Illinois Sangamo Two-Tone Ocean-Wave Damascened Railroad Grade Pocket Watch (1898)

Few American watch grades stand as tall in the collector world as the Illinois Sangamo, and the example offered here is an exceptional early specimen from 1898. Manufactured by the Illinois Watch Company in Springfield, Illinois, this Sangamo Model 5 carries serial number 1437578 and represents the top tier of the Illinois output at the close of the nineteenth century.

The year 1898 was a defining moment in American history. It was the year the USS Maine exploded in Havana harbor, the year of the Spanish-American War, and the year a North Carolina pharmacist named Caleb Bradham gave his new soft drink the name Pepsi-Cola. While the country was stepping onto the world stage, the Illinois Watch Company was perfecting the railroad-grade pocket watch in its Springfield factory.

The Sangamo grade was named after the Sangamon River that runs through Springfield and was Illinois's premier 16-size movement, intended for railroad service from its inception. That scarcity, combined with the grade's reputation for finishing, makes any surviving Sangamo a watch worth holding onto. The Model 4 and Model 5 Sangamo grades were produced from 1897 through 1913, with only around 26,000 ever made across both models.

This particular movement is a 23 jewel railroad grade with a two-tone ocean-wave damascening finish, adjusted to six positions, temperature, and isochronism. The two-tone plate work is a hallmark of Illinois's finest output of the period and gives the movement a depth and character that the all-nickel finishes simply do not match. It is an openface configuration, lever set, and built to the exacting standards demanded of timepieces trusted on the rails.

For the collector chasing turn-of-the-century American horology at its highest level, an 1898 Sangamo Model 5 in this configuration is the sort of piece that anchors a collection. All Vintage Pocket Watches are cleaned, oiled and adjusted for accuracy and warranted for one full year from the date of purchase.