Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 455 unique: We are very excited to start this week of watches with this stunning timepiece from the Illinois Watch Company, our Springfield 455. We were immediately drawn to the blue numerals around the second hand as well as blue Illinois insignia, and decided to pair it with our iridescent case. We absolutely love how the look came together, with these subtle gold-colored numerals that bring attention to the gold-plated crown. The movement inside of this watch is none other than the amazing Autocrat that has been inlaid with copper all throughout to bring visual interest to many of the design elements, as well as copper raised settings for the 17 jewels. Gold-plated gears and a brass balance wheel hide beneath this wonderfully designed bridge plate, while stainless steel hardware brings attention to all the different elements of this fantastic movement. This watch was originally manufactured in Springfield, Illinois in 1916 by the Illinois Watch Company. Across the Atlantic Ocean on the other side of the world, WWI was in full swing and much of Europe was at war. On January 29 of this year, Paris was under attack from above as Germany was dropping bombs from their Zeppelins.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: Gold Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3020770
- Manufacture Year: 1916
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 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.
