Watch Description
What makes the Springfield 573 unique: We’re thrilled to feature this striking piece of American manufacturing history initially released by the Illinois Watch Company — the Springfield 573. This marvelous watch features a light-tan dial with bold and stylish black numerals. The front of the watch also displays eye-catching blued-steel gothic watch hands and a helpful subdial that features a black gothic hand. We encased this antique pocket watch within our protective DLC Black Titanium case and equipped it with a nickel-plated crown. Our DLC Black Titanium case has a transparent back, allowing you to see the watch’s original Autocrat-grade open-face movement with a Reed regulator, Going barrel, and Breguet hairspring. The movement also boasts a stylish engraving that reads “The Autocrat” as well as gold-plated gears and 17 screw-set jewels with raised gilded settings. Finally, we matched the watch with our handcrafted and comfortable Black Cordovan leather watch strap, which makes the final product even more stylish.The Illinois Watch Company originally manufactured this unforgettable pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1925 — the same year that the notable politician Robert F. “Bobby” Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. He served as the 64th United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964 and was also a U.S. Senator (D-NY) from 1965 to 1968. Kennedy started his political career managing John F. Kennedy’s Senate campaign in 1952. After his brother’s campaign succeeded, Bobby Kennedy became chief counsel for the Senate Labor Rackets Committee, where he became famous for challenging the president of the Teamsters Union, Jimmy Hoffa, over the union’s corruption and involvement with organized crime.
In 1968, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated during his presidential campaign, only five years after President John F. Kennedy was killed in Texas. Today, he’s buried in Arlington National Cemetery along with John F. Kennedy and their younger brother, Edward M. Kennedy, who served as the Senator for Massachusetts from 1962 until his death in 2009.
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: DLC Titanium
- Crown/Hardware: Nickel Plated
- Water Resistance: 1 ATM
- Crystals: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless Steel
- Strap: Leather
Movement
- Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
- Serial Number: 4585022
- Manufacture Year: 1925
- Function: Manual Wind
- Jewels: 17 Jewels
- Hands: Original
- Size: 12s
- Power Reserve: ~36 Hours
The Illinois Watch Company originally manufactured this unforgettable pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1925 — the same year that the notable politician Robert F. “Bobby” Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. He served as the 64th United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964 and was also a U.S. Senator (D-NY) from 1965 to 1968. Kennedy started his political career managing John F. Kennedy’s Senate campaign in 1952. After his brother’s campaign succeeded, Bobby Kennedy became chief counsel for the Senate Labor Rackets Committee, where he became famous for challenging the president of the Teamsters Union, Jimmy Hoffa, over the union’s corruption and involvement with organized crime.
In 1968, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated during his presidential campaign, only five years after President John F. Kennedy was killed in Texas. Today, he’s buried in Arlington National Cemetery along with John F. Kennedy and their younger brother, Edward M. Kennedy, who served as the Senator for Massachusetts from 1962 until his death in 2009.
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.
