A common question we get from the watch community is " Why do you use this movement?".
In this weeks Watch Review, our lead engineer dives into the Springfield Watch Series. In the Springfield series, we use the Ronda 515/515 24hr, depending if it is the Original Springfield or Springfield GMT. We opted for this movement because of its extreme durability and very powerful stepper motor. The powerful stepper motor is very important, as we like to add lots of Super-luminova to our hands and that increases the weight of the hands. Having a powerful motor like this will keep the hands moving accurately. Yes, Super-luminova has weight to it!
Another reason we like this movement is that it is also repairable. It is easily accessible through the case back. Once this is opened up, we can remove the movement back plate and service the entire movement easily. For example, if we identify a bad coil or poor battery contact, we can easily replace it all when working on it.
We have worked with Japanese movements in the past, however, made the change to the Swiss movements as they are repair friendly. It was not impossible to work on the Japanese movements, but when servicing our watches in house, our watch makers preferred working on the Swiss movements.
Another thing our team likes about this movement is the 11 1/2 linge size, diameter. This allows for a more full size movement without the movement being very small. We often see small movements used in bigger watches which requires a lot of plastic filling in the empty space around, which is something we do not do in our watches. These smaller movements also tend to have a small date wheel, which we have found customers do not like.
When designing a watch at S&B, we build around the movement. We like to stay very uniform to help keep costs down for our customers. An example we like to use is how does Southwest airlines keep the fares down? Every Southwest plane is a Boeing 737, which all use the same parts and service processes. This uniform service approach keeps overhead costs down, which they pass on to the consumer. Just like Southwest, we developed our movement usage on keeping cost down for our customers!
By using the same type of Quartz movement in all of our quartz watches, we are able to buy in greater volume, which means we get a discounted price and pass the savings on to the customer. The Springfield for example has to be the most aggressive priced Swiss quartz field watch in the marketplace. The added full USA supported service makes it in a class of its own.
The Springfield GMT uses a full 316L sainless steel case, synthetic sapphire domed sapphire, and full woven/stitched nylon NATO strap. We use only the best materials for longevity and performance. We are so confident of our material choices we give you a two year warranty.
