Illinois 18S 15J lever set (LS) hunting case movement (HCM) The Colonel grade 51 pocket watch #1385141, attractive nickel full plate movement with screw-down jewel settings and a concentric circle damaskeen pattern, single sunk (SS) porcelain enamel dial with Roman numerals, a black minute marker outer register and a black-marked subsidiary seconds register has a few small spots of discoloration but no hairlines, blue steel moon style hands, re-cased into a heavy white base metal (WBM) smooth polish screw back & bezel (SB&B) case with a coin edge detail around the thick glass crystal & on the back bezel, heavy sculpted pendant and a heavy bow, case is showing moderate normal wear with some small spots of discoloration from wear and a bit of smoothing on the crown, additionally the crystal does have a shallow scratch across the surface, we can replace the crystal with a new plastic one at no charge
on request, measures approx. 56mm in diameter x 82mm in length x 19mm thick (crystal included). A heavy and impressive Illinois from the 1890s, a nice find for the Illinois collector looking for the small-run sub-grade watches, in excellent overall condition!
- Year Made: 1897-1898
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Company:
Illinois
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Movement Size:
0418S
- Jewels: 1315J
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Setting/Movement Type:
lever set
- Model/Grade: The Colonel grade 51
- Serial #: 1385141
- Movement Finish: nickel
- Movement Details: hunting case movement (HCM), screw-down jewel settings
- Dial Material:
porcelain enamel
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Hand Style:
moon - standard
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Case Style:
SB&B
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Case Material:
Base Metal - Silver/White
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Case Details:
re-cased, thick glass crystal
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Case Width/Diameter:
56mm (2.20 inches)
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Case Length, bow included:
82mm (3.23 inches)
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Case Thickness:
19mm (0.75 inches)
- Crystal Material: glass
- Country of Origin: United States
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Condition:
Excellent
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Gender:
Gentlemen's
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.
As an additional resource, we've posted a
Serial Number Production List which includes information for Illinois serial numbers and dates of manufacture.
The NAWCC also has a
comprehensive article about the company; additional information may also be found on
Wikipedia.
You may browse all of our men's pocket watches from this manufacturer at our
Vintage Men's 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 September 3rd, 2026, 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.
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.
