Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 157 unique:
The Springfield 157 is a captivating blend of aged elegance and fine detail, brought to life through a richly patinaed dial that wears its century-old history with pride. Its parchment-toned surface is framed by bold, black stylized numerals with a distinctly whimsical, almost hand-painted flair. At center, a raised decorative pattern adds remarkable depth and texture, drawing the eye inward while heat-blued gothic hands sweep across the display with architectural precision. The recessed sub-seconds dial at 6 o’clock features classic railroad-style markings, offering a crisp visual anchor against the ornate background.
Inside, this watch houses a 17-jewel Illinois movement originally manufactured in 1925. The open caseback reveals sweeping Geneva stripes across the bridgework, punctuated by gold-toned jewel settings and a precisely polished balance assembly—an enduring showcase of American watchmaking artistry.
The movement is preserved in a machined stainless steel case, contrasted by a warm coin-edge bronze bezel that catches the light with subtle, golden glints. A vertically grooved bronze crown offers both tactile grip and vintage-inspired style, while the chocolate leather strap adds a rich, earthy complement to the warm metal tones.
In 1925, the Burlington Zephyr—the sleek, stainless-steel streamliner—was still nearly a decade away, but railroads were at the height of their dominance in American transportation. That year, the legendary “Rocky Mountain Rocket” train route was officially established, offering a direct and luxurious rail connection from Chicago to Denver and Colorado Springs. This watch, born in that same golden era of rail travel, carries the spirit of precision timing that kept the nation’s trains—and its passengers—moving on schedule.
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.
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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: Bronze
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 4625190
- Manufacture Year: 1925
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Springfield 157 unique:
The Springfield 157 is a captivating blend of aged elegance and fine detail, brought to life through a richly patinaed dial that wears its century-old history with pride. Its parchment-toned surface is framed by bold, black stylized numerals with a distinctly whimsical, almost hand-painted flair. At center, a raised decorative pattern adds remarkable depth and texture, drawing the eye inward while heat-blued gothic hands sweep across the display with architectural precision. The recessed sub-seconds dial at 6 o’clock features classic railroad-style markings, offering a crisp visual anchor against the ornate background.
Inside, this watch houses a 17-jewel Illinois movement originally manufactured in 1925. The open caseback reveals sweeping Geneva stripes across the bridgework, punctuated by gold-toned jewel settings and a precisely polished balance assembly—an enduring showcase of American watchmaking artistry.
The movement is preserved in a machined stainless steel case, contrasted by a warm coin-edge bronze bezel that catches the light with subtle, golden glints. A vertically grooved bronze crown offers both tactile grip and vintage-inspired style, while the chocolate leather strap adds a rich, earthy complement to the warm metal tones.
In 1925, the Burlington Zephyr—the sleek, stainless-steel streamliner—was still nearly a decade away, but railroads were at the height of their dominance in American transportation. That year, the legendary “Rocky Mountain Rocket” train route was officially established, offering a direct and luxurious rail connection from Chicago to Denver and Colorado Springs. This watch, born in that same golden era of rail travel, carries the spirit of precision timing that kept the nation’s trains—and its passengers—moving on schedule.
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.
