Burlington by Illinois 16S 21J lever set (LS) adj. grade 107 pocket watch #3931725, attractive nickel bridge layout movement with screw-down raised jewel settings, a gold center wheel and a wide-bar style damascene pattern, mint double sunk (DS) porcelain enamel Montgomery-style dial with fancy Arabic numbers, red & black Arabic 1-60 minute markers and a black-marked subsidiary seconds register is marked "Burlington", purple steel spade & whip style hands, handsome yellow gold filled (YGF) screw back & bezel (SB&B) Burlington model case with large floral engraving at 12 & 6 o'clock, a fancy blank monogram shield and a French style bow, case is showing moderate wear with notable smoothing to the engraving, it does appear this case has been expertly plated and while not displaying any brass there are slight tone variations where one would expect the original gold filled material to be intact against the worn areas, measures approx. 48mm in diameter x 64mm in length x 15mm thick (crystal included). An attractive, high quality triple signed Burlington watch from the 1920s that was approved for limited railroad service at the time of production, a perfect watch to carry daily in very good overall condition!
- Year Made: 1921-1922
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Company:
Burlington by Illinois
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Movement Size:
0516S
- Jewels: 0721J
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Setting/Movement Type:
lever set
- Adjustments: 1-3 positions
- Model/Grade: 107
- Serial #: 3931725
- Movement Finish: nickel
- Movement Details: bridge layout, screw-down jewel settings, raised jewel settings, gold center wheel
- Dial Material: porcelain enamel
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Dial Details:
double sunk (DS), Montgomery style, marked "Burlington"
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Hand Style:
spade & whip
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Case Style:
SB&B
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Case Material:
Gold Filled - Yellow
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Case Details:
factory case, "Burlington" model, French bow
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Case Width/Diameter:
48mm (1.89 inches)
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Case Length, bow included:
64mm (2.52 inches)
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Case Thickness:
15mm (0.59 inches)
- Crystal Material: plastic
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Condition:
Very Good
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Gender:
Gentlemen's
The Burlington Watch Co. of Chicago, Illinois was in business from 1908 to the late 1920s. Most of these watches were produced by the
Illinois Watch Company for Burlington. A small number of watches were also made for the company by the Swiss company Henry Moser & Co. An interesting facet of this company was that it relied solely on mail order for sales.
The NAWCC also has a
comprehensive article about the company.
You may browse all of our men's pocket watches from this manufacturer at our
Vintage Men's Burlington & Illinois Pocket Watches category.
This watch is in good running condition, unless otherwise noted in the description. This means that on receipt, pending any item-specific running conditions noted in the description, you can expect the watch to be winding and setting properly and to run smoothly while keeping reasonable time. We consider "reasonable time" to meet these basic guidelines:
- Railroad Grade Watches will be keeping +/- 5 minutes per day
- Pocket and Wrist Watches with 15 or more jewels will be keeping +/- 10 minutes per day
- All key wind watches and watches with 14 or fewer jewels will be keeping +/- 15 minutes per day
The above guideline is the lowest standard in which we would ship out a watch, however in most cases, you will see much better timekeeping. Most of our watches have been in storage for many years, so if you plan on carrying/wearing them everyday, you should consider having them cleaned and oiled soon, and then once a year thereafter to keep them in top running condition. If the watches will be for occasional use or display, they should be cleaned and serviced every 3 to 5 years depending on use.
As of October 14th, 2025, we are not offering a cleaning and service option through PM Time Service. While we do hope to offer this again in the future, we are unfortunately unable to meet customer requests for watch servicing at this time. Please note that, unless otherwise mentioned within the "Full Description" tab, this watch is being sold in good running condition and is ready to wear or carry on arrival.
This watch comes complete with an appropriate, intact plastic crystal; however, on request PM Time Service can replace the current crystal on this pocket watch for you. We offer a number of new and vintage crystal choices for pocket watches; you can select your desired choice from the dropdown menu below.
Please note that the average turnaround time for all pocket watch crystal replacements will be two days from the placement of the order.
Contact us with any further questions or for an estimate on any shipping delays.
Please note: if you add this watch with a crystal and/or band exchange option to your
shopping cart but later change your mind on the crystal and/or band selection type, you'll need to remove the watch from the cart in order to make a new selection. Once that is done, you can return to this page and add that new crystal and/or band combination to the cart. We apologize for the limitations to our system that prevent you from making that change within the shopping cart.
Unlike modern quartz watches, most vintage watches need daily winding in order to keep the watch functioning for timekeeping. Additionally, there are a number of different ways to set the time other than simply pulling the crown away from the watch body. We are happy to provide an overview of each of the different setting types on our
"How To Use" page, where we also provide information on proper winding techniques for each style and some suggestions for the proper long term care and storage of your watch.
For your gift giving convenience, please find a consolidated overview of the information on this item, with no reference to the price, on this
printer-optimized page.
