In Part 1, we repaired and serviced an Illinois 12s “Santa Fe Special.” This nice little pocket watch had fallen on hard times, with cracked jewels, a mangled hairspring, and… Read more »
I rarely buy working watches—repairing and adjusting them is the fun part—but sometimes they are broken in quirky and comical ways. When you bottom-feed on eBay, you never know what… Read more »
The Burlington Watch Company is an interesting figure in the commercial history of watches. In those days, watch companies sold movements, dials, and hands to middlemen, who sold them to… Read more »
Our last example watch, the 1923 Illinois Bunn Special, was way too easy to adjust, so I thought I’d dip into the pile and try adjusting something more challenging. Enter… Read more »
It is much easier to work on fine watches than mediocre ones. High-grade watches were made with service and repair in mind, they left the factory in excellent condition, and… Read more »
Most collectors seem to have a favorite company, and my favorite pocket watches were made by Illinois. For irrational reasons, I like the 12 and 16 size Illinois watches more… Read more »