I just bought an Illinois 12 size 19 jewel adj. watch with the name Patrician marked on the movement. It looks pretty fancy with gold flashed screws, regulator, gold wheel train and gold jewel settings. I can't find anything on this watch in the Shugart guide. Can any of you Illinois fans tell me anything about this watch?

scott what is the serial # on the movement..

Hey, Scott . . . Did you try to match the movement with one of the illustrations on pp 297 & 298 in Shugart's, #24, 2004 ?

As near as I have been able to tell, the "Patrician" was just another of the many names that Illinois put on various number-grade movements. I have seen 12-size 17j (gr.405) and 19j (gr.406) as well as the equivalent 16-size watches (gr.305 & 306). I do not know if it was a label for a particular retailer or intended to be related to the Aristocrat. Most that I have seen have serial numbers in the low 4-millions.

I have noticed these watches peripherally to research I am doing on the Patrician watches made by Waltham. In the 'teens and perhaps into the early 20s the Patrician name was owned by casemaker H.W.Matalene and used exclusively on Waltham movements in his cases. (I am always eager to hear of any examples of these watches).

Probably a little later the name was registered to J.W. Forsinger of Chicago, and this may be related to the Illinois watches.

In 1935 the Patrician name was used by Gruen (according to Ehrhardt's Trade Mark book), probably as a style name for a complete watch.

I expect that Scott's is similar to this one.

Jerry, Mine is just like yours.