Welcome to the NAWCC American Pocket Watch Message Board! What other considerations must be taken into account besides the condition of the movement (running & keeping time), the dial (cracks or chips), and the case (materials) to best determine the value of a watch? Why do some watches listed on eBay vary so much in asking price? Is it just pipe dreams by the seller who are asking too much or are some of these really worth that much more than others that are similar? If so, why and what determines that value? I don't want to get ripped off, just want to know that the price I'm paying for a watch is fair and inline with current market value.

What determines this? I know a solid gold case would make a difference, but other than that does the case make a huge difference in value? Are there other things that must be considered to determine the value of a watch? Is there a resource that can be used to help determine the value of a watch? I'm very interesting in collecting several of these as they are beautiful works of art, but I'm hesitant to jump right in.

The date of production may only be several years difference but the asking price discrepancy can be several hundred dollars apart. The jewel count and positions are the same. What is causing my confusion is that the only differences I see in some of these are the case. I've seen a couple that sell for a lot more than that but those have specially marked dials and I understand the higher price for these rarities. But I see several watch 'models', such as a Bunn Special 60 hour, that sell for anywhere from $200 to $300, others of the same type sell for between $500 to $700 and then I've seen some that are asking upwards of $1,000. So I understand why a Bunn Special RR grade watch would sell for a lot more than a 'typical' Illinois watch, such as the one I've got. I looked at watches on eBay and noticed that some command a higher asking price than others, such as the Bunn or Sangamo specials. I've really become fascinated by these watches and am interested in collecting, but I'm having a difficult time wrapping my head around the costs and pricing for these. I'm not interested in knowing the value of the watch I've got as it's sentimental value to me is immeasurable. I'm new here but I've read enough to know that pricing and putting a value on a watch is taboo here and I hope this post isn't crossing the line. I'm currently in the process of finding a local person with whom I trust to service and inspect it to ensure it stays in the family for a long time.

I've always like watches, and after receiving my grandfathers, inspecting it and researching information on it, I've discovered what wonders of art and marvels of engineering these things are. I'm new to all of this, just recently inherited my grandfathers 1930 Illinois Watch Co.

Illinois gold pocket watch value