Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 148 unique:
The Springfield 148 offers a beautifully distressed dial that captures the raw authenticity of time’s passage. The surface is richly weathered, with a near woodgrain-like patina that gives the entire face a textural, almost organic look. Raised gold-tone numerals sit atop the aged surface, their form softened by decades of oxidation. At the center of the dial, a pair of gold-colored cathedral-style hands brings visual contrast and warmth, hovering above an oversized, double-circle sub-seconds dial that adds balance and symmetry.
Inside, this watch houses a 17-jewel Illinois movement originally manufactured in 1923. The movement is decorated with fine damaskeening across its bridges, polished screwwork, and deep ruby jewel settings. Gold-plated gears peek through the cutouts, giving the open caseback a vibrant visual depth that reflects the technical beauty of early American watchmaking.
The movement is secured inside a polished stainless steel case with a clean, angled bezel and a vertically grooved gold crown. A warm, whiskey-toned American-made leather strap ties everything together, adding comfort and contrast to the case’s gleaming steel finish.
In 1923, American industry was expanding rapidly—and that same year, the U.S. Patent Office approved the first rotary-dial telephone. This technological milestone revolutionized how Americans communicated, much like the precision and innovation found in the watch movements of that same era.
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: Machined Steel
- Crown/Hardware: Stainless Steel
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 4172892
- Manufacture Year: 1923
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Springfield 148 unique:
The Springfield 148 offers a beautifully distressed dial that captures the raw authenticity of time’s passage. The surface is richly weathered, with a near woodgrain-like patina that gives the entire face a textural, almost organic look. Raised gold-tone numerals sit atop the aged surface, their form softened by decades of oxidation. At the center of the dial, a pair of gold-colored cathedral-style hands brings visual contrast and warmth, hovering above an oversized, double-circle sub-seconds dial that adds balance and symmetry.
Inside, this watch houses a 17-jewel Illinois movement originally manufactured in 1923. The movement is decorated with fine damaskeening across its bridges, polished screwwork, and deep ruby jewel settings. Gold-plated gears peek through the cutouts, giving the open caseback a vibrant visual depth that reflects the technical beauty of early American watchmaking.
The movement is secured inside a polished stainless steel case with a clean, angled bezel and a vertically grooved gold crown. A warm, whiskey-toned American-made leather strap ties everything together, adding comfort and contrast to the case’s gleaming steel finish.
In 1923, American industry was expanding rapidly—and that same year, the U.S. Patent Office approved the first rotary-dial telephone. This technological milestone revolutionized how Americans communicated, much like the precision and innovation found in the watch movements of that same era.
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.
