Illinois Watch Company - Grade 607 - Art Deco Tonneau - Fahys 14K Gold Filled Case - Circa 1929

In 1929, the American economy collapsed almost overnight. The stock market crash of October that year wiped out fortunes and began the decade of hardship that followed, but it did not immediately stop men from dressing with care and intention. The Art Deco movement was at its height, and the watches produced in that precise moment of cultural confidence before the full weight of the Depression arrived represent some of the finest American watchmaking ever put on a wrist. Illinois, one of the great names in American horology since its founding in Springfield in 1870, had been purchased by Hamilton in 1927 and continued producing at the Springfield factory with the same craftsmen and the same standards. The watches made in these final years of genuine Illinois production, from 1927 through 1932, are what collectors now refer to as the golden era of the Illinois wristwatch.

The Illinois Watch Company had built its reputation on railroad-grade precision, on movements that had to keep time within seconds per day under conditions of vibration, temperature change, and constant use. That culture of accuracy and finishing did not disappear when the factory shifted from pocket to wrist. What it produced instead was a line of Art Deco wristwatches with movements finished to a standard that no Swiss manufacturer at the equivalent price point could match, paired with cases of extraordinary decorative ambition from the finest American case makers of the period.

The Fahys case on this watch is the first thing that demands attention. A tonneau form in 14K gold filled, it carries an ornately engraved rope border running the full perimeter of the bezel, and elaborately engraved side panels with a braided motif that tapers to pointed finials at each lug, the kind of decorative work that takes skill and time and is simply absent from any watch made in the decades that followed. The caseback is stamped ILLINOIS WATCH / SPECIAL MODEL B. / Fahys / 14K / GOLD FILLED / 704263. Fahys, founded by Joseph Fahys in Brooklyn, New York in 1872, was one of the premier American case manufacturers of the era and the case they built for this watch reflects the best of their production. The dial has aged to a warm cream ivory, the Art Deco Arabic numerals retaining their original radium lume, confirming this dial has never been touched or replaced. The blued steel hour and minute hands are correct for the period, with a subsidiary seconds register at six o'clock. The dial carries scratches consistent with ninety-five years of age and is entirely original and unrefined. The watch is presented on its period Speidel gold-filled expansion bracelet with a diamond oval link pattern stamped on each link.

The Grade 607 movement, serial 5398532, is among the most beautiful American movements produced in the twentieth century. The entire nickel plate surface is covered in a dense diamond chevron damaskeening pattern, cut across the silver nickel in interlocking angles that shift and shimmer as the light moves across them. Blued steel screws punctuate the surface at every jewel position against the gold-toned jewel chatons and train wheels. The movement is signed ILLINOIS WATCH / SPRINGFIELD with Grade 607 and 17 JEWELS notation. This was hand-finished work, by craftsmen at benches in Springfield, Illinois, at the moment the company was producing its finest wristwatches. The watch is running and keeping good time. Service history is unknown.

Terms: Please review all photos carefully as they are a part of the listing. This is a vintage timepiece. Accuracy, power reserve, and water resistance are not guaranteed. Vintage watches may require periodic service. Performance can vary with wear, temperature, and position.

I am happy to service any unserviced watch listed on the site, please inquire about service charges when purchasing.

All sales final.