The great age of business entrepreneurship saw one of the greatest companies – the Illinois Watch Company – being formed. The dream of seven men, who each followed different professions of lawyer, merchant, grocery owner etc, came together that year in 1870 and launched the Illinois Springfield Watch Company. Their shared passion for creating a successful venture of the nascent manufacturing business of watch making was what bound the lot together. Therefore, the company continued through a series of ups and downs throughout the period of its existence.
A hundred years later the Illinois Pocket Watches fascinate watch collectors and watch lovers the world over. The collectors items are the key-wound type and the Railroad Quality, the ‘Bunn Special,’ and the Illinois Pocket Watch- the ‘Stuart’. One can feel happy that there is no match to the Illinois Pocket Watch.
The original name of the company underwent several changes, but at no point did they drop ‘Illinois from its name. But more significantly, the charm, the beauty and the quality of Illinois was never lost despite the testing changes. By 1920, it was in the hands of Hamilton Watch Company, which continued to manufacture and produce the coveted watches right up till 1932, but never sold the watches. The last of the genuine Illinois Watch was produced during this period. Though watches continued to be manufactured even after this date, there was a lack of quality and craftsmanship and at long last the production stopped.
The Illinois Watches are one of the big prizes in watch collector’s repositories. The watch collectors look forward with anticipation for that glimpse of the original Illinois watch. Historians as much as the collectors, these aficionados scour antique shops, online portals and their attics to search for that ultimate show piece of the Illinois Watch Company.
Today, these watches remain among the most sought-after collectibles, and watch enthusiasts and historians alike scour antique shops, websites, and their grandfather’s trunks seeking their favourite model.