Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 442 unique: Today we bring you this beautiful timepiece from the Illinois Watch Company, our Springfield 442. We really enjoy the visual display of this watch that reaches out and grabs your attention right away and brings you in for a closer look. The bright shimmer of the machined titanium case brings out the finer details of this double-sunk dial and the intricate machine work within the center. The dark angular numerals stand out as well as these blued-steel open-kite hands. We added a stone strap to soften off the feel a bit, as well as a nickel-plated crown and hardware throughout. The movement inside of this watch begs to be shown off and explored, with all of these wonderful precious metal elements that are sprinkled all through the inside. Rose-gold gears and a brass balance wheel combine perfectly with the brass hardware that sets in all 21 of these precious jewels, while this amazing build plate with carefully machined Geneva lines draws everything together nicely. This watch was originally manufactured in 1926 by the Illinois Watch Company in Springfield, Illinois. At the time when this watch was sold, depending on the content of gold in the original case, this watch would have been sold for anywhere between $180-$200. At the very same time, land in New York City on Broadway and Wall Street hit a record-breaking $7 per square inch.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
- 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: 4741501
- Manufacture Year: 1926
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 21 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
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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.
