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The American mechanism inside this watch is not a replica or an "inspired" piece. It was genuinely carried by an individual, 100 years ago, that depended on it. Each time you wear this watch, you will be transported through time, imagining who this individual was and the work they did to help build our country. Simply put, American Artisan Series watches make you feel something when you put them on. At Vortic, we tell customers that owning a watch isn't nearly as important as owning a story. And, this is an opportunity to be a part of a story that is bigger than yourself. You won't be the first to own this watch, and you certainly won't be the last, so make your chapter count.
The American Artisan Series is a line of fully American Made wristwatches powered by restored, U.S. made pocket watch movements. Individuals commonly scrap pocket watch cases for their precious metal, leaving the original mechanism orphaned. This watch contains the original movement (timepiece), dial (face), and hands from a vintage (1880's - 1950's) pocket watch made by Illinois Watch Company. We call this model "The Springfield" because the company was located in Springfield, Illinois.
The Springfield Railroad 031 is the 31st one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Springfield Railroad " line of the American Artisan Series. This watch contains the original movement (timepiece), dial (face), and hands from a vintage (1880’s – 1950’s) pocket watch. The American Artisan Series is a line of fully American Made wristwatches powered by restored, U.S. made pocket watch movements.
What makes the Springfield Railroad 031 Unique: For today’s release we have an incredibly special and rare release, the Springfield Railroad 031. We get a lot of requests to bring back our Railroad Edition watches and today we get are lucky to bring you one of these amazing pieces. This watch has been meticulously fine-tuned with a custom lever set, by our incredibly talented machinists and watchmakers to fit this movement and help with the setting feature underneath the bezel. As we continue to improve our manufacturing processes and create more levers for these Railroad movements, we hope to continue to release more of these watches on a regular basis. The Santa Fe Special was a high-end movement from the Illinois Watch Company, named after the Santa Fe Railroad line that ran from Kansas to New Mexico, and was one of the larger stretches of the American Railroad. This dial is very unique and rare, featuring all 60-minute indicators, including red accents at the hour marks. The gothic style numerals bring a nice amount of flare and contrast nicely against this bright white face. We wanted to give this watch a special case to add to the look and decided to pre-patina this bronze for a wonderfully aged and vintage look. A merlot strap and nickel-plated crown add to the details and help accentuate the look and feel of the case. This movement is so mesmerizing that you will have to remove the watch in order to show it off through our custom case back. This dual-colored build plate is absolutely stunning, with intricately designed etching all throughout, as well as rose-gold gears beneath and a brass balance wheel. Adorned with 21 spectacular jewels, screw set with stainless steel hardware. The Santa Fe Watch Company was founded in Topeka, Kansas in 1913 and was manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company. The watches were sold by catalog only, via mail order service. They were mostly all Railroad grade 16 size watches, lever set. However, they also made some smaller 12 size versions as well for a short period of time. This watch represents a truly special piece of American history and we couldn’t be more proud to have the opportunity to bring it back to life and release it.
1916
3042104
Case Style:This case has been CNC milled from a solid block of aluminum bronze. The case is intentionally left unpolished so the intricate tool marks made during the milling process remain visible. The watch will arrive pre-patina'd like the product image and take on additional patina over time as it interacts with oxygen in the air and oils on your skin. This patina can be removed to return the bronze case to its original state, but most individuals strive for the distinct, one-of-a-kind patina created by their lifestyle. Each bronze case is one of a kind, and the rich, deep color of the patina will vary from case to case.
Movement: The manually wound, antique, pocket watch movement inside this watch has been meticulously restored to as close to original condition as possible. Vortic has an exclusive group of highly experienced watchmakers that specialize in vintage watches. Before its use in a wristwatch, each movement is completely disassembled, cleaned, oiled, and calibrated. Each finished Vortic watch is tested for at least a week before completion.
This watch's movement is serial number from the Illinois Watch Company. 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.
Legal Disclaimer: All product and company names, logos, brands, and other trademarks featured or referred to within Vortic's products and services are the property of their respective intellectual property rights holders, if any. Those intellectual property rights holders, other than Vortic, LLC, are not affiliated with Vortic, LLC, our products, or our website. They do not sponsor or endorse our materials.
Watch Specifications
- Manufacturer: Vortic Watch Company
- Model Year: 2021
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
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Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 49mm
- Height: 13.5mm
- Lug-to-Lug: 59mm
- Lugs: 22mm
- Case Finish: Machined Bronze
- Crown/Hardware: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Gorilla Glass
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number:
- Manufacture Year:
- Function: Manual Wind, Lever-Set
- Jewels: 21j
- Hands: Original
- Size: 16s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours




The Springfield Railroad 031 is the 31st one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Springfield Railroad " line of the American Artisan Series. This watch contains the original movement (timepiece), dial (face), and hands from a vintage (1880’s – 1950’s) pocket watch. The American Artisan Series is a line of fully American Made wristwatches powered by restored, U.S. made pocket watch movements.
What makes the Springfield Railroad 031 Unique: For today’s release we have an incredibly special and rare release, the Springfield Railroad 031. We get a lot of requests to bring back our Railroad Edition watches and today we get are lucky to bring you one of these amazing pieces. This watch has been meticulously fine-tuned with a custom lever set, by our incredibly talented machinists and watchmakers to fit this movement and help with the setting feature underneath the bezel. As we continue to improve our manufacturing processes and create more levers for these Railroad movements, we hope to continue to release more of these watches on a regular basis. The Santa Fe Special was a high-end movement from the Illinois Watch Company, named after the Santa Fe Railroad line that ran from Kansas to New Mexico, and was one of the larger stretches of the American Railroad. This dial is very unique and rare, featuring all 60-minute indicators, including red accents at the hour marks. The gothic style numerals bring a nice amount of flare and contrast nicely against this bright white face. We wanted to give this watch a special case to add to the look and decided to pre-patina this bronze for a wonderfully aged and vintage look. A merlot strap and nickel-plated crown add to the details and help accentuate the look and feel of the case. This movement is so mesmerizing that you will have to remove the watch in order to show it off through our custom case back. This dual-colored build plate is absolutely stunning, with intricately designed etching all throughout, as well as rose-gold gears beneath and a brass balance wheel. Adorned with 21 spectacular jewels, screw set with stainless steel hardware. The Santa Fe Watch Company was founded in Topeka, Kansas in 1913 and was manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company. The watches were sold by catalog only, via mail order service. They were mostly all Railroad grade 16 size watches, lever set. However, they also made some smaller 12 size versions as well for a short period of time. This watch represents a truly special piece of American history and we couldn’t be more proud to have the opportunity to bring it back to life and release it.
1916
3042104

Quality Straps
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.
Mission
Our mission is to preserve and enhance the legacy of manufacturing excellence in America. We believe that this legacy is highly relevant in the world of watch manufacturing because our goal is to marry form and function in a way that makes something beautiful that will last forever. American made pocket watches were of such a high quality and decoration that they evolved into more than just a way to tell time. They became traditional heirlooms to be inherited by future generations as a wedding gift or a coming of age treasure. Each piece tells a lively tale of what U.S. manufacturing meant in the past using an intricate language of decorated bridges, plates, gears, and springs. Today, we are restoring these pieces to their former glory and making them relevant again using the best of modern technology.


American Made
We feel proud and blessed to live in the country, state, and city that we do. However, our motivation to build everything in the United States, and to deal locally whenever possible, is derived from a different source of inspiration. We believe that the close relationships, face-to-face interaction, and tight quality control we achieve while dealing domestically produces a truly superior product. Because of this, we are very transparent about where our components are made as we continue to build our in-house capabilities.