebrated in New York City and honored Judith Kaplan. Jewish communities have celebrated the male bar mitzvah since the 14th century, and traditionally, it marks the beginning of adulthood and features a reading from the Torah. Judith Kaplan’s public bat mitzvah marked an important milestone for women within Judaism and Jewish communities, and today, there are around 20,000 American bat mitzvahs annually.
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: Copper
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 4051466
- Manufacture Year: 1922
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Illinois Watch Company originally manufactured the pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1922 — the same year that the first bat mitzvah was celebrated publicly in the United States. This first Jewish coming-of-age ceremony for women in the 'States was celebrated in New York City and honored Judith Kaplan. Jewish communities have celebrated the male bar mitzvah since the 14th century, and traditionally, it marks the beginning of adulthood and features a reading from the Torah. Judith Kaplan’s public bat mitzvah marked an important milestone for women within Judaism and Jewish communities, and today, there are around 20,000 American bat mitzvahs annually.
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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.
