Illinois "WWII Army" Dive Watch: Real or Fantasy?

redpcar · May 22, 2026

So the Dallas watch show was today and is tomorrow. Scored a nice ultrasonic cleaner, btw. Anyway, I came across an Illinois that I have never seen or heard of before. The dealer said it was WWII issue to the Army. I did a quick search and found no such information. Curious if anyone here has. Attached is my only pic. The watch was quite heavy. Asking price was $3500.

Waltesefalcon · May 23, 2026

Illinois was bought by Hamilton in 1927. By WWII all production of Illinois watches had ceased, so this is a fantasy watch.

elephantcage · Jul 13, 2026

Don't buy it. If it’s legit, it’s the only one I’ve seen, and I’ve collected legit military dive watches since the 80s. I’m very confident in stating it was not produced by Illinois in its current configuration.

ghce · Jul 13, 2026

the only way you would ever know is by inspecting the movement number on the PWDB. The seller may be mistaken as to which war lol certainly not WW2.

gatorcpa · Jul 14, 2026

Watch has a very 1920’s look to it. Dial appears to be original. No clue what that case is, but could be an early attempt at waterproofing.

Would need to see inside to say anymore.
gatorcpa