Burlington by Illinois 16S 19J lever set (LS) adj. 3p grade 185 pocket watch #2204511, attractive nickel three-finger bridge movement with screw-down jewel settings, a gold train & center wheel and a fancy wavy line damaskeen pattern, double sunk (DS) porcelain enamel dial with fancy Arabic numbers, red 5 minute Arabic markers and a black-marked subsidiary seconds register has a number of faint hairlines, blue steel spade style hands, heavy yellow gold filled (YGF) smooth polish Burlington screw back & bezel (SB&B) case with a large fancy monogram, possibly "FR", a long sculpted pendant supporting a slightly recessed crown, a heavy bow and a glass crystal, case is showing normal moderate wear with some smoothing to the monogram engraving and some spots of brass on all the case elements, additionally there are a few shallow short scratches on the surface of the crystal, we can replace it with a new plastic crystal at no charge
on request, measures approx. 50mm in diameter x 68mm in length x 13mm thick (crystal included). A high quality triple signed Burlington from the early 1900s in excellent overall condition!
- Year Made: 1909-1910
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Company:
Burlington by Illinois
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Movement Size:
0616S
- Jewels: 0919J
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Setting/Movement Type:
lever set
- Adjustments: 1-3 positions
- Model/Grade: 185
- Serial #: 2204511
- Movement Finish: nickel
- Movement Details: 3-finger bridge layout, screw-down jewel settings, gold train, gold center wheel
- Dial Material:
porcelain enamel
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Dial Details:
double sunk (DS)
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Hand Style:
spade
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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, monogram, recessed crown
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Case Width/Diameter:
50mm (1.97 inches)
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Case Length, bow included:
68mm (2.68 inches)
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Case Thickness:
13mm (0.51 inches)
- Crystal Material: glass
- Country of Origin: United States
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Condition:
Excellent
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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 1st, 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.
This watch features a private label mark, also sometimes referred to as a "jeweler's mark", in addition to the name of the watch manufacturer. Private label marks may be engraved or printed on the dial, case, or movement, depending on the watch. See the Full Description for details specific to this timepiece.
Instances of private labels can include small batches of watches marked for individual jewelers: a jewelry shop would commission a small run of watches directly from a watch manufacturer, such as Hamilton, Illinois, etc., who would then add markings for that jeweler at the factory to the dial, movement and/or case. This would allow for the jeweler to offer a customized branding of a high quality watch without the prohibitive cost of directly manufacturing and/or assembling the watch components.
Also included are large batches of watches for wholesale & retail sale; examples of large batch private labels include Caravelle watches made by Bulova and Burlington watches made by Illinois. The most common example that many will recognize is Tiffany & Co., which for a short time did manufacture their own watches but realized it was cost prohibitive for their label and transitioned to commissioning watches from a multitude of high-end European watch manufacturers instead. On many of their vintage watches, you'll see the "Tiffany & Co" markings on the dial, and occasionally also stamped on the movement and case, but additional markings on the movement will show Longines, International Watch Co., etc. to also indicate the manufacturing company.
A detailed article on the history and advertising practices for these watches can be found at this
Pocket Watch Database page. To view all such timepieces we offer, visit our
Private Label 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.
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.
