Men’s 1915 Illinois Trench Watch w/Black Dial

The Illinois Watch Company is, without question, one of the jewels in the crown of American Watch Houses. Organized in Springfield, Ill. shortly after the Civil War, the company turned out during its 58-year run some of the most magnificent timepieces ever to come to light in this country. Pocket watches with names such as "Bunn Special," "Sangamo Special" and "Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire" and wristwatches such as the "Piccadilly," "Marquis" and "Speedway" — all went from innovation, to wide reception to legend. Illinois was farsighted enough to be one of the first American manufacturers to chase the silly idea of marketing a wristlet for men. Having made "convertible wristlets" for women, which could be used as a pendant, hung from a pin or worn with a cord or chain around the wrist, Illinois saw the rabid reception that wristlets received during WWI and felt the time had come for expanded wristwatch manufacture.

Illinois Watch Company, known for their obsessive attention to detail, produced watches that were exciting, elegant, and extraordinarily well-crafted. Today these watches are prized by collectors and designers for their look and reliability.

Magnificence has many forms, one of which is this WWI era Illinois wristlet watch in its offset “driver” case. We cannot overstate the beauty of this 39mm by 31mm watch, from its restored jet-black dial with oversized "Arabic" numerals and stained glass hands to its polished silverode case. This timepiece represents the first wave of the "wristlet" watch — later the wristwatch - coming from WWI era Europe. Influenced by the trench watches of the era, this watch sports a gorgeous, beefy case and substantial look men felt comfortable wearing. Remember, this timepiece is one of the first commercially manufactured wristwatches in the world: Prior to WWI, men considered wristlet watches effeminate. From this first wave of watches springs every wristwatch in the world today. We're exceedingly proud of this piece of history and know you will be, too.

Open it and you'll find a magnificent little time-machine: a completely restored, fully calibrated 11 ruby jeweled mechanism that keeps accurate time as it was intended. Engineered during a time when the automobile still sported wooden spokes, this futuristic wrist-machine, in all its perfection, is glorious. Few mechanisms today are as well engineered as this example.

In addition to cleaning, oiling and timing the watch, we've fitted our own correctly re-created two-piece oak cordovan leather strap with matching buckle to the piece, rounding out a most impressive package. Such straps are custom made for special pieces and only available through Strickland Vintage Watches.