Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 542 unique: Today, we’re happy to present to you this luxurious watch originally manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company over a century ago — the Springfield 542. This antique watch boasts a remarkable dial with a stunning center design made up of a floral pattern and a seven-pointed star. The front of the watch also features dark golden numerals that look splendid against its gold-colored background, and it also features blued steel heavy moon watch hands. We emphasized the dial’s sumptuous colors by encasing it within our robust Machined Titanium case and topped it off with a gold-plated crown. Our Machined Titanium case features an open back that allows you to view the pocket watch’s original inner workings, including a 410-grade open-face movement with a jeweled motor barrel and center bridge plate. The back of the watch also displays gold-plated gears with 23 breathtaking ruby and sapphire jewels. Finally, we matched this impressive watch with our Cordovan Oxblood leather watch strap, making the completed product even more unforgettable.The Illinois Watch Company initially produced the Springfield 542’s pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1920 — the same year the nonprofit American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded. A committee that included several notable figures — including the likes of Helen Keller, Roger Nash Baldwin, Crystal Eastman, Arthur Garfield Hays, and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn — started the ACLU in response to the Palmer raids, a series of arrests carried out by the United States Department of Justice. The raids occurred during the First Red Scare and aimed to search, arrest, and deport immigrants suspected of being anarchists and communists. Five years later, the ACLU made a name for itself after convincing John T. Scopes to go against Tennessee’s ban on teaching evolution in schools. They served as Scopes’ legal defense during the Scopes trial, and although they lost the case, the organization quickly reached the nation’s attention in the high publicity case.
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: 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: 3742245
- Manufacture Year: 1920
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 23 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Illinois Watch Company initially produced the Springfield 542’s pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1920 — the same year the nonprofit American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded. A committee that included several notable figures — including the likes of Helen Keller, Roger Nash Baldwin, Crystal Eastman, Arthur Garfield Hays, and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn — started the ACLU in response to the Palmer raids, a series of arrests carried out by the United States Department of Justice. The raids occurred during the First Red Scare and aimed to search, arrest, and deport immigrants suspected of being anarchists and communists. Five years later, the ACLU made a name for itself after convincing John T. Scopes to go against Tennessee’s ban on teaching evolution in schools. They served as Scopes’ legal defense during the Scopes trial, and although they lost the case, the organization quickly reached the nation’s attention in the high publicity case.
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.
