Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 129 unique:
The Springfield 129 captures the warmth and precision of early 20th-century watchmaking, blending vintage elegance with modern durability. The dial immediately commands attention with its golden center, detailed in a leaf-like engraving that shimmers under changing light. Surrounding this golden arc are crisp, black numerals and a minute track that creates an easy visual rhythm. At the 6 o’clock position, a recessed sub-seconds dial is finished with a matching golden hand, echoing the dial’s central hue. Blued steel open kite-style hands stretch gracefully across the dial, providing contrast and enhancing legibility.
At the heart of this piece is a 19-jewel Illinois movement from 1921, preserved through our American Artisan Series. Visible through the exhibition caseback, the movement features polished Geneva stripes across its bridges and gold-toned jewel settings, gears and screws—all subtle hallmarks of American manufacturing excellence. We encased this historic engine in a 45mm sandblasted stainless steel case with an angled bezel and completed the look with a bronze knurled crown. Paired with an ebony leather strap, this watch is a celebration of refined contrast, balance, and uniqueness.
The movement was originally manufactured in 1921, the year the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C. Designed to honor the legacy of President Abraham Lincoln, the memorial, with its marble pillars and breathtaking scale, became a symbol of enduring craftsmanship and purposeful architecture—values mirrored in this timepiece.
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: 2025
- 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: Bronze
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3920987
- Manufacture Year: 1921
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 19 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Springfield 129 unique:
The Springfield 129 captures the warmth and precision of early 20th-century watchmaking, blending vintage elegance with modern durability. The dial immediately commands attention with its golden center, detailed in a leaf-like engraving that shimmers under changing light. Surrounding this golden arc are crisp, black numerals and a minute track that creates an easy visual rhythm. At the 6 o’clock position, a recessed sub-seconds dial is finished with a matching golden hand, echoing the dial’s central hue. Blued steel open kite-style hands stretch gracefully across the dial, providing contrast and enhancing legibility.
At the heart of this piece is a 19-jewel Illinois movement from 1921, preserved through our American Artisan Series. Visible through the exhibition caseback, the movement features polished Geneva stripes across its bridges and gold-toned jewel settings, gears and screws—all subtle hallmarks of American manufacturing excellence. We encased this historic engine in a 45mm sandblasted stainless steel case with an angled bezel and completed the look with a bronze knurled crown. Paired with an ebony leather strap, this watch is a celebration of refined contrast, balance, and uniqueness.
The movement was originally manufactured in 1921, the year the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C. Designed to honor the legacy of President Abraham Lincoln, the memorial, with its marble pillars and breathtaking scale, became a symbol of enduring craftsmanship and purposeful architecture—values mirrored in this timepiece.
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.
