Brief History: Burlington Watch Company
Chicago, Illinois & Winnipeg, Manitoba
1909 - ca. 1925
The Burlington Watch Company, was a mail-order sales company. By selling directly to the consumer, they were able to eliminate the costly sales and distribution channel. Watches were sold on the "installment plan," which allowed them to be paid off at $2-$3 dollars per month, thus making high-quality watches available to those who otherwise might not be able to afford them..
The majority of watches sold by Burlington were "privately labeled" movements made under contract by the Illinois Watch Company i.e. they are Illinois watches. Some contend that the Burlington Watch Company was a subsidiary of the Illinois Watch Company, but this claim has not been documented. Burlington also sold a small number of movements made by Henry Moser & Co, in Switzerland. These movements may have been sold only in Canada and appear to have been cased in Canadian-made cases. Most American Burlington watches were sold in Burlington-signed gold-filled cases of good quality.
Early Production
In the early years, most of the watches sold by Burlington were 16-size, 19-jewel movements, based on the Illinois Model 5 and Model 9. Many were designated "Burlington Special" and were so signed on the dial. It is curious to note that the "Burlington Special" designation only appeared on the dial, and not on the movement. The 19-jewel watches were discontinued in 1917 when the company began selling a complete line of 21-jewel watches, adjusted to temperature and positions. The most common of these was based on the Illinois Model 9 (photo above).
Fighting the "Trust"
Burlington claimed that the sales and distribution practices of the major watch manufacturers were unfair to consumers because they "fixed prices" and forced consumers to pay too much to the "middlemen." Whether this was just a marketing ploy is unknown, but Burlington often advertised their watches as "Anti-Trust" watches because they were sold directly to the consumer with "no middleman." Burlington's direct-sales, installment payment model was intended to put "... the highest watch value within reach of all."
Burlington Watches in Railway Service
Burlington also contracted with Illinois to produce a small number of 16s, 21-jewel movements in Sangamo grade, which was widely accepted for use in railway service. It is unclear how many other Burlington models were actually accepted for railway service (some certainly were), though Burlington advertised heavily in Railroad Brotherhood Journals, and other publications which catered to railway employees.
In Canada, Burlington sold a Swiss made 16-size, 21-jewel watch which met Railroad Time Service requirements. The watch appears to have only been used for railway service in Canada, and was approved by the Canadian Railroad Time Service. Many American railroads required approved watches to be American-made, so these Swiss-made watches do not appear to have been used in America..
The Burlington "Bull Dog"
One of the more popular Burlington watches was the 16-size, 21-jewel Burlington Bull Dog. It was sold in a Burlington-signed heavy railroad case made by NAWCO, and was signed "Burlington Bull Dog" on the dial. Otherwise, it's identical to other 16-size, 21-jewel Burlington watches and has no additional markings on the movement.
In our opinion, Burlington watches still represent good value to the watch collector. You are essentially buying a higher-grade Illinois movement, but Burlington watches can sometimes be found at lower prices than an equivalent Illinois watch.
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Illinois Watch Company
Illinois Serial Numbers and Production Dates
Total Production: Approx. 5.7 Million Watches
Since the majority of Burlington watches were made by the Illinois watch company, we have included the Illinois serial number table here for convenience. For further information on Illinois watches, please refer to the Illinois Company History Page of this site.
Year | S/N |
---|---|
1872 | 5000 |
1873 | 20,000 |
1874 | 50,000 |
1875 | 75,000 |
1876 | 100,000 |
1877 | 145,000 |
1878 | 210,000 |
1879 | 250,000 |
1880 | 300,000 |
1881 | 350,000 |
1882 | 400,000 |
1883 | 450,000 |
1884 | 500,000 |
1885 | 550,000 |
1886 | 600,000 |
1887 | 700,000 |
1888 | 800,000 |
1889 | 900,000 |
1890 | 1,000,000 |
1891 | 1,040,000 |
1892 | 1,080,000 |
Year | S/N |
---|---|
1893 | 1,120,000 |
1894 | 1,160,000 |
1895 | 1,220,000 |
1896 | 1,250,000 |
1897 | 1,290,000 |
1898 | 1,330,000 |
1899 | 1,370,000 |
1900 | 1,410,000 |
1901 | 1,450,000 |
1902 | 1,500,000 |
1903 | 1,650,000 |
1904 | 1,700,000 |
1905 | 1,800,000 |
1906 | 1,840,000 |
1907 | 1,900,000 |
1908 | 2,100,000 |
1909 | 2,150,000 |
1910 | 2,200,000 |
1911 | 2,300,000 |
1912 | 2,400,000 |
1913 | 2,500,000 |
Year | S/N |
---|---|
1914 | 2,600,000 |
1915 | 2,700,000 |
1916 | 2,800,000 |
1917 | 3,000,000 |
1918 | 3,200,000 |
1919 | 3,400,000 |
1920 | 3,600,000 |
1921 | 3,750,000 |
1922 | 3,900,000 |
1923 | 4,000,000 |
1924 | 4,500,000 |
1925 | 4,700,000 |
1926 | 4,800,000 |
1927 | 5,000,000 |
- Sold to Hamilton - | |
1928 | 5,100,000 |
1929 | 5,200,000 |
1931 | 5,400,000 |
1934 | 5,500,000 |
1948 | 5,600,000 |
- | - |
Be sure to use the serial number on the movement (the works) of the watch. Do not use the serial number from the watch case.
Can’t find your serial number in the table? Click here for an explanation and example of how to use our serial number tables.
Need help finding the serial number on your watch? Click here for instructions on how to identify and open most common case types.
At Renaissance Watch Repair, we are experts in the repair and restoration of Burlington watches. We are also always looking for high-quality Burlington to purchase. Please contact us if you have any questions about the repair of your vintage Burlington watch.
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