Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 572 unique: Today, we’re thrilled to reveal this truly breathtaking piece of manufacturing history that was originally released by the Illinois Watch Company — the Springfield 572. The front of this watch is truly gorgeous with its eye-catching pale-gold dial and unforgettable center design. This watch also boasts striking blued steel diamond kite watch hands and boldly-stylish black numerals. You can also see the watch’s inscription “Hartdegen,” indicating that the Illinois Watch Company produced the piece for the Hartdegen & Co. based out of Newark, New Jersey. We complemented this pocket watch’s stunning dial by encasing it within our Gilded Titanium case and equipped it with a gold-plated crown. Our Gilded Titanium case comes with a transparent back, allowing you to see its 406-grade open-face movement with a center bridge plate that boasts the breathtaking engravings “Hartdegen & Co.” and “Newark.” The watch’s rear side also features a Going barrel, Reed regulator, and 19 screw-set jewels throughout its gold-plated gears. To tie the piece together, we paired it with our comfortable moss leather watch strap.The Illinois Watch Company initially produced this piece in Springfield, Illinois, in 1923 — the same year that the Freer Gallery of Art opened in Washington, D.C., as part of the Smithsonian Institution. Much of the Freer Gallery of Art’s collection was donated by famous American railroad car manufacturer and industrialist Charles Lang Freer. With his generous gift that included American, East Asian and Middle Eastern Art, Freer became the first American to give away his private collection to the United States. The Freer Gallery of Art was the Smithsonian Institution’s first art museum, and it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
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: 4451613
- Manufacture Year: 1923
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 19 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Illinois Watch Company initially produced this piece in Springfield, Illinois, in 1923 — the same year that the Freer Gallery of Art opened in Washington, D.C., as part of the Smithsonian Institution. Much of the Freer Gallery of Art’s collection was donated by famous American railroad car manufacturer and industrialist Charles Lang Freer. With his generous gift that included American, East Asian and Middle Eastern Art, Freer became the first American to give away his private collection to the United States. The Freer Gallery of Art was the Smithsonian Institution’s first art museum, and it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
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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.
