Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 090 unique: Meet the Springfield 090, affectionately known as the “Democrat.” This watch not only embodies exquisite craftsmanship but also celebrates American heritage with its rare Roosevelt insignia on the movement—a nod to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s legacy of strength and progressive ideals. This unique designation elevates the watch from a timekeeping instrument to a piece of history, connecting the wearer to a pivotal figure in American history.
Encased in a 45mm bronze case with a coin-edge bezel, the Springfield 090 has a distinctive, vintage appeal. The knurled Mokume crown, crafted with layered bronze and copper, adds an artisanal touch, while the tan Hadley Roma strap with a bronze Vortic buckle complements its earthy, sophisticated style. The hand-painted stitching on the strap is carefully matched to the dial’s deep green numerals, reflecting the watch’s cohesive design language.
The dial itself is a masterpiece in gold, accented with rich green numerals and lumed hour and minute hands. Small lumed markers sit next to each numeral on the minute indicators, offering practical visibility with an elegant flair. At its core is an Illinois movement from 1926, a well-preserved piece of American watchmaking history. The Springfield 090 isn’t just a watch—it’s a story waiting to be told, bridging modern craftsmanship with the legacy of a historical era and a notable American leader.
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: Bronze Case
- Crown/Hardware: Bronze
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 4709807
- Manufacture Year: 1926
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Springfield 090 unique: Meet the Springfield 090, affectionately known as the “Democrat.” This watch not only embodies exquisite craftsmanship but also celebrates American heritage with its rare Roosevelt insignia on the movement—a nod to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s legacy of strength and progressive ideals. This unique designation elevates the watch from a timekeeping instrument to a piece of history, connecting the wearer to a pivotal figure in American history.
Encased in a 45mm bronze case with a coin-edge bezel, the Springfield 090 has a distinctive, vintage appeal. The knurled Mokume crown, crafted with layered bronze and copper, adds an artisanal touch, while the tan Hadley Roma strap with a bronze Vortic buckle complements its earthy, sophisticated style. The hand-painted stitching on the strap is carefully matched to the dial’s deep green numerals, reflecting the watch’s cohesive design language.
The dial itself is a masterpiece in gold, accented with rich green numerals and lumed hour and minute hands. Small lumed markers sit next to each numeral on the minute indicators, offering practical visibility with an elegant flair. At its core is an Illinois movement from 1926, a well-preserved piece of American watchmaking history. The Springfield 090 isn’t just a watch—it’s a story waiting to be told, bridging modern craftsmanship with the legacy of a historical era and a notable American leader.
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.
