There is a chapter of Brian Su’s retail journey that sounds almost too spontaneous to be true.
He says he had just returned from Israel, where he had purchased two watches on the way home at the airport in Tel Aviv. He showed the timepieces back in Springfield to a fellow watch collector and business partner, Tyler McKay. A co-worker, Mark Bennett, happened to mention that Springfield had once been home to one of the country’s most prolific watch manufacturers, The Illinois Watch Company.
Neither Brian nor Tyler had ever heard of the company, so they Googled it.
Brian said what they discovered stopped them in their tracks. Springfield had once been home to a major watchmaking operation that produced millions of watches and employed hundreds of people.
“Then I said, ‘You know, Tyler, let’s start a watch business,’” Brian recalls.
Ten minutes. That was about how long the conversation took.
Neither man knew much about making watches. But both Brian and Tyler were passionate about timepieces, both loved history, and both had an appreciation for Springfield and its place in the American story.
That conversation eventually turned into the Sangamon Watch Company, launched by Brian and Tyler.
Today, the Springfield retailer is creating unique watches inspired by American history, selling them to customers worldwide, repairing watches, and giving tourists a reason to walk through the door and leave with a piece of Springfield.
For Brian, the watches are only part of the story. The bigger message he wants to discuss is the magic of retail.
“I love retail. There are so many reasons. I think the most is that I enjoy is talking to people,” says Brian, whose passion for retail may sound ordinary, yet his backstory is quite extraordinary.
From China to Springfield
Brian has lived in the United States for 36 years and in Springfield for 33 of those years. He originally came to the United States from China and located in central Illinois to be a graduate student. He later spent 16 years working for Illinois state government before leaving to start his own consulting business.
Retail was not part of his original life plan. Neither was watchmaking.
Brian has long been fascinated with American history, particularly Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. His interest in Springfield was one reason he said he chose to build his life in the Capital City of Illinois.
“I’m kind of like a Civil War history nerd,” he says. On weekends and during the summer, he would explore old cemeteries, Civil War sites and places connected to Lincoln.
That passion would eventually become the foundation of his retail business.
About a decade ago, Brian had returned to China to visit his parents. His 90-year-old father had a Swiss-made watch waiting for him, which had belonged to Brian’s grandfather and had been passed down to his father.
Brian brought home the watch and became fascinated by what was inside.
“I was amazed with a Swiss watch,” he recalls. “I said, ‘How do they make those tiny parts?’”
That curiosity grew into collecting. And eventually, after that trip to Israel and the discovery of Springfield’s watchmaking history, his curiosity transformed into a profitable business.
Starting with a leap of faith
Sangamon Watch Company launched as an online business during the pandemic at a time when opening a traditional storefront was difficult.
Brian and Tyler had no experience in retail or watchmaking. What they did have was a community of watch collectors, particularly through social media.
“We got a lot of help,” Brian says. “When we started online, we were selling pretty well, mostly overseas because we did the online selling.”
The online model allowed Sangamon to find customers far beyond Springfield. But Brian and Tyler eventually realized their business could benefit from being physically located in their historic community.
During the pandemic, downtown Springfield had available retail space and Brian said the economics made it possible to open a brick-and-mortar.
Their location on Sixth Street turned out to be more than a place to display watches. Travelers drop in because the store is located on the historic Route 66.
Tourists come by while visiting all the Lincoln sites. And watch collectors seek out the store, intrigued by Sangamon’s unique timepieces.
Brian says he has welcomed visitors from Europe, Japan, Latin America and Canada. Bloggers, YouTubers, and influencers have found their way to the shop.
“The advantage of having a shop in downtown, not only we can personally talk to our customers from Springfield, also tourists from all over the world,” Brian says. “People, they can try our watch, and also learn the history of Springfield and about the stories behind those watches.”
Selling a story, not just a watch
Sangamon does sell watches from other brands. But the focus is on its own brand.
The company designs its own watches with limited-edition collections built around American stories. The watches are designed in-house by Brian and Tyler, and the company’s watches are assembled in Springfield by its own watchmaker.
“What sets us apart is that every collection we design recreates the memory of an event or a person in America’s great history,” notes Tyler. “It’s ironic to use the word ‘timeless’ about a watch, but we’re crafting a physical representation of a legacy, something that lasts long after we’re gone.”
The business has also developed a substantial watch repair operation, serving customers locally and accepting watches for service from around the country. That means people who walk through the door may be there to buy a new watch, learn about American history, or simply get an old family timepiece working again. For Brian, all of those interactions matter.
“I got people who are very wealthy here. I even have homeless come here to get their watch fixed,” he says. “I really enjoy that I have the opportunity to interact with people from all walks of life.”
That, perhaps more than anything, explains why Brian loves retail.
He spent 16 years working for the state. Today, he has the freedom to sit across from a stranger and hear that person’s story.
“Sometimes senior citizens, they just come and they just chat with me,” he says. “All the old customers, they come. ‘Hi, Brian. How are you?’ We just have a chat. That really makes my day easier and happier.”
History becomes the sales tool
At Sangamon Watch Company, you are not simply looking at a collection of timepieces, you are immersed in a chapter of history.
Its Omaha Beach Collection, for example, honors American soldiers who fought on D-Day. Brian points to details throughout the design that connect the watch to the history: stars representing American soldiers who lost their lives, a military-inspired dial, and tank-track details referencing the Sherman tanks used during the invasion.
Each Sangamon watch comes with a story card explaining the history behind it.
Other collections draw from Route 66 and other chapters of the nation’s past. Sangamon has created a Never Forgotten collection honoring American service members who never came home from war. Another collection honors African American soldiers of World War II through the story of the 761st Tank Battalion.8 The process begins with a question that sounds more like something an author might ask than a retailer.
“What story are we going to tell?” Brian questions.
Tyler handles the design and much of the historical research. The company even works with a history professor to review its story cards.
“I’m a sixth-generation farmer from a small town in central Illinois. Those Midwestern values are what drive me,” stressed Tyler. “We’ll never sacrifice quality for quantity. We’re headquartered right here in Springfield, but just like the old Illinois Watch Company, our sights are set globally.”
For Brian, the purpose of their company goes far beyond creating an interesting product.
“One thing that struck me about the history is a lot of young kids, young generation, do not know much about American history,” he says.
“I think it’s very important for me to use a watch to deliver such a message, to remind everyone that you know where we were and where we are now.”
And that message can travel.
Brian has seen customers wearing Sangamon watches in Germany, England, and Paris. He has even received photographs from customers in China proudly displaying their watches.
“I’m very happy people from the United States and other countries to learn American history through our watches.”
The American dream, measured in time
There is another reason Brian’s approach to retail feels personal.
His business journey is part of the American story he is trying to tell.
“When I came, I was single. Now I have two kids in college,” he says. “I think I realized the American dream myself when I came to this country. I only had $300. And now I have a very happy family.”
Watches at Sangamon may measure hours, minutes and seconds. But Brian seems far more interested in what people do with that time whether that be a father’s watch passed on to a son or a customer remembering a grandfather who fought on D-Day.
Those are the moments Brian remembers, and they are why, years after that ten-minute conversation with Tyler, he is still excited about retail.
“I really enjoy talking to people,” he says.
