Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 543 unique: Today, we’re pleased to showcase this glimmering antique beauty first released by the Illinois Watch Company in 1925 — the Springfield 543. This remarkable watch features a stylish center design and blued steel diamond kite watch hands that display vividly against its pristine white background. The watch face also boasts stylized black numerals with a rich texture and a matching subdial. We complemented this handsome watch with our Machined Titanium case and a nickel-plated crown, making the piece gleam even more attractively. You can see the watch’s historic 274-grade open-face movement on its rear side that features a going barrel, nickel finish, pendant setting, and large ¾ plate. The back of the watch also boasts a beautiful and distinct engraving that reads, “The Governor,” as well as 21 jewels and gold-plated gears. Finally, we equipped this one-of-a-kind watch with our Stone leather watch strap, perfectly complementing the watch’s breathtaking shades.The Illinois Watch Company originally manufactured the Springfield 543’s pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1925 — the same year that the Biltmore Theatre, today the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, was constructed in the Theater District of New York City. Architect Herbert J. Krapp designed the building in the neo-Renaissance style with a breathtaking facade that features classical ornamentation. The theater opened on December 7, 1935, with the play Easy Come Easy Go, a mostly forgotten production that closed in 1926. The theater became an official New York City Landmark in 1987, and it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic places in 2004.
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: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 4550030
- Manufacture Year: 1925
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 21 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Illinois Watch Company originally manufactured the Springfield 543’s pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1925 — the same year that the Biltmore Theatre, today the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, was constructed in the Theater District of New York City. Architect Herbert J. Krapp designed the building in the neo-Renaissance style with a breathtaking facade that features classical ornamentation. The theater opened on December 7, 1935, with the play Easy Come Easy Go, a mostly forgotten production that closed in 1926. The theater became an official New York City Landmark in 1987, and it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic places in 2004.
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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.
