I am confused slightly My question is; I have a 16sz. Illinois ser. # 3,715,681. It is a bridge model of 17 jewels marked PENN SPECIAL on the center wheel bridge and "adjusted" on the barrel bridge. It is stem~set. It has all RGJS which screw down. Is this watch in fact the Pennsylvania Special or would it be some private label type spin-off? The dial is a regular montgomery marked "Illinois" in the traditional arc. I know a "GAMSE" out of N.Y. who ordered a lot of RR named watches, but they were usually also marked "Gamse" on the mvmts and some of the dials. So help me be unconfused with the facts, please regards, bb

Buster

Yours is the Penn Special which is different from the Pennsylvania Special. I am not sure if yours was called a private label or not but it it one of the many names Illinois used.

Yours is a model 7 grade 305 made in 1920, for that grade there were a total of 148.090 made but not all Penn Specials.

From reading in the blue book, it says the Pennsylvania Specials are marked as such, adjusted to 5 or 6 positions & would have a double sunk dial also marked Pennsylvania Special & the 18s had dials marked HMJ&S, it says the Pennsylvania Special was a private label of H.M. Jacobsen & Son.

Hope this helps.

Tom

Thanks Tom,
From your post I get that the "Pennsylvania Specials" marked mvmts are a PL made for H.M. Jacobsen& Son. And I think I get that the ones marked "Penn Special" may be just a regular Illinois production watch such as the "Illinois Central", being how neither are RR approved
I have personally seen a 23 jewel "Pennsylvania Special" marked "finely adjusted". I wonder how that went over with the strict RR requirements
I also am now guessing that HMJ&S must have had some sort of connection with the Pennsylvania RR and ordered these hopefully to be used and sold to the RR employees
Very interesting topic[I think], much obliged Tom, perhaps some more factual comments anyone, please

Buster

I was looking to see if I could find more about those, so far nothing, other than some places have the last name as Jacobson, Meggers had it as Jacobsen in the blue book but son in the gold. I think it is Jacobson.

Tom