Illinois 16S 21J adj. 6p lever set (LS) 60 hour Bunn Special pocket watch #4754542, beautiful nickel split plate movement with raised gold jewel settings (GJS), gold train and center wheel and a radiating sunburst pattern damascene, silver-toned metal dial with a matte finish, fancy large black Arabic-style numbers, subsidiary seconds register and a black imitation double-sunk (DS) line has some light scuffs in the seconds register from the hand along with some small scuffs near the center post, purple steel spade & whip style hands, heavy smooth polish white gold filled (WGF) Bunn Special model screw back & bezel (SB&B) case with an engraved open rectangle chain design on both bezels, heavy pendant, thick glass crystal and a replacement triangular smooth polish bow, case is showing light even wear overall with a few small pin-head size dents on the back cover along with the bow starting to show some small spots of brass, measures approx. 51mm in diameter x 65mm in length x 13mm thick (crystal included). An attractive, triple signed railroad grade Illinois from the 1920s in very good condition, perfect to carry everyday!
- Year Made: 1926-1927
- Company: Illinois
-
Movement Size:
0416S
- Jewels: 0721J
- Setting/Movement Type:
lever set
- Adjustments: 6 positions
- Model/Grade: 60 hour Bunn Special
- Serial #: 4754542
- Movement Finish: nickel
- Movement Details: raised gold jewel settings (GJS), gold train & center wheel
- Dial Material: metal
- Dial Color: silver
- Dial Details: imitation DS line
- Hand Style:
spade & whip
- Case Style:
SB&B
-
Case Material:
Gold Filled - White
- Case Details: Bunn Special model
-
Case Width/Diameter:
51mm (2.01 inches)
-
Case Length, bow included: 65mm (2.56 inches)
-
Case Thickness: 13mm (0.51 inches)
- Crystal Material: glass
- Misc. Info: replacement bow
- Condition:
Very Good
-
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.
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.
We do have a professional watchmaker that does all of our cleaning and repair work for us. To have your watch serviced before shipping, simply add this
Cleaning/Service Agreement to your shopping basket. The cleaning and timing service is $95, and depending on the time of the year, has a turnaround time of 1 to 3 weeks.
Please note that we provide this service in addition to the listed purchase price of our watches. If you do purchase this option and later decide to return the watch, this fee is non-refundable.
This watch comes complete with an appropriate, intact glass 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; as this watch is currently offered at our
Etsy Store, please message us on Etsy when purchasing this item to request a new crystal.
Please note that the average turnaround time for all pocket watch crystal replacements will be two days from the placement of the order; wrist watches will typically also take two days, however we do not carry every model of crystal in stock and there may be a delay of up to seven business days as we order the correct item from our supplier.
Contact us with any further questions or for an estimate on any shipping delays.
This is considered a "railroad-grade" pocket watch. 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.
- have easily-legible Arabic dial numerals
In order to ensure the accuracy of pocket watches used by railroad employees, with the ultimate goal of preventing train accidents, the General Railroad Timepiece Standards Commission published a set of guidelines for railroad companies and watch manufacturers in 1893. These guidelines, which specified the criteria for a railroad-grade watch, were prepared by Webb C. Ball, the general time inspector of North American railroads and founder of the Ball Watch Company.
For more information, visit this
Wikipedia article on railroad chronometers or this
Smithsonian National Postal Museum article on the influential train wreck tragedy that resulted in the establishment of railroad watch standards.
Our entire collection of such timepieces may also be viewed at our
Railroad Grade Watches category.
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.
