Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 574 unique: Today, we’re happy to feature this elegant watch that was originally manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company close to 100 years ago — the Springfield 547. This eye-catching antique pocket watch features a sophisticated dial with black hour numerals and red minute numerals that are in five-minute increments. The front of this piece also features a helpful subdial and blued-steel gothic watch hands that look notably striking against the dial’s clean white background. We matched this historic pocket watch with our stylish Sandblasted Titanium case and a gold-plated crown. On the watch’s rear side, you can view its intricate 415-grade open-face movement with a center bridge plate that features the engraving “Sterling,” indicating that the Illinois Watch Company manufactured the original pocket for the Kay Jewelry Co. based in Reading, Pennsylvania. The movement also features a Going barrel and 17 jewels along with stunning gold-plated gears. We tied the watch together with our comfortable, hand-crafted Merlot leather watch strap, making the final product all the more fashionable and impressive.The Illinois Watch Company initially released the Springfield 574’s pocket watch in Spring, Illinois, in 1925 — the same year in which baseball legend Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Yogi Berra was a catcher for the New York Yankees from 1946 to 1963, and he also went on to serve as a manager and coach for the Yankees and the New York Mets. Yogi Berra won 10 World Series championships as a player in addition to three more as a coach, and he appeared in the MLB All-Star game 18 times. He also holds the world record for the most shutouts caught with 173 catches. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972 for his accomplishments and was even awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2015 shortly after he passed away of natural causes. In addition to his many achievements in baseball, Yogi Berra also coined several witty and iconic phrases, such as “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore,” and “Ninety percent of the game is half mental.”
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: Sandblasted Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Gold Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 4547735
- Manufacture Year: 1925
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Illinois Watch Company initially released the Springfield 574’s pocket watch in Spring, Illinois, in 1925 — the same year in which baseball legend Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Yogi Berra was a catcher for the New York Yankees from 1946 to 1963, and he also went on to serve as a manager and coach for the Yankees and the New York Mets. Yogi Berra won 10 World Series championships as a player in addition to three more as a coach, and he appeared in the MLB All-Star game 18 times. He also holds the world record for the most shutouts caught with 173 catches. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972 for his accomplishments and was even awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2015 shortly after he passed away of natural causes. In addition to his many achievements in baseball, Yogi Berra also coined several witty and iconic phrases, such as “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore,” and “Ninety percent of the game is half mental.”
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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.
