Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 446 unique: Today we are excited to present this amazing watch from the Illinois Watch Company, our Springfield 446. We love to find these antique dials that show their age with the right amount of wear and tear. There is nothing more satisfying than incorporating a timeless piece of American manufacturing into our custom gunmetal titanium case. The combination of this aged dial with our nickel-plated crown and cordovan strap brings this watch new life as it begs to be shown off. As we turn this watch over to reveal the movement within, we are immediately drawn to these fantastic Geneva lines that have been carefully machined all across the different build plates. A perfect balance of precious metal accents lay amongst these nickel-plated bridge plates and wheels, with copper inlaid text as well as brass hardware and gold-plated gears. This watch was originally produced in 1925 in Springfield, Illinois by the Illinois Watch Company. This was also the same year that the Chrysler Motor Company was established in Detroit, Michigan by Walter Chrysler. Chrysler had taken over a previous venture, the Maxwell Motor Company which had overextended itself and became deeply in debt. The designs and assets were absorbed by Chrysler and eventually phased out years later.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: Gunmetal Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 4674469
- Manufacture Year: 1925
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 19 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.
