Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 074 unique: They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but luckily the same is not true for watches. Where a radioactive isotope was once painted to provide a slight glow in darkness to the numerals and hands, one of our expert watchmakers has precisely applied hand-painted layers of Super Luminova, the modern standard for timepiece luminescence, without the pesky effects of radiation poisoning, which was common after prolonged exposure to Radium, the original material used to make watch hands and numerals glow.
The 17-jewel Autocrat movement, which can be admired through the sapphire crystal case back, is in great condition, especially considering its age of 104 years. It has been freshly serviced and is running to our strict accuracy standards.
The face of the watch showcases a double-sunk dial that has aged to a dark ivory color in contrast to the modern eggshell white lume, and it looks fantastic at night or during the day paired with our natural tanned leather watch strap. The case and coin-edged bezel have been sandblasted by hand in our workshop to give them a durable matte finish that is resistant to fingerprints and light scratches, so whatever adventurers you and the Springfield 074 want to have together – before or after the sun goes down – be our guest.
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.
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: 2024
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 45mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Sandblasted Stainless Steel
- Crown/Hardware: Stainless Steel
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3748880
- Manufacture Year: 1920
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Springfield 074 unique: They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but luckily the same is not true for watches. Where a radioactive isotope was once painted to provide a slight glow in darkness to the numerals and hands, one of our expert watchmakers has precisely applied hand-painted layers of Super Luminova, the modern standard for timepiece luminescence, without the pesky effects of radiation poisoning, which was common after prolonged exposure to Radium, the original material used to make watch hands and numerals glow.
The 17-jewel Autocrat movement, which can be admired through the sapphire crystal case back, is in great condition, especially considering its age of 104 years. It has been freshly serviced and is running to our strict accuracy standards.
The face of the watch showcases a double-sunk dial that has aged to a dark ivory color in contrast to the modern eggshell white lume, and it looks fantastic at night or during the day paired with our natural tanned leather watch strap. The case and coin-edged bezel have been sandblasted by hand in our workshop to give them a durable matte finish that is resistant to fingerprints and light scratches, so whatever adventurers you and the Springfield 074 want to have together – before or after the sun goes down – be our guest.
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.
