Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 522 unique: Today, we’re pleased to share a wearable piece of history with you — the Springfield 522. Initially produced in 1921 by the Illinois Watch Company in Springfield, Illinois, this watch features a simple yet elegant design highlighted by its cream-colored face and bronze-colored numerals. The dark, arrow-shaped hands stand out remarkably against the face’s subtle hue. We’ve also paired this antique movement with our gunmetal titanium case and nickel-plated crown to complement the dark features of the face. The back of the watch features a nickel-finished bridge plate, which you can view through our unique clear-backed case design. In addition to the stunning bridge plate, this watch features 21 sumptuous jewels, bronze and gold-plated gears, and a going barrel. To finish this remarkable watch, we have paired it with our moss leather watch strap, which perfectly complements the bronze numerals on the face.We typically expect most of the watches that we work with to have the subdial seconds hand near the bottom of the face, or with a hunting dial off at the 3 position. At first, when we encountered this watch, we assumed that it must have been some type of conversion dial that was originally a hunting-style watch. A lot of companies offered conversion dials that would allow you to rotate the watch and move the crown up to the 12 position on a hunting watch, bringing the seconds hand over to the 3 position. However, after further examination of this watch, it turns out that it was never intended to have a seconds hand at all. This is truly unique and not something we see very often from these older watches, and we absolutely love how it opens up the face in a nice way.
During the same year this watch was manufactured, the New York Yankees purchased 20 acres in The Bronx, New York, to build the original Yankee Stadium. The stadium was completed in 1923 and remained the Yankees’ home until 2008 when construction on the new Yankee Stadium was completed. During their residence at the first stadium, the New York Yankees won 26 of their 27 World Championships.
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: 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: 3817616
- Manufacture Year: 1921
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 21 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
We typically expect most of the watches that we work with to have the subdial seconds hand near the bottom of the face, or with a hunting dial off at the 3 position. At first, when we encountered this watch, we assumed that it must have been some type of conversion dial that was originally a hunting-style watch. A lot of companies offered conversion dials that would allow you to rotate the watch and move the crown up to the 12 position on a hunting watch, bringing the seconds hand over to the 3 position. However, after further examination of this watch, it turns out that it was never intended to have a seconds hand at all. This is truly unique and not something we see very often from these older watches, and we absolutely love how it opens up the face in a nice way.
During the same year this watch was manufactured, the New York Yankees purchased 20 acres in The Bronx, New York, to build the original Yankee Stadium. The stadium was completed in 1923 and remained the Yankees’ home until 2008 when construction on the new Yankee Stadium was completed. During their residence at the first stadium, the New York Yankees won 26 of their 27 World Championships.
Let customers speak for us
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.
