Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 495 unique: Today, we’re pleased to showcase this historic, one-of-a-kind piece originally manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company in 1926 — the Springfield 495. This luxurious timepiece sports blue hour and minute hands and dark, stylized numerals atop its cream-colored dial. The dial also boasts an antique subdial and an intricate center design that glimmers pleasingly. We brought even more sophistication to the original pocket watch by encasing it in our stylish and scratch-resistant Machined Titanium case, and we equipped the watch with an exquisite gold-plated crown. The back of our case features a clear display, enabling you to view the watch’s detailed and marvelous components. The watch sports a 405-grade open-face movement with a nickel finish and pendant setting. You can also view the piece’s distinct “Sterling” engraving, indicating that the watch is a Sterling variation. You can also view the Sterling trade name on the watch’s subdial. The watch also includes robust and stunning gold-plated gears powered by 17 opulent jewels atop its center bridge plate. Finally, we paired the watch with our comfortable, artisan-designed Natural leather watch strap, which further emphasizes the watch’s antique style. The Illinois Watch Company initially produced the pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1926 — the same year the United States introduced the numbered highway system, paving the way for modern-day travel. When states began implementing the system, many people criticized the use of numbers rather than names. Despite the public’s reservations, the numbered highway system laid the foundation for future travel innovations, such as the creation of the Interstate Highway System in 1956.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: Gold Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 4791191
- Manufacture Year: 1926
- 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.
