Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 452 unique: For this special occasion holiday release, we set aside this magnificent watch from the Illinois Watch Company, our Springfield 452. We were immediately drawn to this stunning dial that jumps out and grabs your attention at first glance. The bold gothic-style numerals contrast well from the crisp white face, accented with red minute indicators all around the outside. Dark open-kite hands add to the stunning features of the dial and stand out giving this watch a truly breathtaking visual appeal. Set in our machined titanium case, with a copper crown and oxblood cordovan strap. As we turn this watch over to reveal the movement inside, we see more of the gothic-styling incorporated into the font and are in love with the 21 Ruby jewels that are proudly displayed. If you look closely, you will notice the incredibly intricate patterns that have been carefully machined into the different build plates throughout. Gold-plated gears beneath add to the precious metal look and show the top-of-the-line quality from this stunning timepiece. In 1827, acclaimed writer Sarah Josepha Hale started a campaign to petition the president to recognize Thanksgiving as a national holiday. She continued her fight for 36 years until finally, President Abraham Lincoln enacted the holiday at the height of the Civil War, in hopes to bring ease to the suffering of the war and bring families together. Hale later became known as the “Mother Of Thanksgiving” for her efforts in the cause. We are especially grateful that we are able to continue to find such amazing watches like this one, and give them new life for the years to come.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
- 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: 1929024
- Manufacture Year: 1906
- 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.
