Railroad Grade Vintage Mens Illinois Pocket Watches

In this section, you will find a nice selection of railroad-grade vintage Illinois pocket watches that are typically considered gent's size, although in many cases would also be appropriate for a woman to carry. The Illinois Watch Company was founded in Springfield, Illinois and began production of its earliest branded models in 1872, although the company had been producing small runs of watches with various other markings as early as 1869. In 1927, the Hamilton Watch Company purchased Illinois and manufactured watches in the Springfield factory up until 1932. Afterwards, Hamilton continued to produce watches with Illinois Watch Company markings from their main factory in Lancaster, Pennsylvania until 1939.

To be a railroad grade watch, the following criteria must be met:

• be 16S or 18S
• have 17 or more jewels
• be lever set
• be in an open face case
• be adjusted to 5 or more positions

As an additional resource, we've posted a Serial Number Production List which includes information for Illinois serial numbers and dates of manufacture.

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