There are 3 in my home and 2 others - a size 12 Waltham gf hunter that my daughter wears on a slip chain and a size 14 gf Omega that my son has. The 3 remaining ones are all serviced and functional. None are particularly noteworthy, although the Waltham has a nice inscription and was presented by the town upon return from WWI.
Did you know? Florimond Robertet (1531 to 1567) was likely the first watch collector in history. He was the treasurer for several French kings, and a nobleman. At his death, he left a collection of 10 or 12 timepieces to his wife. Rumour has it she spent the rest of her years winding up the estate! Source Brittens 9th edition. (I added the bit about winding up the estate!)
I have a Shreve & Co. cased C. H. Meylan Brassus 21J Hi Grade Hunter that my mother-in-law collected from one of her relatives who had passed. She knew I had a thing about watches so she gave it to me.
Shreve & Co. is a jeweler in Union Square where they've been for the last century or more. The watch itself was a gift to a businessman from his wife on Christmas 1904.
It runs fine but is in long need of a service. The only damage is a rather nasty knock on one side near the hinges, you can see it in the profile. I'm sure that required a restaffing. Other than that, it's in fine shape.
Might it be possible that your “New England Watch Co.” is a Swiss fake? It doesn’t bear any resemblance to any of the New England Watch Co. models in my reference. The New England Watch Co. arose from the Waterbury Watch Co., and both companies only produced “popular priced” watches (read as “cheap”), and both were located in Waterbury, Conn., not Providence R I. Is there something I am not seeing? Yours doesn’t bear any resemblance to Waterbury movements, either. The watch business in that era was full of contradictions.
Here’s the skinny on your beautiful Illinois. The model 6 has what is known as “straight-line lever” instead of side lever like many American 18-size watches. I have a few Illinois watches, but not a model 6.
https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/illinois/2253457
https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/illinois/2253457
Here’s the skinny on your beautiful Illinois. The model 6 has what is known as “straight-line lever” instead of side lever like many American 18-size watches. I have a few Illinois watches, but not a model 6.
https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/illinois/2253457
https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/illinois/2253457