Antique Illinois Central Grade 304 17-Jewel Pocket Watch – Two-Tone Movement – 20-Year Gold-Filled Case
A beautiful early 20th-century American pocket watch manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company of Springfield, Illinois, featuring the desirable Illinois Central private-label name on both the dial and movement.
The watch is powered by a 17-jewel Illinois movement, serial number 3,007,688, with an attractive two-tone damaskeened finish. The movement is housed in an ornate floral-engraved 20-year warranted gold-filled case.
This is considerably more interesting than a generic Illinois pocket watch because the Illinois Central name appears prominently on the dial as well as on the movement.
Watch Details
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Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Co.
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Private Label: Illinois Central
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Movement Serial Number: 3,007,688
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Grade: 304
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Model: 7
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Size: 16 Size
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Jewels: 17
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Movement: Mechanical
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Configuration: Open Face
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Setting: Pendant Set
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Movement Finish: Two-Tone / Damaskeened
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Dial: Illinois Central signed
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Case: Engraved gold-filled case
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Case Marking: TOPCO – Warranted 20 Years
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Case Serial Number: 9725253
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Country of Manufacture: United States
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Era: Early 20th Century
Illinois Central Private Label
The movement is signed:
ILLINOIS
SPRINGFIELD
WATCH CO.
ILLINOIS CENTRAL
17 JEWELS
Illinois Central was a private-label name used on Illinois Watch Company movements. The matching Illinois Central dial and signed movement make this a particularly attractive example for collectors of Illinois watches and American private-label pocket watches.
Ornate 20-Year Gold-Filled Case
The watch is housed in an attractive gold-tone case featuring detailed floral and scroll engraving across the rear cover.
Inside, the case is stamped:
TOPCO
WARRANTED 20 YEARS
This marking identifies the case as a period gold-filled case, rather than solid gold. A 20-year warranty referred to the durability of the bonded gold exterior over its base-metal core. Similar period 20-year cases are consistently classified as gold-filled in pocket-watch references.
The engraved floral decoration remains clearly visible and gives the watch excellent display appeal.
Dial & Movement
The white Illinois Central dial features large stylized black Arabic numerals, outer minute markings, red five-minute numerals and a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o'clock.
Opening the rear reveals the decorated 17-jewel Illinois movement with visible ruby jewels, gold-tone engraving and contrasting two-tone finishing.
Movement serial 3,007,688 is clearly visible.
Condition
This is an antique mechanical watch more than a century old and displays expected signs of age, handling and use.
The gold-filled case exhibits areas of wear consistent with its age, particularly around high-contact surfaces and edges. Please examine all photographs carefully, as they show the exact watch being offered and are considered part of the condition description.
A handsome piece of American watchmaking history combining an Illinois Central private-label movement, signed Illinois Central dial, 17-jewel Illinois mechanism and ornate period gold-filled case.
