Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 521 unique: For today’s release, we are excited to bring you this gorgeous timepiece from the Illinois Watch Company, our Springfield 521. We have been tirelessly working on new case finishes to offer, and couldn’t be happier with how this gunmetal titanium case pairs with this incredible dial. The full moon hands stand out with their blue hue, against this perfectly clean enamel dial. It is amazing that we are able to find these watches in such immaculate condition, over 100 years later. A nickel-plated crown and hardware paired with our cordovan black strap put the finishing touches on this amazing display. Part of what we love the most about these watches is the craftsmanship and inner workings that are seen easily through our open caseback design. This watch has been carefully machined with these Geneva lines all across the different build plates, giving a nice visual connection throughout the entire movement. This watch was built with 17 ruby jewels, that have been screw-set with stainless steel hardware. The gears beneath are rose-gold plated, adding to the intriguing look of this watch.This watch was originally manufactured in Springfield, Illinois by the Illinois Watch Company in 1920. This is the first year that the United States began to keep track of a national census. The system was far from perfect when it was originally used and came in with a population of just over 100 million people at the time. As of the 2021 census, our current population has grown to over 331 million people.
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: Gunmetal Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 3734893
- Manufacture Year: 1920
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
This watch was originally manufactured in Springfield, Illinois by the Illinois Watch Company in 1920. This is the first year that the United States began to keep track of a national census. The system was far from perfect when it was originally used and came in with a population of just over 100 million people at the time. As of the 2021 census, our current population has grown to over 331 million people.
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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.
