Illinois private label watches

[bernie levine]

Several more Illinois private label watches I don't
remember seeing previously posted:

18 size.
_______

18 size ON6L 15j adjusted Ser# 1233244 grade 65s.
Movement and dial marked Frank J. Viorol Ft. Wayne Ind.

18 size ON6L 17J Ser# 3142313 grade 69.
Movement and dial marked Albert H. Rolf Lockland Ohio.

16 size
_______

16 size HN4L 15j Serial #1609004 grade 173.
Movement and dial marked Ben Schneider Jewelery Co.
Cincinnati Ohio.

bernie levine

[bernie levine]

Several more Illinois private label watches I don't
remember seeing previously posted:

18 size.
_______

18 size ON6L 15j adjusted Ser# 1233244 grade 65s.
Movement and dial marked Frank J. Viorol Ft. Wayne Ind.

18 size ON6L 17J Ser# 3142313 grade 69.
Movement and dial marked Albert H. Rolf Lockland Ohio.

16 size
_______

16 size HN4L 15j Serial #1609004 grade 173.
Movement and dial marked Ben Schneider Jewelery Co.
Cincinnati Ohio.

bernie levine

[Fred Hansen]

Hi Bernie -

Thanks for posting these here. I have worked these numbers into the list I am keeping, and didn't have any others yet recorded with these names.

The 69 and 173 you have here are also the first watches I have yet recorded as private-labels from those two runs.

In the 1233201-500 run of 65/65S that your watch is from, I have other jeweler contract names noted as ...

WD Heath, Lakeport NH (1233210 and 1233491)
FB Green & Co., Boothbay Harbor ME (1233312)
Jos. A. Williams, Boston MA (1233405)

... makes me wonder how many different ones there really were in this small run?

Fred

[bernie levine]

Fred,

Another private label watch you may not
have for your data base.

MOVEMENT AND DIAL MARKED:
C.E.Searl, Merrill,Wis.
MOVEMENT:
18 Size HN2L.( MARKED 13 JEWELS ON THE BARREL
BRIDGE) 12 and 13th jewel are on both ends of the
center wheel.Grade 99s. Ser#1247347.

bernie levine

[4thdimension]

Illinois #2254783- is an O size marked "Jaccards/St. Louis USA" on the mv't and"Mermods Jaccard & King Co./St. Louis" on the dial

[4thdimension]

#1059941 is signed on the mov't "J.E. Trickey & Co./Lincoln , Neb.". It's a nice running!hunter cased nickel 17j. Adj. w/ Chalmer's regulator.
The single sunk dial is signed "Illinois"

The Illinois book lists the grade as a 64-S.
What is that S for?
-Cort

[bernie levine]

Hi 4th dimension,
I'll try to answere yourquestion re; about
Illinos listing your grade 64 with the addition
of the letter S.
As I understand it was the company's way of
indentifying in a separate record book marked
"specials, private labels, etc." Many years
ago I received a 4 page copy of this record book from Pat Tomes
at the NAWCC Library.

I hope this answers your question.

bernie levine

[4thdimension]

Thank you Bernie. "Special" was my first guess but I'd never confirmed it anywhere. It's use seems somewhat arbitrary though because some P.L.s come from runs without the "S". Could be that Illinois used it when an entire run was
intended to be for private labeling. That's a guess too BTW. Thanks again for taking the time to write and also for providing this thread for reporting Illinois P.L.s.
-Cort

[Joe Jones]

Hi Fred,
Here's another one for your list. Seven jewel Illinois, movement not marked Illinois, but matches the illustration in "Antique Watches with Current Values" reprinted from Collector's Weekly in 1972. Page 47, ladies' 6 size 3/4 plate identified as "Number 141." The gentleman who repaired the watch confirmed that it is an Illinois movement.
Movement and dial are marked "Edwin S. Radley, Philadelphia, Pa. "Movement marked "safety pinion" with serial number 1201457. Stem wind, lever set. Sunken seconds bit. Cased in a very pretty gold filled hunting case marked "Champion." "Maggie to Jack, 1900" is scratched onto the inner cover with a date that I cannot make out. It was apparently scratched in there by a non-professional, (perhaps by Maggie ?).
The case has all over engraving that was popular at that time, with a blank square cartouche on the front and a stag engraved in the back cartouche.

[4thdimension]

#894170-dial signed "Carl G Strock/Santa Ana, Cal." on a gilt "Illinois Watch Co. signed 7J., LS, hunter mov't. When I looked this up the ser. no. in the Illinois book it was listed as an open faced watch. Can someone with Russ Snyder's CD check the number there to see if any hunters are recorded in this run please?
-Cort

[Jerry Treiman]

Cort - this run is shown as entirely open-face with a 5th pinion. Did someone just remove the 5th pinion from yours to make it a hunter?

[4thdimension]

Jerry, Thank you for checking. I picked this watch up this morning and will give it a more thorough going through tomorrow. I can tell you it has not been lightly handled.
-Cort

[4thdimension]

Jerry nailed it! The watch was a wreck when I got it. The original pallet, with a broken stone, was carefully rodico'd to the top plate. Upon inspection today I found that, indeed, the rodico and part covered the missing, and empty 5th pinion hole. No biggy as it was very cheap(now I know why). Unfortunately, this likely negates the association of the dial and the mv't. but, its good to keep this stuff straight! Thank you Jerry.
-Cort

[Fred Hansen]

Thanks all for the continued info on Illinois private-labels!

Interestingly in browsing my notes I see that I do not have a single 16 or 18 size private-label marked movement recorded in the 900 thousands serial range.

Fred

[crsides]

Fred


Made for Kay Jewelery Co. by Illinois watch co.

Mid grade 17j 16s 3044341.
Hunter mvt in OF case, with secs at the 3hr. position. Defiance case.

Grade 305 Russ DB dates to 1916. Kay's website says they started in Reading PA in 1916.

Is this a first year watch ? :wink:

Charlie

[Fred Hansen]

Thanks Charlie! This makes the tenth "Made for Kay" 16 size Illinois watch in my notes, and is the lowest serial number of these.

All ten are in the 3 million serial numbers, but yours is the only Kay I have noted in this run. It does however share space with a "Great Northern Special" I have noted in this run at #3044310.

Around half the Kay marked movements I've seen have had dials signed "Illinois Sterling". One of these watches was even in a case signed "Made Expressly for Kay Jewelry Co., Reading PA".

Neat watches for sure and I'd bet an interesting story is behind them.

Fred

[davenels]

any one heard of H.J. Locke?
I have one that looks almost identical to Illinois Bunn Special Ruby Jewels, also looks like Aurora Ruby Jewels..checkerboard two tone pattern..I think this may be a private label Illinois...anybody know?

[Joe Jones]

Hi Folks,
I was just cruising ebay and came across this watch

http://cgi.ebay.com/ANTQIUE-14K-GOLD-HENNEGEN-BATES-POC...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem (http://cgi.ebay.com/ANTQIUE-14K-GOLD-HENNEGEN-BATES-POCKET-WATCH_W0QQitemZ260038666126QQihZ016QQcategoryZ3940 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

I could be wrong, but it looks to me like a private label Illinois. Thought I'd post it in case Fred could use it for his data base.

Joe

[Fred Hansen]

Thanks Joe I appreciate your pointing this one out. It is a 12 size grade 405 movement, and I haven't kept track of most the 12 sizes but I still enjoy seeing what is out there. This Hennegen Bates name sounds familiar ... I'll have to see if I've also seen a 16 or 18 size marked for them.

Fred

[Jerry Treiman]

I have shown this grade 186 movement elsewhere, but I am not sure that I mentioned the private label aspect of it. The movement, as can be seen, is blank but the dial is marked "Hufnagel". Edward H. Hufnagel was associated with the Retail Jeweler's Association, and I suspect this watch may have come from his store. He was also President of the Horological Institute of America (Washington, D.C.) in the late 20s.
http://static.flickr.com/115/261938853_270da0231c_o.jpg