Illinois Watch Co.The Illinois Watch Co. was established by John C. Adams, who was successful in soliciting help from four prominent Springfield, Illinois businessmen: John T. Stuart, former partner of Abraham Lincoln; John Williams, the president of a local bank; William B. Miller; and John W. Bunn. In 1870, capital totaling $100,000 was raised through the issuing of stock. The new company was named the Springfield Watch Co., and Adams, who had connections with the Elgin Watch Co., visited their operations and rturned with qualified key personnel.Production began the following year with 18 size full plate movements patented by D.C. Currier, which slightly improved on earlier Waltham and Elgin full-plate calibers. In particular, Currier claimed that the mainspring barrel could be removed without disassembling the back plate. By 1875, the company had sold 30,000 of Currier's movements in nine grades, with differentiations based on the degree of adjustment. Interestingly, the grades were named after the company officials and their wives. Rearding pricing, the lowest unadjusted grade cost about $8; the highest "Stuart" grade cost five times more. The cost of adjusting to temperature and isochronism was approximately $4 per watch.Despite the firm's apparent success, expenses soon exceeded income, and in 1877 the company was reorganized as the "Illinois Springfield Watch Co." John W. Bunn was the only one to remain on the new Board of Directors. The new President, Erastus N. Bates, resigned a year later after receiving a nomination to run for Treasurer of the State of Illinois. In 1877, the name of the company was changed for the third time to "Illinois Watch Co." and the new elected president, Jacob Bunn, brother of Johnheld the position until his death in 1897.Unlike Waltham and Elgin, Illinois was a private company, run by the Bunn Family for over half a century. Its private status allowed the company to make quick business decisions. The company's superintendent was Charles E. Mason, whom Adams had brought from Elgin to run the escapement department. Mason introduced stem wound movements, and in 1879 he introduced the fast 18,000 beat, with finer-toothed wheels and pinions. This enabled the company to easily change to higher-grade watches after thentroduction of Standard Time. Adams' watches were easily accepted by Webb C. Ball, and along with Hamilton, Waltham and Elgin, the Illinois Company became one of Ball's major suppliers of "Railroad Standard" watches. Between 1884 and 1890, the company introduced ladies watches, its first 16 size model, and its first watch with straight-line lever escapement-the long time Swiss favorite-as opposed to the lateral lever favored by the English and the Americans.In 1897, Jacob Bunn died and was succeeded by the company's Vice-President, Jacob Bunn, Jr., who ran the company until his death in 1926. In 1910, the company's efforts were increasingly focused on higher grade watches: their 12 size movements had a minimum of 15 jewels. Around this time, Illinois launched its highest grade, "Sangamo Special", which coincided with the erection of an astronomical observatory on the factory premises complete with a precision sidereal clock used for timing purposesIn 1925, Illinois launched a 60-hour power reserve watch, which was an immediate success.In 1927, a year after the death of Jacob Bunn, Jr., the company, which by now was quite prosperous, was sold to Hamilton Watch Co. The Bunn Family invested in a number of other enterprises in Springfield, Illinois, achieving similar success.