What makes the Springfield 519 unique: Today we are pleased to present to you this incredible watch from the Illinois Watch Company, our very own Springfield 519. One thing that really draws us to these antique pieces is the classic styling, with dark bold numerals on the crisp white enamel dial. These rustic gothic style hands drawn in your attention, as they reach out and turn across the small minute indicators that surround the outside of the face. We placed this gorgeous watch inside our machined titanium case, and capped it off with our gold-plated crown and hardware, as well as a classic black leather strap. As we turn this watch over to reveal the stunning movement inside, we are immediately drawn to the unique shape of the different bridge plates that we have come to love from Illinois. The small finger bridges that spin off and hold the third and fourth escapement wheels in place give a wonderful visual sense of movement next to the constantly spinning balance wheel. Rose-gold plated gears beneath will pull you in for a closer look, as everything slowly moves beneath the bridge plates. Subtle machined designs throughout as well as nickel-plated hardware bring some additional flash to this watch and really cap off the craftsmanship that went into building this watch exactly 100 years ago.

This watch was built in Springfield, Illinois by the Illinois Watch Company in 1922, the same year that the very first issue of Reader's Digest magazine was published. Originally created by DeWitt Wallace and his wife Lila who started the magazine in New York. The first publication contained only 1,500 copies, but soon grew to be one of the best-selling magazines in America.