1917 6/0 Rare Decagon (10 sided) Sterling Silver Trench Watch, 15J

Loading Add to cart

$1,837.00

• Details
  Illinois “Decagon” Sterling Silver Wristwatch A Rare 1920 Art Deco Treasure
  
  Some watches are familiar. Others feel like buried treasure, long-lost secrets only destiny lets you uncover. This Illinois “Decagon” wristwatch—crafted in solid sterling silver with its bold, 10-sided case and dramatic offset dial—belongs to the latter category. It is a design so rare, so elusive, that in decades of collecting I have seen only this single example. And even among seasoned Illinois collectors, its existence is something of whispered legend.
  
  ### Illinois: Ambition and Artistry
  
  To understand why this watch matters, you must understand the company that birthed it. The Illinois Watch Company began in 1870 in Springfield, Illinois, producing high-grade pocket watches that earned a sterling reputation for reliability and precision. In the early 20th century, as the world shifted from waistcoat to wrist, Illinois moved boldly into wristwatch design—embracing the energy of the Art Deco era with daring shapes, precious metals, and refined dials.
  
  
  Unlike their Swiss rivals, Illinois did not lean solely on heritage or conquest; their reputation was built on innovation and artistry. Their wristwatches of the 1910s and ’20s are now cult favorites—defined by daring geometry, rich materials, and meticulous attention to proportion. Collectors prize them not only for their rarity but for their character: watches that combined American grit with Deco elegance.
  
  
  But ambition came at a cost. By the late 1920s, financial mismanagement and the crushing weight of the Great Depression weakened Illinois. In 1927, the company was sold to Hamilton. By 1932, Illinois ceased to exist, a brilliant chapter in American horology abruptly closed. What remains of their wristwatches are relics—fewer with each passing decade, treasures fought over by those who know the name.
  
  
  ### A Survivor Against the Odds
  
  That is what makes this “Decagon” model so extraordinary. Produced around 1917–1920 at the height of Illinois’ creative output, it radiates boldness:
  
  - A solid **sterling silver case** by Wadsworth, signed with the distinctive “I” for Illinois.
  
  - A remarkable **10-sided geometry**, unlike the rounded wristwatches of its peers.
  
  - An **offset dial orientation**, playfully askew but utterly intentional—an aesthetic tilt into the future.
  
  - Powered by the **Grade 903 movement**, a 15-jewel American engine designed for reliability.
  
  Watches like this were almost destined for extinction. Sterling silver cases were susceptible to scrapping when silver prices rose. The Decagon’s unusual geometry meant production numbers were low. And Illinois’ bankruptcy ensured there was no return to such daring designs. To find one today is an event. To find one fully restored, fully alive, is almost unthinkable.
  
  
  ### Meticulous Restoration
  
  This watch is not just intact—it has been revived with devotion, ensuring that history still breathes within it. Every step of its restoration honored authenticity:
  
  - Full mechanical service by an Illinois specialist, ensuring decades of reliable performance.
  
  - New Old Stock (NOS) crystal, hands, and proper case hardware—sourced painstakingly over months.
  
  - Dial refinished in period-correct detail, elegant and balanced as first intended.
  
  - Sterling silver case hand-polished—not stripped of age, but renewed with quiet brilliance.
  
  - Elegant Italian black leather strap, cut to size and understated in design, letting the case speak.
  
  This is not restoration as erasure. This is *resurrection*.
  
  ### Why It Belongs in a Collection
  
  Words like “rare” are overused in watch collecting, but here the term feels almost insufficient. This Decagon is a piece that eludes even the most determined hunters. To hold it is to hold not just a timepiece but a story of innovation, decline, and improbable survival. Illinois sought to rival the Swiss—and in designs like this, they did. But their bankruptcy froze that ambition in place. Nearly a century later, this rare sterling silver Decagon whispers what might have been, and what miraculously still endures.
  
  For the collector, this is more than acquisition. This is the kind of watch that elevates a collection from interesting to unforgettable, from accumulated to *curated*. It is an outlier, a survivor, the type of piece you wait your entire career to stumble across—and when you do, you do not let it go.
  
  ### The Final Note
  
  This is not simply an Illinois watch.
  
  This is a relic from one of America’s lost watchmaking giants.
  
  This is sterling silver, bold geometry, and survival against the odds.
  
  This is the one that got away from history’s wreckage—and found its way into your hands.
  
  Don’t let it escape again.
  
  ---
  
  Would you like me to make this even more *dramatic and visceral in tone*—leaning further into the *romance of American horology and tragic loss of Illinois*—so it reads like a once-in-a-lifetime find being offered in hushed reverence?
• Shipping & Policies

  Shipping from United States

  Processing time

  3-5 business days

  Customs and import taxes

  Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.

  Payment Options

  Secure options

  • Accepts Etsy gift cards

  Returns & Exchanges

  I gladly accept returns, exchanges, and cancellations

  Just contact me within: 14 days of delivery

  Ship items back to me within: 30 days of delivery

• Custom or personalized orders
• Perishable products (like food or flowers)
• Digital downloads
• Intimate items (for health/hygiene reasons)
• Items on sale

Conditions of return

Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.

Questions about your order?

Please contact me if you have any problems with your order.