The majority of watches sold by Burlington were "privately labeled" movements made under contract by the Illinois Watch Company i.e. they are Illinois watches. Some contend that the Burlington Watch Company was a subsidiary of the Illinois Watch Company, but this claim has not been documented. Burlington also sold a small number of movements made by Henry Moser & Co, in Switzerland. These movements may have been sold only in Canada and appear to have been cased in Canadian-made cases. Most American Burlington watches were sold in Burlington-signed gold-filled cases of good quality.
Since the majority of Burlington watches were made by the Illinois watch company, we have included the Illinois serial number table here for convenience. For further information on Illinois watches, please refer to the Illinois Company History Page of this site.
Burlington Pocket Watch Serial Number Lookup
The value of an antique pocket watch rests heavily on your ability to identify the watch, its features, and its materials properly. Before you begin your own antique pocket watch valuation, you'll need to learn the basic terms related to pocket watch parts and the coveted brands. Start with some quick tips for identifying and valuating your old pocket watch, then consult an expert if needed.
American-made pocket watches may have a serial number, one type of identification mark, on the watch case and a different one on the "movement," or the inner workings of the watch because each part was typically made by a different company. You want to carefully open the back cover of the pocket watch to find the serial number engraved into the movement. You can then search the Pocket Watch Database or the tables provided by PM Time Service to help you identify your piece.
Most old pocket watches are worth less than $200, with many having no real value because they are in rough condition or don't work. The most expensive pocket watch ever sold went for 24 million dollars. It was an antique Patek-Philippe sold by Sotheby's auction house in 2014 that had been valued at $250,000 on Antiques Roadshow. This is a huge exception to the rule.
Brand name and condition are two of the most important factors in determining the value of an antique pocket watch. To get a good idea of the value of a pocket watch, you really need to either become a watch expert or consult one.
Unlike other antiques, you'll often get the best price for pocket watches if you sell them in sets. Stephen Bogoff, an American expert in antique pocket watches who has been in the auction business since 1970, is one of the few reliable online sources where you can learn about the current market as well as view the various ages and styles. In Europe, Barnebys, originally of the United Kingdom, is fairly new but is a trusted global auction site for watches, antiques in general, and fine art.
Alan Costa of the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors (NAWCC) has written an authoritative treatise on the history of watches and states that personal, portable timekeeping devices were not possible until around 1600 with the development of the hairspring, also referred to as a balance spring. Peter Henlein, a locksmith, made the first pocket watch in 1524, which was worn as a pendant hanging from a chain. The watches of the 1600s served more as jewelry than timekeepers as they were not good at keeping accurate time.
The year 1675 saw the first watch that was small enough to fit in a pocket. King Charles II of England was the person who set the style across Europe and North America. From 1750, watches were fitted with a new device, the lever escapement. This improvement allowed the clockmaker to add a minute hand which was not present on earlier watches.
The first American pocket watch was not made until 1809 by the American Watch Company in Waltham, Massachusetts, later known as the Waltham company. More extensive manufacturing began around 1850 with watchmakers such as Hamilton, Elgin, and Illinois in America and Alange-Soehne in Europe.
Identifying and finding the value of an antique pocket watch means learning the history of the piece first. While many old pocket watches aren't valuable in terms of money, they can be great collector's pieces with sentimental value for historians or families.
The first group of 100 watches produced were 18-size, 15-jewel, full plate, key wind, adjusted Stuart railroad grade watches in 1872. The Bunn family surname was used on Illinois most famous railroad watch grades, starting with the first 18-size, 15-jewel, adjusted Illinois Bunn movements introduced with serial number 201. The 18-size, 15-jewel, full plate, key wind, adjusted Miller movements were also advertised as having "a good reputation with Railroad Men". All three grades were available adjusted to temperature and isochronism, with "adjusted" engraved on the balance bridge. Less expensive watch movements were also produced for general use.
In 1928, for a sum in excess of $5,000,000, the Illinois Watch Company was purchased by the Hamilton Watch Company, which continued to operate the factory under the Illinois name and gradually shifted the emphasis from pocket to wrist watch production. The Sangamo Special grade was discontinued at the end of 1930. The Illinois Watch Company had turned out about five million watches before being sold to the Hamilton Watch Company. At its peak, the Illinois Watch Company employed approximately 1,200 people.
The Burlington Watch Co., of Chicago, IL, appears to have started up around 1907 and lasted until the mid-to-late 1920s. It was a mail-order sales operation selling directly to the consumer, offering lower retail prices by eliminating the wholesale distribution and sales network. A 1913 Burlington Watch advertisement also offered payment plans. Almost all of the watches were made under contract by the Illinois Watch Company and privately-labeled for Burlington. A small number of movements were produced by Henry Moser & Co. of Switzerland, which were only sold in Canada, furnished in Canadian-made cases. Burlington's Canadian office was in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
For about the first ten years, Burlington sold mostly 19-jewel watches, a large number of which were marketed as the Burlington Special. These watches used an Illinois Model 5 and Model 9 (Grades No. 106 and No. 107) movements. During this period Burlington contracted for a few 21-jewel, model 5, Sangamo grade movements, which was widely accepted for railroad time service.
In February 1917, Burlington discontinued the 19-jewel watches and introduced a complete line of 21-Jewel Watches, adjusted to temperature and positions (the number of positions was unspecified). Perhaps the most common of the 16-size, 21-jewel Burlington watches were the Illinois-built Model 9, Grades No. 107 and No. 108.
Vintage Rolex papers can easily be bought on eBay or other marketplaces. They are empty so you can fill in the papers and sell it together with a watch. Making it a "set" and adding hundreds of dollars to the cost price. You can see if papers are original by comparing the ageing of the watch with the papers. Looking at the ageing of the ink on the papers. And ultimately also if the puncturing of the papers with the serial number is clear and crisp.
Checking a Rolex card under a UV light will show the Rolex logo light up from the card itself. The best way to check if the materials, font and quality is to compare it with real ones. And don't forget to match the serial number on the papers with the serial number on the watch.
The model number is engraved at 12 o'clock in the watch case between the lugs. This quality of this engraving is high and should be comparable to the photo here below. You can also check if the model number corresponds with the Rolex model numbers.
Elgin pocket watches continue to be extremely popular within the antique and vintage watch market; turning rare and authentic ones into valuable and expensive pieces to own, whether for a watch enthusiast or a collector. The unique timepieces have exquisite craftsmanship, finishes, jeweled movements, excellent materials, and a vast selection of intricate designs.
The Elgin pocket watch was not only elegant and innovative, but it was initially created to be less expensive than other vintage watches. The Elgin pocket watch value was, in part, exceptional because of the unique craftsmanship and the mass production of the high-quality pocket watches that used machine-made interchangeable parts when the watches needed to be repaired, which did not require hand adjusting. That brilliant idea of Elgin's also made it possible for the watches to be more accessible and budget-conscious to a wider number of buyers, which made this pocket watch extremely popular in its day.
For almost 100 years, until 1968, the Elgin National Watch Company was the world's largest manufacturer of watches. Approximately 60 million pieces were produced in that time. The fact that the distinct Elgin pocket watch is no longer made does, of course, add to the Elgin pocket watch value.
A Railroad Elgin pocket watch can range from $200 to $5,000. It depends on the year of production, the material used, and the model's significance. They were exquisitely designed according to railroad industry standards and kept the most precise and accurate time. That made sure that the railway trains ran on schedule and would arrive at their exact times.
High-quality investment-grade Elgin pocket watches are rare, and in fact the entire Elgin watch line is now finite. After the first and second world wars, Elgin had to compete with the less expensive domestic and foreign wristwatches that began dominating the market. To compensate, they added decorative clocks, transistor radios, and even wedding rings to their roster. Unfortunately, Elgin had to eventually give up the watchmaking side of the business and ceased production in 1970.
You can in-fact still buy Elgin pocket watches, and for decent prices at that. Following are just a few of the outstanding rare Elgin pocket watches that are still in working condition and are well worth the amount of money that they demanded as collectors' items: 2ff7e9595c
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