Vortic Watch: The Springfield 523

Vortic Watch Company's mission is to salvage, restore, and preserve an important part of United States history. Today, beautiful antique pocket watch mechanisms are often cast aside when their original case is scrapped for precious metal value. American pocket watches were made with an incredible level of quality. So, after 100 years, many simply need a little patience from a skilled individual to make them run like new. Vortic fully restores these mechanisms and builds them into wristwatches to make them functional again and to preserve them for another 100+ years.

Watch - An incredible piece of history, this watch was initially manufactured in 1906 by Illinois Watch Company — the Springfield 523. This remarkable watch features blue spade hands, strikingly contrasting the timepiece’s crisp white face and bold, black numerals. The face of this watch also features a unique subdial with an independent second hand, and they have elegantly encased the original movement with their robust machined titanium case and nickel-plated crown. As you turn the timepiece over, you can see the watch’s inner workings through the case’s clear back. This watch features a 255-grade open-face movement with a going barrel. In addition to its intricate inner workings, the timepiece also features a ¾ plate with 17 stunning jewels and an engraving that reads, “Illinois Watch Co. Springfield.” Vortic has paired this one-of-a-kind watch with a black watch strap, complementing the contrasting color of the numerals of the watch face.

Case - This case has been CNC milled from a solid block of aerospace grade titanium. The case is intentionally left unpolished so the intricate tool marks made during the milling process remain visible. Titanium is the ultimate material for strength to weight ratio. Titanium has a darker look than steel, and due to its low thermal conductivity, feels warm to the touch. These characteristics create an enduring, highly wearable, distinctive piece.

Movement: The manually wound, antique, pocket watch movement inside this watch has been meticulously restored to as close to original condition as possible. Vortic has an exclusive group of highly experienced watchmakers that specialize in vintage watches. Before its use in a wristwatch, each movement is completely disassembled, cleaned, oiled, and calibrated. Each finished Vortic watch is tested for at least a week before completion.

This watch's movement is serial number 1862674 from the Illinois Watch Company

Watchmaker History: Originally called the Springfield Watch Company, the Illinois Watch Company came to Springfield, Illinois in 1869 while the "modern" industry was fairly new but highly promising. City officials felt that the addition of watch 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 eventually sold to Hamilton in 1927. Hamilton continued producing watches under the Illinois name for some time, but the original Springfield factory no longer stands.

Watch Specs:

• Manufacturer: Vortic Watch Company
• Warranty: Vortic's Full 1-Year Warranty
• Case Dimensions: 
• Diameter: 46mm
• Height: 12mm
• Lug-to-Lug: 55mm
• Lugs: 22mm
• Case Finish: Machined Titanium
• Crown/Hardware: Nickel Plated
• Water Resistance: 1 ATM
• Crystals: Gorilla Glass
• Case Back: Stainless Steel
• Strap: Leather

Movement Specs:

• Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Company
• Serial Number:  1862674
• Manufacture Year:  1906
• Function: Manual Wind
• Jewels: 17j
• Hands: Original
• Size: 12s
• Power Reserve: ~36 Hours