Antique Illinois Central Grade 304 Pocket Watch – 17 Jewel – Gold-Filled Case

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

• Manufacturer: Illinois Watch Co.
• Private Label: Illinois Central
• Movement Serial Number: 3,007,688
• Grade: 304
• Model: 7
• Size: 16 Size
• Jewels: 17
• Movement: Mechanical
• Configuration: Open Face
• Setting: Pendant Set
• Movement Finish: Two-Tone / Damaskeened
• Dial: Illinois Central signed
• Case: Engraved gold-filled case
• Case Marking: TOPCO – Warranted 20 Years
• Case Serial Number: 9725253
• Country of Manufacture: United States
• 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.