Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 492 unique: Today, we're thrilled to present this stunning, pristine watch originally produced by the Illinois Watch Company in 1917 — the Springfield 492. The watch's dial boasts a flawless white background with stunning blue hour and minute hands, and the dial also features dark, bold numerals as well as a matching subdial. We paired this antique pocket watch with our PVD Bronze Titanium case and copper crown. The case and crown's rustic colors look gorgeous and emphasize the watch's elegant dial. We also equipped the watch with our handcrafted, comfortable Rye leather watch strap, which matches the copper crown. The PVD Bronze case features a clear back, where you can see the watch's antique components. The watch sports a 406-grade open-face movement with a nickel finish and pendant setting, and the back also boasts a breathtaking stylized engraving that reads "The Autocrat." Additionally, the watch features gold-plated gears and a center bridge plate showcasing 17 sumptuous jewels. The Illinois Watch Company initially manufactured the pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1917 — the same year that the United States officially declared war on Germany and entered World War I. The United States' involvement in World War I significantly increased our military capabilities. In 1917, the US army only had around 133,000 people. On May 18, Congress introduced the Selective Service Act, which drafted around 2.8 million people into the military. Additionally, two million Americans volunteered for the conflict.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: Sandblasted Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Gold Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3085459
- Manufacture Year: 1917
- 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.
