The Illinois Watch Company was born at a time when many of today’s greatest empires were founded. Seven men founded the company; among them were a lawyer, a merchant and a grocer. Together they founded the Illinois Springfield Watch Company in 1870.
Even now, more than a century later, Illinois Pocket Watches continue to fascinate as well as inspire watch aficionados the world over from all walks of life. It doesn’t matter what kind of watch you collect, be it the original key-wound variety, or the Railroad Quality ‘Bunn Special,’ or the original Illinois Pocket Watch or the ‘Stuart’; you know there is nothing that comes close to the Illinois Pocket Watches.
Even though the company changed its name several times over the years, they never removed the Illinois from their name, and this is what gave them the beauty as well as the quality that all Illinois Watch lovers have come to recognize. But this was all to end in 1920, when it was bought out by the Hamilton Watch Company, literally marking the end of an era.
This was a sad ending for such a great watch manufacturing company but the Hamilton Company continued production at the Illinois factory up until 1932. This was the last year where a true Illinois Watch rolled through the assembly line at the Illinois Watch Company factory. Watches were still being manufactured here for some years to come, but what they lacked were the quality, craftsmanship and the love that went into every Illinois watch. And soon enough, production ceased permanently.
In the watch collector’s world of today, Illinois Watches still remain one of the most sought after collectible watches. There are many watch enthusiasts as well as historians that look for watches from the Illinois Watch Company in antique shops, online websites as well as family treasure chests.