Illinois 12S 17J Stewart grade 255 pocket watch #3358633, attractive nickel bridge movement with screw-down jewel settings and a fish-scale design damascene pattern, metal off-white-colored dial with a matte finish, fancy black Arabic-style numbers, an imitation double-sunk (DS) line and a subsidiary seconds register has some small light scratches and a ring in the second bit from the second hand rubbing the dial, blue steel moon-style hands, heavy yellow gold filled (YGF) smooth polish screw back & bezel (SB&B) case with a large fancy monogram "GPT" in a diamond-shaped monogram shield on the back, case is showing normal even wear overall but there are a few thin lines of brass starting to show on the frame and front bezel, measures approx. 44mm in diameter x 58mm long x 12mm thick (crystal included). An attractive, high quality Illinois pocket watch from the early 1900s in excellent condition!
- Year Made: 1918-1919
- Company: Illinois
-
Movement Size:
0612S
- Jewels: 1117J
- Setting/Movement Type:
pendant set
- Model/Grade: Stewart grade 255
- Serial #: 3358633
- Movement Finish: nickel
- Dial Material: metal
- Dial Color: ivory/off-white
- Dial Details: imitation DS line
- Hand Style:
moon - standard
- Case Style:
SB&B
-
Case Material:
Gold Filled - Yellow
-
Case Width/Diameter:
44mm (1.73 inches)
-
Case Length, bow included: 58mm (2.28 inches)
-
Case Thickness: 12mm (0.47 inches)
- Crystal Material: plastic
- Condition:
Excellent
-
Gender:
Unisex
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.
