Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 474 unique: Today, we're pleased to present this gorgeous piece originally crafted by the Illinois Watch Company — the Springfield 474. The watch conveys unique style and artistry with its rustic dial, dark blue hands, and slightly aged, distinct numerals. We equipped the original pocket watch with our glossy and scratch-resistant Machined Titanium case and a nickel-plated crown. The case and crown's bright tones emphasize the dial's shading, creating a one-of-a-kind design. The back of the watch sports a 406-grade, open-face movement with a center bridge plate. It includes three adjustable positions powered by bronze-plated gears and 19 jewels. The watch's movement exhibits a nickel finish and pendant setting. To top it all off, we paired the pocket watch and custom case with our navy leather watch strap which compliments the watch's memorable style. The Illinois Watch Company created the pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1925 — the same year that Walter Chrysler created the Chrysler Corporation. The Maxwell Motor Company preceded the Chrysler Corporation, but Walter Chrysler took control of the company in its final days. Maxwell Motor accumulated a substantial amount of debt as it expanded in the late 1910s and early 1920s, leading to Walter Chrysler buying up controlling interest in the company's voting stock in 1921. Chrysler became the chairman of Maxwell Motor's board, and in 1925, he created the Chrysler Corporation and absorbed Maxwell Motors. Although Maxwell Motor Company became defunct, Chrysler used their original car designs to create the Plymouth automobile.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: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 4694902
- 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.
