Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 560 unique: Today, we’re thrilled to present to you this sleek and sophisticated watch that was originally developed by the Illinois Watch Company — the Springfield 560. This stylish watch features a handsome dial with black hour numerals and blood-orange minute numerals that look especially breathtaking against its pristine white background. The front of the watch also displays a helpful subdial and vivid blued-steel diamond kite watch hands. We matched this remarkable pocket watch with our robust and attractive DLC Black Titanium case and a nickel-plated crown, making this one-of-a-kind watch look all the more fashionable. This watch features an exhibition-style back, allowing you to see the pocket watch’s original 405-grade open-face movement with a Going barrel, gold-plated gears, and 17 opulent jewels. The movement also boasts a center bridge plate with striking engravings, including “Monarch” and “Illinois Watch Co.” Finally, we made this piece all the more stunning with our Cordovan Black leather watch strap.
The Illinois Watch Company initially produced the pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1923 — the same year that New York repealed the state legislation that prohibited alcohol. Prohibition illegalized alcohol in 1920, and this law was enforced nationwide until Congress repealed it with the Twenty-first Amendment in 1933. After New York repealed state legislation prohibiting alcohol, Gov. Alfred E. Smith insisted that prohibition would continue to be enforced because alcohol was still illegal nationwide, but alcohol-related convictions were far more rare in New York than in other populated states.
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: 4304107
- Manufacture Year: 1923
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
What makes the Springfield 560 unique: Today, we’re thrilled to present to you this sleek and sophisticated watch that was originally developed by the Illinois Watch Company — the Springfield 560. This stylish watch features a handsome dial with black hour numerals and blood-orange minute numerals that look especially breathtaking against its pristine white background. The front of the watch also displays a helpful subdial and vivid blued-steel diamond kite watch hands. We matched this remarkable pocket watch with our robust and attractive DLC Black Titanium case and a nickel-plated crown, making this one-of-a-kind watch look all the more fashionable. This watch features an exhibition-style back, allowing you to see the pocket watch’s original 405-grade open-face movement with a Going barrel, gold-plated gears, and 17 opulent jewels. The movement also boasts a center bridge plate with striking engravings, including “Monarch” and “Illinois Watch Co.” Finally, we made this piece all the more stunning with our Cordovan Black leather watch strap.
The Illinois Watch Company initially produced the pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1923 — the same year that New York repealed the state legislation that prohibited alcohol. Prohibition illegalized alcohol in 1920, and this law was enforced nationwide until Congress repealed it with the Twenty-first Amendment in 1933. After New York repealed state legislation prohibiting alcohol, Gov. Alfred E. Smith insisted that prohibition would continue to be enforced because alcohol was still illegal nationwide, but alcohol-related convictions were far more rare in New York than in other populated states.
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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.
