What makes the Springfield 455 unique: We are very excited to start this week of watches with this stunning timepiece from the Illinois Watch Company, our Springfield 455. We were immediately drawn to the blue numerals around the second hand as well as blue Illinois insignia, and decided to pair it with our iridescent case. We absolutely love how the look came together, with these subtle gold-colored numerals that bring attention to the gold-plated crown. The movement inside of this watch is none other than the amazing Autocrat that has been inlaid with copper all throughout to bring visual interest to many of the design elements, as well as copper raised settings for the 17 jewels. Gold-plated gears and a brass balance wheel hide beneath this wonderfully designed bridge plate, while stainless steel hardware brings attention to all the different elements of this fantastic movement. This watch was originally manufactured in Springfield, Illinois in 1916 by the Illinois Watch Company. Across the Atlantic Ocean on the other side of the world, WWI was in full swing and much of Europe was at war. On January 29 of this year, Paris was under attack from above as Germany was dropping bombs from their Zeppelins.