What makes the Springfield 537 unique: We’re thrilled to showcase this stunning piece originally manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company in 1923 — the Springfield 537. The watch features an eye-catching, antique dial with an aged, cream-colored background and bold, dark-blue numerals. The front of the watch also displays a matching subdial and teal diamond-shaped kite hands. We matched this historic pocket watch with our Machined Titanium case and topped it off with a nickel-plated crown. Our Machined Titanium case features a transparent back, enabling you to view the watch’s Autocrat-grade open-face movement. This movement boasts gold-plated gears as well as 17 screw-set jewels throughout its center bridge plate. The keen-eyed among you will notice that the gilt engraving reads “The Autocrat” - but this watch has an interesting feature if you look even closer. At some point in the past, an overzealous watchmaker managed to scratch the surface of the plates while servicing the watch! For us, this is fascinating evidence of the living history our watches represent. Finally, we equipped this remarkable watch with our comfortable and artisan-designed Natural leather watch strap, making the finished product even more stylish and memorable.

The Illinois Watch Company initially produced the Springfield 537’s pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1923 — the same year that the USS Shenandoah launched at the Lakehurst Maxfield Field in New Jersey, which was the location of the Hindenburg disaster in 1937. Shenandoah was the U.S. Navy’s first airship, and it was also the first airship to fly across North America. Tragically, the airship crashed in Caldwell, Ohio, in 1925, killing 14 members of the 43-person flight crew.