Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 486 unique: Today, we’re pleased to present this antique, one-of-a-kind piece originally manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company in 1923 — the Springfield 486. The watch’s dial sports a cream-colored background with a circular ring in the center. The piece also features distinct navy minute and hour hands along with stylized numerals that look especially attractive against the cream background. We encased the pocket watch in our scratch-resistant Machined Titanium case, emphasizing its unique and sophisticated dial. The Machined Titanium’s clear back reveals the watch’s 405-grade open-face configuration with a nickel finish and pendant setting. It also boasts a center bridge plate with 17 stunning jewels. Finally, you can view the gorgeous and robust rose-gold plated gears that power the Springfield 486. We paired the watch with our artisan-crafted Tobacco leather watch strap, which draws attention to the watch’s elegant style while also bringing warmth to the complete piece. The Illinois Watch Company originally manufactured the pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois in 1923 — the same year that New York City opened Yankee Stadium. Before they had their own field, the Yankees shared a stadium with the New York Giants baseball team, which eventually relocated and became the San Francisco Giants. Although Yankee Stadium is primarily known for baseball, various events have occurred on the pitch, including the 1958 NFL Championship Game, three Papal Masses, boxing matches, and more. In 1958, the stadium had a record attendance of 123,707 people during a Jehovah’s Witnesses International Convention.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: Copper
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 4372265
- Manufacture Year: 1923
- 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.
