The Railroad Watch is a particularly American institution. These pocket watches were built, tested and regularly checked by railway Time Inspectors to make sure they conformed to rigid specifications. It cannot be emphasized enough how important Railroad Watches were to the safety of train passengers and freight during the late 19th and 20th centuries.

Railroad Watches’ quality, dependability and accuracy made them world famous. They were an important life-or-death tool for railway workers, and a constant source of pride and delight for the general public.

The Illinois Watch Company manufactured some of America’s best Railroad Watches. Produced from 1893 to 1923, the Bunn Special Railroad Grade Pocket Watch is generally recognized as an unimpeachable example of the genre. 

The Ferguson dial is one of the most well-known after-market dials in history and highly prized by collectors. This distinctive dial design was patented by L.B. Ferguson of Monroe, LA. in 1908. The large black minute numerals and smaller red hour numerals give the Ferguson dial a distinctive appearance.

Ferguson’s intent was to draw attention to the minutes rather than the hours and his patented dial accomplished that goal. However, the design flew in the face of conventional dial designs. The rare Ferguson dial could be found on railroad grade timepieces and actively in use on the American railway system.

When you hold this watch in your hand, you can feel the weight of history, the passage of time, the final days of a world without airplanes and automobiles, a world where trains ruled the day when it came to transportation. That this Bunn Special still exists in such good condition speaks to the indomitable spirit of humanity, pressing on into adversity, into time, standing as a testament to those who came before us.