Re: Illinois pocket watches, I know embarrassingly little about them. The Railroad Dispatcher looks very nice. Basically interested in early '40s or earlier, not picky about about maker (due to ignorance), and it should have a case that snaps closed. I've truly not begun to research it. Spent a long time tracking down an Elgin pilot's wristwatch (A-II), now slowly turning my sights to the pocket watch. :-P
Yeah, I managed to get a rather nice Illinois here in the Philippines - the seller actually brought it back from the US (likely he either worked there or has relatives there).
It is not "the" top-of-the line model of that time (mid to late '20s) but "better than average" anyway. It is a 'Marquis Autocrat' in a beautiful white gold case and with a 17j movement adjusted 3 positions.
It also came with a beautiful chain.
The only downside to it was the dial:
It is not "aging" or staining, it is actually the paint rubbed off the surface that makes those dark spots. I suspect someone was trying to clean the markers and didn't know how to properly clean the dial.
But, on the upside - the movement is in beautiful shape with not a speck of rust or other corrosion.
The case and the chain [pics do NOT do justice] look like they just got out of the factory - no wear or softening of detail in all those intricate engravings - just the typical hairline scratches in the mirror surfaces.
On a vintage watch forum, one writer said it was:
"I would put the manufacture date to 1926. This model is a grade 525 extra thin model 3, like the wrist watches they were sold by case names, your case is a Eton model and were factory cased."
I ended up paying about US$115, shipped, at the exchange rates at the time. Today that would be about US$112.
According to info I've read, the center wheel could be anywhere from gold-plated, to gold-filled, to a low karat solid gold! As one writer said: "Most watch wheels are brass, frequently gilded. But on high-end watches they are actually gold alloy. Illinois was particularly fond of using gold center, third, and fourth wheels in their Bunn and Sangamo pocket watches. Hamilton did is less often than Illinois, though the center wheels of 992 and 950 pocket watches are gold. Some 950s had the gold train, like Illinois. My Illinois Autocrat has a gold center wheel.
Gold wheels are less common on wristwatches than on pocket watches, though I've seen them on Illinois movements.
Aside from the luxury effect, a gold wheel can be polished better, and so have less friction, than a brass wheel. A gold wheel typically has a very smooth, mirror-like finish; gilt brass looks grainy under magnification. Gold wheels also have rounded spokes: they look like they were made from cast blanks, as opposed to brass wheels, which are stamped out of sheet metal. (Hamilton did also have brass wheels that were nicely finished, with rounded spokes, as on the 992.)
The forces out at the perimeter of a wheel are less than at the arbor, so gold wheels hold up well (and they're alloy, not pure, so they're not so soft as 24K)."
Now, in the Philippines, I have very little access to the hi-end American pocket-watches, but if you live in the US or England (and some other places) you could have very good access to PWs of even higher quality than mine (higher jewel counts, more adjustment, better type of fine-adjuster - meaning more precise, etc.). Some examples (in no particular order) that were quoted in a "Top 10 of Size 12 movements" articles I read were:
1. Hamilton Grade 400, 21j, Adjusted 5 Positions
2. Hamilton Masterpiece, grade922MP, 23j, Adjusted 5 Positions
3. Illinois - grade 299, 21 & 23j variants.
4. Elgin - grade 190 or 194 (or Lord Elgin), 23j
5. Howard "J" size
6. Illinois - Illini 23j, 6 positions adjustment
7. Elgin C. H. Hulburd movement, 8 adjustments, 19j
So, that should get you started on a real hi-quality piece!!