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Illinois White Gold Filled Art Deco Watch circa 1920's Hand Engraved Case

About the Item

FACTORY / HOUSE: Illinois Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Art Deco / Tortue Shape METAL / MATERIAL: White Gold-Filled CIRCA / YEAR: 1920's DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 31mm X Width 37mm MOVEMENT / CALIBER: Manual Winding / 17 Jewels / Caliber 3/0 Size DIAL / HANDS: Original Silvered with Luminous Numerals / Blued Steel Luminous Hands ATTACHMENT / LENGTH: Leather, 18mm / Regular Length WARRANTY: 18 months on the movement This watch has been in a vault for nearly 50 years and the price includes a factory quality service by our finest watchmaker. This will of course delay shipping it out for a few days while we do the service and check it out. LIFETIME SERVICE COMMITMENT This is a rare watch by legendary house of Illinois Watch Company. We have only seen a few of these models over the years and this one is in excellent condition. Illinois was renowned for their railroad watches and exceptional quality they were purchased by the Hamilton Watch Company around 1928. Hamilton needed more production and Illinois was the right fit for the time. One year later and the great depression hit which probably would have put Illinois out of business anyway. But their watches are still here and keep dependable time. You can actually wear this fine watch and count on it to get you there on time, every time. This Illinois watch is called a Tortue shape, The Tortue (meaning Tortoise), an original design by Louis Cartier, and was based on Tortoises he saw holding up columns in a Greek Temple that was 3000 years old. Since then, the Tortue design is considered a staple in the Cartier line to this day.
  • Creator:
  • Case Material:
  • Strap Material:
    Leather
  • Movement:
  • Style:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1920's
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. It is worth noting that this watch only had a 12-month warranty when it was new. However, we are so confident of our workmanship and team that we offer an 18-month warranty on all our watches, even those over 100 years old.
  • Seller Location:
    Long Beach, CA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 12301stDibs: LU422323543832

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Illinois White Gold Filled Art Deco Watch circa, 1928 Modified Tortue Shape
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FACTORY / HOUSE: Illinois Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Art Deco / Tortue Shape METAL / MATERIAL: White Gold Filled CIRCA / YEAR: 1928 DIMENSIONS / SIZE: Length 36mm X Width 28mm MOVEMENT / CALIBER: Manual Winding / 17 Jewels / Caliber 6 / 0 DIAL / HANDS: Two Tone with Luminous Numerals / Blued Steel Luminous Hands ATTACHMENT / LENGTH: Leather, 20mm / Regular Length WARRANTY: 18 months on the movement LIFETIME SERVICE COMMITMENT This is the only example we have ever seen of this model by the legendary house of Illinois Watch Company. The case is entirely hand engraved and the movement is hand made as well. The shape, The Tortue was originally designed by Louis Cartier in the early teens and the style was copied by nearly every watch company. Cartier based the design of the Tortue Shaped Watch on some columns saw in an ancient Greek Temple as a young man. The columns were held up at the base by giant...
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FACTORY / HOUSE: Illinois Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Art Deco METAL / MATERIAL: White Gold-Filled CIRCA / YEAR: 1929 / 1930 DIMENSIONS / SIZE: 28mm Length X 36mm Diameter MOVEMENT / CALIBER: Manual Winding / 17 Jewels / Caliber 6 O DIAL / HANDS: Silvered with Arabic Luminous Numerals / Blued Steel Hands ATTACHMENT / LENGTH: Leather, 16mm / Regular Length WARRANTY: 18 months on the movement LIFETIME SERVICE COMMITMENT This is a "vault find" watch, it has been locked up for nearly 50 years, which means it needs a service. We will give it a factory quality service by our finest watchmaker as part of the purchase price before it is shipped out to you. This will delay shipping for a few days of course. This is a rare model by the legendary company and this one was produced just after Hamilton purchased the renowned house. The watch shape called a Tortue, or Tortoise was an original design by Louis Cartier. He based it on Tortoises he saw holding up columns in a Greek Temple that was 3000 years old. The Tortue is still in the Cartier line today. Cartier was one of the first designers to "stylize" basic things around him. He looked at them and re-interpreted them by exaggeration, extension and "stylization." The Illinois Watch Company, founded in Springfield, Illinois in 1867, rose to prominence under the Bunn family leadership, producing high-quality pocket watches...
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