The Illinois Watch Company was born during the great era of entrepreneurship, when so many of today’s greatest empires were formed. Seven men, among them a lawyer, a merchant, and a grocery store owner, founded the Illinois Springfield Watch Company in 1870 with stars in their eyes and a dream in their hearts.
A century later, Illinois Pocket Watches continue to inspire and fascinate watch lovers from all walks of life. Whether you collect the original key-wound variety, or the Railroad Quality ‘Bunn Special,’ or the original Illinois Pocket Watch, the ‘Stuart,’ you will know that there is no other watch quite like an Illinois Pocket Watch.
By the late 1920s, independent operation was no longer feasible, and the company was sold to the Hamilton Watch Company. Despite the sale, the Illinois factory continued operation for several more years, until 1932, the year in which the last authentic Illinois Watch was manufactured.
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.
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