What makes the Springfield 534 unique: Today, we’re pleased to showcase this sumptuous piece initially produced by the Illinois Watch Company nearly a century ago — the Springfield 534. The product’s antique pocket watch features a sophisticated center design pattern and dirty-gold-colored numerals that look breathtaking against its cream-colored background. The front of the watch also features a glimmering subdial and blued steel diamond kite watch hands. We encased this elegant pocket watch within our robust and stylish Sandblasted Titanium case and topped it off with a nickel-plated crown. On the back of the watch, you can view its 405-grade open-face movement with a going barrel and center bridge plate. The rear side of the watch also displays strong and visually-pleasing gold-plated gears and 17 screw-set jewels. Finally, we matched this remarkable watch with our Stout leather watch strap, adding even more style to the final product.

The Illinois Watch Company originally manufactured the Springfield 534’s pocket watch in Springfield, Illinois, in 1925 — the same year Tom Lee famously rescued 32 passengers from a sinking sternwheel steamboat, M.E. Norman. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operated the M.E. Norman and launched the steamboat in 1924. The boat capsized in the Mississippi River for unknown reasons only a year later. Tom Lee, a river worker, was returning to shore on a motorboat when he noticed the ill-fated steamboat sinking. Although Lee couldn’t swim, he immediately began rescuing passengers from the steamboat by transporting them to shore on his motorboat. He worked tirelessly long through the night to rescue as many of the boat’s occupants as possible. Tragically, 23 crew members and passengers drowned, but far more lives would have been lost if Tom Lee hadn’t taken it upon himself to rescue as many people as possible. Tom Lee passed away from cancer in 1952, but his memory is honored by Tom Lee Park in Memphis, Tennessee, which overlooks the Mississippi River. The park features a memorial plaque describing Lee’s heroic actions, and it features a bronze statue in his likeness.