Illinois Bunn Special

[Dutto11]

G'day everybody,
I have just purchased a Bunn Special Illinois and was wonderin if anybody can tell me if this is a good watch to keep in my collection.
It is not the 23jewel, 60hour model just the 21jewej version.
I got itt for under $200 us and would to know if this is also reasonable.
I know there is no way to tell without a photo so I will try to include to photo's.

[terry hall]

We do not know your 'collecting goals' so an answer would be difficult...

The main question is... Do youlike it?

[Kent]

Yeah, what Terry said!

[Don Dahlberg]

Also our rules state that we do not discuss value. NAWCC is a tax exempt organization and we want to keep it that way.

The Bunn Special in any form was one of the most popular railroad grade watches. This makes it a special watch in most pocket watch collector's hearts. Unless it is a carry watch, we do like things to be as original as possible. This takes some homework and detailed inspection of the watch to determine how original it is. It is difficult to tell from your photographs, but that dial might be a replacement. The sunk sections appear too smooth in your picture, but again it is hard to tell.

The key is always, do you like it? A Bunn Special is always hard not to like.

Don

[Kent]

By the way, what's the movement serial number? I can't quite read it in the picture.

[Dutto11]

The movement number is #3307661.
Regardless if the dial is an exchanged one or not I feel very happy that I paid what I did.
As a side matter is there a web site that gives the production dates and runs etc. as I would like to check the dates of other watches that I have.
Gary

[Jon Hanson]

is the dial metal?

[Kent]

... is there a web site that gives the production dates and runs etc. as I would like to check the dates of other watches that I have.
Gary

What make of watches?

[b]American Waltham (http://www.nawcc-info.org/WalthamDB/walsernum.htm)


Book: Aurora Watch Company - Grades and Production, Greg Frauenhoff, Sedalia, CO, 1995 (available at this Link To Greg’s Books (http://hometown.aol.com/gfrauen10/books.html))


Burlington, Illinois and Santa Fe:

Book: American Pocket Watches Vol. 2, Illinois Watch Co., Encyclopedia and Price Guide, William Meggers, Jr. & Roy Ehrhardt, Heart of America Press (http://www.hoapress.com), Kansas City, MO, 1985.

Data base: Russell W Snyder's Illinois Data Base CD, which may be obtained by an email to Jon Hanson at jonontime@aol.com

Oldwatch.com's Illinois Production Date Chart (http://www.oldwatch.com/Illinoisdate.html)

PocketWatchSite's Illinois Date Table (http://www.pocketwatchsite.com/illinoisserials.html)

Henry Burgell's Interactive Hampden Serial Number Lookup Table (http://www.nawcc-ch149.com/db_resch/Hampden_1230.html)

Information on Elgin watches can be found at Wayne Schlitt great web site at elginwatches.org

Paul Schliessser has an excellent website the provides a history of Dietrich Gruen and the Gruen Watch Co., entitled Gruen: The Art and Mystery of Watchmaking 1874 – 1958 (http://www.pixelp.com/gruen/index.html).

Dave Chaplain's E. Howard Records Website (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/dchaplain/EH/E_Howard.htm)

More information on E. Howard & Co. can be found on the NAWCC Chapter 174, Pocket Horology (http://www.pockethorology.org/) website. Additional pictures and more information can be viewed at Howard Pocket Watches 1858-1930 (http://www.oldwatch.com/howard.html).

Henry Burgell's Interactive Rockford Serial Number Lookup Table (http://www.nawcc-ch149.com/db_resch/rockford_1006.html)

Henry Burgell's Interactive South Bend Serial Number Lookup Table (http://www.nawcc-ch149.com/db_resch/southbend_1205.html).
Frank Kusumoto's South Bend Website (http://southbendhorology.com/)

Book: The South Bend Watch Co. - South Bend, Indiana - A Complete Listing of Serial / Grade Numbers from Beginning to End, Lyle & Donna Stratton, Longmont, CO, 1999

Book: History and Products of the United States Watch Company Waltham, Mass., Greg Frauenhoff, Sedalia, CO, 2003 (available at this Link To Greg’s Books (http://hometown.aol.com/gfrauen10/books.html))

Good luck,

[Jon Hanson]

Also, the nawcc Chapter 149 web site at

http://www.nawcc-ch149.com/mentor.html

which includes: early Howard and Hampden, South Bend, Rockford and Hamilton serial number look ups!

[Dutto11]

From what I can gather the dial is a repoduction and I have no idea what it is made of.
Thanks eveybody to those web site. I will get to them one by one to gather my information.
I have started to collect only 21 jewel watches so if it is a nice movement and case I will add them to my collection.

Gary

[Jon Hanson]

"From what I can gather the dial is a repoduction........................"

Agreed!