Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 535 unique: Today, we’re delighted to feature this striking and highly unique watch initially produced by the Illinois Watch Company — the Springfield 535. The Springfield 535’s original pocket watch boasts a remarkable dial with an aged cream-colored background as well as an octagonal frame and elegant pattern on the outside of the piece’s dark numerals. The front of the watch also features a darker center design matching its outer frame and blued steel diamond kite hands. We encased this remarkable pocket watch within our stylish Sandblasted titanium case and equipped it with a gold-plated crown. On the back of the watch, you can view its original 405-grade open-face movement with a nickel finish, pendant setting, and going barrel. The watch’s movement also features gold-plated gears and 17 jewels throughout its center bridge plate. We finished off this one-of-a-kind piece of history by pairing it with our marsh green leather watch strap, which complements the watch’s exquisite dial.The Illinois Watch Company originally manufactured this antique watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1925 — the same year that the United States Congress passed the Federal Probation Act, enabling U.S. courts to sentence legal offenders to probation rather than prison. The act also led to the eventual creation of the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services System in 1982.
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: 4671489
- Manufacture Year: 1925
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Illinois Watch Company originally manufactured this antique watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1925 — the same year that the United States Congress passed the Federal Probation Act, enabling U.S. courts to sentence legal offenders to probation rather than prison. The act also led to the eventual creation of the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services System in 1982.
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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.
