What makes the Springfield 441 unique: Today we bring you this gorgeous watch originally manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company of Springfield, Illinois. At the time when this watch was originally manufactured, it was commonplace for small companies or individuals to special order dials that represented their brand or had a custom insignia on them. It was also a very common practice for private jewelers to have small runs of watches that were specific to their store or lineage. We assume that this incredibly rare and unique dial fits into one of these categories, as the only information we have found is that it resembles the look of an antique French military flag. Perhaps this dial was an homage to someone’s French heritage, or perhaps this is a design that represents a family or lineage. Either way, we love to search through old catalogs from these companies to try and tell a better story of each and every unique watch that we make. As if the front of this watch wasn’t enough, the movement inside is sure to impress anyone who sets their eyes upon it. A beautiful display of 21 screw-set jewels keeps these gold-plated gears spinning perfectly all these years later. A brass balance wheel and hardware stand out nicely from this nickel-plated build plate that has been carefully machined with Geneva lines all throughout. The original production year for this watch was 1926, a time when technological innovations were thriving with new ideas being produced every day. Among these inventors was John Logie Baird, a Scottish innovator who demonstrated a mechanical television system at his London Laboratory for a reporter from The Times as well as members of the Royal Institution.