Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 401 Unique:
The Springfield 401 stands out for its distinctive blue details and balanced, understated elegance. Its muted gold dial has gracefully aged over the past century, showing faint signs of time that only add to its charm. Deep navy numerals give the piece a unique character, while blued steel spade-and-whip hands complement their tone with subtle shimmer under the domed crystal. A recessed sub-seconds dial at 6 o’clock completes the layout, emphasizing proportion and precision.
Inside, this watch houses a 17-jewel Stewart Special movement crafted by the Illinois Watch Company in 1922. The movement features an intricately patterned ¾ bridge plate, brass balance wheel, and rose-gold-toned gears—each element beautifully restored and visible through the open caseback. Its decorative finishing and fine adjustments showcase the pride and artistry that defined Illinois’ best work during the golden age of American horology.
We encased this historic movement in a machined stainless steel case with a polished bezel and vertically fluted crown. The warm patina of the dial pairs effortlessly with the cool steel finish, while a navy leather strap draws out the striking blue numerals and hands. Together, these elements create a look that’s refined, versatile, and distinctively American.
In 1922, the British Empire reached the height of its global influence, ruling over a quarter of the world’s population. Meanwhile, in the heart of the United States, the Illinois Watch Company continued to perfect its craft—producing precision instruments like this one that embodied American ingenuity, independence, and design excellence.
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: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: I3999836
- Manufacture Year: 1922
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Springfield 401 Unique:
The Springfield 401 stands out for its distinctive blue details and balanced, understated elegance. Its muted gold dial has gracefully aged over the past century, showing faint signs of time that only add to its charm. Deep navy numerals give the piece a unique character, while blued steel spade-and-whip hands complement their tone with subtle shimmer under the domed crystal. A recessed sub-seconds dial at 6 o’clock completes the layout, emphasizing proportion and precision.
Inside, this watch houses a 17-jewel Stewart Special movement crafted by the Illinois Watch Company in 1922. The movement features an intricately patterned ¾ bridge plate, brass balance wheel, and rose-gold-toned gears—each element beautifully restored and visible through the open caseback. Its decorative finishing and fine adjustments showcase the pride and artistry that defined Illinois’ best work during the golden age of American horology.
We encased this historic movement in a machined stainless steel case with a polished bezel and vertically fluted crown. The warm patina of the dial pairs effortlessly with the cool steel finish, while a navy leather strap draws out the striking blue numerals and hands. Together, these elements create a look that’s refined, versatile, and distinctively American.
In 1922, the British Empire reached the height of its global influence, ruling over a quarter of the world’s population. Meanwhile, in the heart of the United States, the Illinois Watch Company continued to perfect its craft—producing precision instruments like this one that embodied American ingenuity, independence, and design excellence.
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.
