Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 491 unique: Today, we’re pleased to showcase this exquisite piece initially manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company in 1922 — the Springfield 491. The watch sports an antique dial with splendid golden details. The dial boasts gold-colored minute and hour hands that match its stylized golden numerals, and the dial also features golden circles along its outer edge. We paired the pocket watch with our PVD Zircon Gold case and equipped it with a gold-plated crown. Our PVD Zircon Gold case features an open back that reveals the watch’s impressive inner workings. The watch boasts a 405-grade open-face movement with a center bridge plate, bronze-plated gears, and 17 jewels. The watch’s back also features a breathtaking inlaid engraving that reads “The Autocrat,” which is a fitting description for this luxurious, one-of-a-kind piece. To top it off, we equipped the watch with our stylish Cordovan Oxblood leather watch strap, which pairs perfectly with the watch’s golden features. The Illinois Watch Company originally produced this piece in Springfield, Illinois, in 1922 — the same year that the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington D.C.’s National Mall. Congress introduced the bill approving the memorial’s construction in 1910, and President William H. Taft served as the head of the Lincoln Memorial Commission. The memorial’s designer, Henry Bacon, stylized the building after a Greek Doric temple, and builders crafted the memorial’s exterior out of Yule Marble from the West Elk Mountains of Colorado.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: 4152203
- Manufacture Year: 1922
- 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.
