This is a VERY early example of an Illinois pocket watch, made in the company's second year of existence back when it was still called the "Illinois Springfield Watch Company". It is an 18 size, Model #1, "Hoyt" Grade, with 9 jewels. It is keywind from the back and key set from the front. The serial number is only 7012, which dates it to about 1873 [the company was founded in 1872].

The watch is currently housed in a nice triple-hinged "Silveride" case that has a low serial number of its own [810]. I am not sure, however, whether the case is orignal to the movement or not. I don't see any extraneous case screw marks, but I suspect that 1873 might be a tad early for a "Silveride" case. "Silveride" is one of many similar sounding tradenames for nickel alloy cases containing no real silver, such as Silveroid, Silverode, Silverine, etc., that became popular in the late 1870s and 1880s, and I've recently learned that Silveride was a tradname used by a company called "Max Freund & Co." I don't know when that company was in business, however, nor when they first started producing Silveride cases, so I still don't know whether the case could have been made in 1873 or not. Being the suspicious sort, I suspect the case is NOT original, but I'm not ruling out the possibility...

Front Back Dial Dust Cover Movement

Back to My Pocket Watch Page

Return to Barry's Home Page