Watch Description
The Springfield 280 is the 280th one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Springfield" line of the American Artisan Series. This watch contains the original movement (timepiece), dial (face), and hands from a vintage (1880’s – 1950’s) pocket watch. The American Artisan Series is a line of fully American Made wristwatches powered by restored, U.S. made pocket watch movements.
What makes the Springfield 280 Unique: We could not be more excited to present to you this amazing Sante Fe Special from Illinois, the Springfield 280. The appeal of this watch speaks for itself, with the homage to a classic Railroad style watch. 60 individual minute indicators all around the outside of the dial make for a truly one-of-a-kind watch, emulating the classic look and design of its larger 16 size predecessor that would have been used by Railroad conductors all across the nation. Dark black bold numerals and full-moon hands pop nicely off this soft dial, while the modern look and shine of our machined titanium case stand out. We added a copper crown and natural band to tie everything together nicely and keep with the subtle earth tones and feel of the dial. The movement powering this watch is second to none from Illinois during this time period, boasting 21 jewels and a carefully machined pattern throughout that grabs your attention and draws you in. Rose gold gears peek through from beneath the ¾ bridge plate, as well as copper inlaid text accents and stainless steel hardware throughout. This watch will truly steal the show and should be shown off at every available opportunity. Originally manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company in Springfield, Illinois in 1930. In this same year, Mohandas Gandhi initiated the great Salt March, a non-violent protest that led him and his followers from Sabarmati to Dandi. Over 240 miles that started out with just a few dozen followers and eventually grew to thousands.
1930
5374371
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: 2021
- Warranty: Full 1-Year Warranty
- Case Dimensions:
- Diameter: 47mm
- Thickness: 12mm
- Lug to Lug: 55mm
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Case Material: Machined Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Copper
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number:
- Manufacture Year:
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 21 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Springfield 280 is the 280th one-of-a-kind piece in Vortic's "Springfield" line of the American Artisan Series. This watch contains the original movement (timepiece), dial (face), and hands from a vintage (1880’s – 1950’s) pocket watch. The American Artisan Series is a line of fully American Made wristwatches powered by restored, U.S. made pocket watch movements.
What makes the Springfield 280 Unique: We could not be more excited to present to you this amazing Sante Fe Special from Illinois, the Springfield 280. The appeal of this watch speaks for itself, with the homage to a classic Railroad style watch. 60 individual minute indicators all around the outside of the dial make for a truly one-of-a-kind watch, emulating the classic look and design of its larger 16 size predecessor that would have been used by Railroad conductors all across the nation. Dark black bold numerals and full-moon hands pop nicely off this soft dial, while the modern look and shine of our machined titanium case stand out. We added a copper crown and natural band to tie everything together nicely and keep with the subtle earth tones and feel of the dial. The movement powering this watch is second to none from Illinois during this time period, boasting 21 jewels and a carefully machined pattern throughout that grabs your attention and draws you in. Rose gold gears peek through from beneath the ¾ bridge plate, as well as copper inlaid text accents and stainless steel hardware throughout. This watch will truly steal the show and should be shown off at every available opportunity. Originally manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company in Springfield, Illinois in 1930. In this same year, Mohandas Gandhi initiated the great Salt March, a non-violent protest that led him and his followers from Sabarmati to Dandi. Over 240 miles that started out with just a few dozen followers and eventually grew to thousands.
1930
5374371
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.
