Watch Description
What Makes The Springfield 185 Unique:
The Springfield 185 pairs one of Illinois' finest movements with a dial unlike any other in the collection. Built around a 19-jewel Illinois movement manufactured in 1920, this watch represents the era when Illinois was producing some of the highest-grade pocket watch movements in America, balancing exceptional mechanical precision with distinctive dial design. While the movement provides the performance collectors have admired for generations, it is the beautifully aged luminous dial that immediately sets this piece apart.
The first thing collectors will notice is the warm ivory dial, whose soft patina has developed naturally over more than a century while preserving its remarkably crisp details. Bold Art Deco-inspired Arabic numerals outlined in black create a striking visual presence, while the circular chapter ring surrounding the center of the dial lends an uncommon sense of depth and symmetry. Elegant cathedral hands sweep across the dial, both the hands and numerals having been carefully fitted with custom lume to recreate the appearance of period-correct luminous watches while providing modern nighttime legibility. In darkness, the dial transforms completely as the numerals and hands emit a vibrant green glow, giving this century-old design an entirely new personality. At six o'clock, the recessed sub-seconds register features a finely printed scale that reinforces the watch's precision-focused heritage while maintaining the clean balance of the overall layout.
Turning the watch over reveals the original 19-jewel Illinois movement beneath the sapphire exhibition caseback. Collectors will appreciate the movement's higher jewel count, a hallmark of Illinois' premium production during this period. Beautifully finished bridges, polished steel components, gold jewel settings, and the exposed balance assembly showcase the craftsmanship that helped establish Illinois as one of America's premier watch manufacturers. Every detail reflects an era when mechanical excellence was expected, not advertised.
Vortic has carefully preserved this historic movement within its 45mm Springfield case, featuring a DLC-black 316L stainless steel body paired with a machined bronze bezel. The contrast between the deep black case and the warm bronze bezel echoes the vintage tones found throughout the dial, while the black DLC crown and American-made Black Cordovan leather strap complete a design that feels both rugged and refined.
The Springfield 185 is a distinctive blend of early twentieth-century American watchmaking and thoughtful modern craftsmanship. Its naturally aged luminous dial, cathedral hands, uncommon bronze bezel, premium 19-jewel Illinois movement, and glowing nighttime display create a watch that is every bit as captivating after sunset as it is in daylight.
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 Diameter: 45mm
- Case Material: Black DLC Stainless Steel with Machined Bronze Bezel
- Crown/Hardware: Stainless Steel
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Front: Domed Sapphire Back: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: 22mm Black Cordovan Leather Strap by Horween with Black DLC Steel Buckle
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3729558
- Manufacture Year: 1920
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 19 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What Makes The Springfield 185 Unique:
The Springfield 185 pairs one of Illinois' finest movements with a dial unlike any other in the collection. Built around a 19-jewel Illinois movement manufactured in 1920, this watch represents the era when Illinois was producing some of the highest-grade pocket watch movements in America, balancing exceptional mechanical precision with distinctive dial design. While the movement provides the performance collectors have admired for generations, it is the beautifully aged luminous dial that immediately sets this piece apart.
The first thing collectors will notice is the warm ivory dial, whose soft patina has developed naturally over more than a century while preserving its remarkably crisp details. Bold Art Deco-inspired Arabic numerals outlined in black create a striking visual presence, while the circular chapter ring surrounding the center of the dial lends an uncommon sense of depth and symmetry. Elegant cathedral hands sweep across the dial, both the hands and numerals having been carefully fitted with custom lume to recreate the appearance of period-correct luminous watches while providing modern nighttime legibility. In darkness, the dial transforms completely as the numerals and hands emit a vibrant green glow, giving this century-old design an entirely new personality. At six o'clock, the recessed sub-seconds register features a finely printed scale that reinforces the watch's precision-focused heritage while maintaining the clean balance of the overall layout.
Turning the watch over reveals the original 19-jewel Illinois movement beneath the sapphire exhibition caseback. Collectors will appreciate the movement's higher jewel count, a hallmark of Illinois' premium production during this period. Beautifully finished bridges, polished steel components, gold jewel settings, and the exposed balance assembly showcase the craftsmanship that helped establish Illinois as one of America's premier watch manufacturers. Every detail reflects an era when mechanical excellence was expected, not advertised.
Vortic has carefully preserved this historic movement within its 45mm Springfield case, featuring a DLC-black 316L stainless steel body paired with a machined bronze bezel. The contrast between the deep black case and the warm bronze bezel echoes the vintage tones found throughout the dial, while the black DLC crown and American-made Black Cordovan leather strap complete a design that feels both rugged and refined.
The Springfield 185 is a distinctive blend of early twentieth-century American watchmaking and thoughtful modern craftsmanship. Its naturally aged luminous dial, cathedral hands, uncommon bronze bezel, premium 19-jewel Illinois movement, and glowing nighttime display create a watch that is every bit as captivating after sunset as it is in daylight.
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.
