Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 078 unique: The Springfield 078 showcases a beautifully restored Illinois movement, originally produced in 1925 by the Illinois Watch Company. This Grade 405, 17-jewel movement, noted for its gold-capped jewel settings, was designed for precision, often used in railroad watches of the era. What makes this piece truly unique is the "Silver Medal" inscription on the movement, referencing an award won by Illinois at the 1889 Paris Exposition, a testament to the company’s excellence in craftsmanship.
Encased in a steel case with a machined finish, the watch merges vintage elegance with modern innovation. The smooth bronze bezel and knurled polished steel crown add refined details, all machined in-house, reflecting Vortic’s attention to craftsmanship. The patinaed silvered dial, heat-blued Gothic hands, and gold-accented sub-dial complete the historical charm, echoing the watch’s original style.
Paired with a 22mm American-made brown leather strap, the Springfield 078 carries nearly a century of American history, blending antique craftsmanship with modern ingenuity. It’s not just a timepiece; it’s a collector’s item—a functional piece of art.
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: Tumbled Titanium Case
- Crown/Hardware: Titanium
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number:
- Manufacture Year: 1925
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Springfield 078 unique: The Springfield 078 showcases a beautifully restored Illinois movement, originally produced in 1925 by the Illinois Watch Company. This Grade 405, 17-jewel movement, noted for its gold-capped jewel settings, was designed for precision, often used in railroad watches of the era. What makes this piece truly unique is the "Silver Medal" inscription on the movement, referencing an award won by Illinois at the 1889 Paris Exposition, a testament to the company’s excellence in craftsmanship.
Encased in a steel case with a machined finish, the watch merges vintage elegance with modern innovation. The smooth bronze bezel and knurled polished steel crown add refined details, all machined in-house, reflecting Vortic’s attention to craftsmanship. The patinaed silvered dial, heat-blued Gothic hands, and gold-accented sub-dial complete the historical charm, echoing the watch’s original style.
Paired with a 22mm American-made brown leather strap, the Springfield 078 carries nearly a century of American history, blending antique craftsmanship with modern ingenuity. It’s not just a timepiece; it’s a collector’s item—a functional piece of art.
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.
