Abbott Watch Co. Watch closed last night

[HenryB]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=10299&item=4109980475&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Looks like a decent discription from the seller, and gotta admit, first one I have seen.

Shugart's does not think much of them though :smile:

[HenryB]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=10299&item=4109980475&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Looks like a decent discription from the seller, and gotta admit, first one I have seen.

Shugart's does not think much of them though :smile:

[doug sinclair]

Henry,

That one sure looks like a Keystone Howard series 7 to me. In itself not rare, but an unusual private label version I suspect.

[HenryB]

If I remember Shugart's discussion under Abbot watches, I believe all Abbot Co. Watches were produced as Howard/Keystones.

Of course , as usual, at work, with no reference materials. :biggrin:

[doug sinclair]

Henry,

By Golly! You are correct! You must have a photographic memory!

[IMHO]

Hi Henry,

The Abbott story is interesting - but I believe Abbott's patent was for an add-on to keywinders to make them stem winders. He later sold Howard PL's marked Abbott after having earlier licensed his stem wind design to E. Howard.

But for inventing the stem wind mechanism, Audemars was making stem winding mechanisms for Patek Philippe as early as 1839. And Adrien Philippe of Patek Philippe won an award for a stem wind design in 1844 and started selling his own design in Patek Philippe watches in 1845. I believe his perfection of the mechanism generally holds him as the father of the modern stemwind mechanism.

Dave

[Tom McIntyre]

Does anyone know if the Abbott Watch Co. had anything to do with Henry Abbott of the winding /setting attachment?

I think these watches are Series 3 Keystone Howards that were blown out through Abbott Sure Time as a discount channel. The contemporary ads have them at very low prices.

[HenryB]

Tom
All I have is Shugarts and now that you mention it, Shugart does NOT state that these Abbott's are the same person.

[Jerry Treiman]

You may want to look at the following thread about these Howard watches on the International Horology Chapter website
http://nawcc-***-mb.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=3206049661&f=1086047761&m=464000227&r=2306011675#2306011675

[Tom McIntyre]

Interesting thread Jerry. With respect to the weight of the gold cases, I have seen OF as light as 12 dwt and HC at 15 dwt. One has to be careful to pick such watches up by the pendant. If you press on the front you can break the crystal. :eek:

[IMHO]

Here's another information link to Abbott - from the NAWCC website.

Abbott Papers at the NAWCC Library (http://www.nawcc.org/headquarters/pub/articles/feb01.htm)

[Ken Hags]

Just an interesting addition...look at page 150 of the 2003 Cooksey Shugart Book (Ball Watches)...lower left corner. Shows Keystone's attempt at exciting Ball by producing a supposed 'prototype' for him. The same watch as shown in the Abbott listing except the winding wheels reversed (typical of the difference between hunting and open face).

Ken Hags NAWCC-0153372