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ILLINOIS WATCH CO, Springfield USA "Capitol"

Dimensions:

Watch diameter: ....51.7 mm
Movement, Dia.: ....41.1 mm
Thickness: .............15.5 mm
Weight: ..................89 g

Indications: Hours, Minutes, Seconds

Movement #3629110: Plates from silvered brass. Wheels from gilded brass. 17 rubies in chatons . Typical American-style, negative winding gear. Clubtooth anchor weel and double roller balance. The balance is temperature compensated with flat, blued hairspring. Fine regulation via swan-neck spring.

Dial: Silvered brass, fixed on the top plate by three feet and lateral screws. Painted, black arabic numerals. The seconds dial is slightly faded. Otherwise the dial is in good condition. Hands are from blued steel.

Case #253278: Manufacturer is Illinois Watch Case Co, Elgin. Case from argentan with art deco embellishments. Screwed on bezel and back cover. The case shows traces of frequent use. The winding stem had worn its bore in the case badly.

Bought: Fleamarket in Fredericksburg, S.Va., October 1997 while on vacation in USA. $ 160.-

				Movement: 17 rubies in chatons. Club tooth-anchorwheel with double roller. Temperature compensated balance wheel. Flat, blued hairspring.
							Watch case with beautiful art deco imbellishements
Watch on a 5/10 millimeter grid. Silver coated dial.

Remarks: When acquired, the watch was fitted with a celluloid glass. Further the silvered face was stained coffee-brown. Considering there ara some deep scratches in the celluloid glass and a repair mark in the case dated 12.3.85, the watch probably had originally a mineral glas that was replaced by the celluloid glas a long time ago. Judged from its wear, the watch appears, as to have served it's original owner for life. The lubricating oil has since resinified.

To restore the watch to proper condition, I cleaned it, refreshed the silvered dial in a solution of thiourea in sulphphonic acid (it's usually non agressive to old paint) which made it look nearly new, then added a snugly fitting mineral glass and relined the bearing of the winding stem. One inappropriate case screw had to be replaced by a correct one.