Illinois 18S 7J hunting case movement (HCM) #844381 transitional model pocket watch, attractive full plate gilt movement marked "I.W. Co." with an engraved balance bridge has a post over the main spring barrel, enabling this watch to be wound with a key or via the pendant, the foot plate to the winding stem is missing but does not affect the running condition, distinctive double-sunk (DS) porcelain enamel dial with a subsidiary seconds register has a name, Ed Carmichael, instead of numbers, dial has a small faint hairline at 6 o'clock, blue steel spade style hands, re-cased into a heavy white base metal (WBM) smooth polish screw back & bezel (SB&B) case with coin edge bezels and a heavy bow, case is showing normal even wear overall but has some small patches of discoloration on the front bezel, possibly from some sort adhesive that permanently set over time, measures approx. 55mm in diameter x 78mm long x 21mm thick (crystal included). An unusual, early Illinois from the 1880s in excellent condition!
- Year Made: 1887-1888
- Company: Illinois
-
Movement Size:
0318S
- Jewels: 217J
- Setting/Movement Type:
lever set
- Serial #: 844381
- Movement Finish: gilt
- Movement Details: transitional model, hunting case movement (HCM)
- Dial Material: porcelain enamel
- Dial Details: "Ed Carmichael" for numbers
- Hand Style:
spade
- Case Style:
SB&B
-
Case Material:
Base Metal - Silver/White
-
Case Width/Diameter:
55mm (2.17 inches)
-
Case Length, bow included: 78mm (3.07 inches)
-
Case Thickness: 21mm (0.83 inches)
- Crystal Material: plastic
- Misc. Info: re-cased
- Condition:
Excellent
-
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 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; 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.
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.
