Newbie

[Down East]

Hello, I am new to the Message Board, and yes, I have submitted a Membership Application to NAWCC, but time marches slowly, and the process will take up to three weeks. In any event, I have some photos of three of my pocket watches, and thought I would post a link to them for opinions, comments and the like. I would like to thank Kent, who posts often on this board for his kind help with the Cleveland Ball RR watch. Knowledge is power, and I am sure that Members of this board will have many helpful insights about these watches. For those of you who take time and offer your observations, many thanks in advance! Now... on to the good stuff!

Here is a link to my photos!

http://public.fotki.com/9C1Nova/pocket_watches/

[Down East]

Hello, I am new to the Message Board, and yes, I have submitted a Membership Application to NAWCC, but time marches slowly, and the process will take up to three weeks. In any event, I have some photos of three of my pocket watches, and thought I would post a link to them for opinions, comments and the like. I would like to thank Kent, who posts often on this board for his kind help with the Cleveland Ball RR watch. Knowledge is power, and I am sure that Members of this board will have many helpful insights about these watches. For those of you who take time and offer your observations, many thanks in advance! Now... on to the good stuff!

Here is a link to my photos!

http://public.fotki.com/9C1Nova/pocket_watches/

[doug sinclair]

Hi,
Welcome to the NAWCC and the NAWCC Message Board. You're in good company! Stick around. You'll learn a lot. And delve into the NAWCC website for all the benefits offered by NAWCC.

I see a very nice Keystone Howard 12-size with original fitted wooden box. Family treasures like this are important in a collection. Very nice! I see a WWII Elgin "jitterbug" timer exactly like one in my collection. I see a 16-size Ball ORRS, apparently by Hamilton. I have one of those as well. Nice watches. And I see what appears to be a 6-size Waltham ladie's watch. One can never have too many watches.

We'll expect to have more posts from you as time passes.

Happy New Year!

[Kent]

Down East:

Regarding the Elgin timer, basic information about an Elgin watch, including its approximate date of manufacture, can be obtained by using the serial number on the movement (the "works"), not the case, to look the watch up on Wayne Schlitt's Elgin watch web site at <span class="ev_code_brown">elginwatches.com</span>. Choose "Elgin Databases" on the left-hand side of the page and then "Serial Number Lookup." Be sure to type in the serial number without any spaces or commas. If you enter a space and then "v=13" after the serial number, notes on surviving examples will be included in the ensuing report. These were as reported to Wayne, or as he found them on them internet. After you look up your watch, choose "Watch Codes" from the menu in the left-hand side of the page, that's where the abbreviations are explained. There is a lot of other good information on the site on Elgin watches and on pocket watches in general. Its well worth a couple of hours to go through different sections.

For the Howard:
The following information is mostly based upon “The Howard Ten Size Watch,” Arthur N. Borg, NAWCC Bulletin No. 129 (August 1967): pp.941-64.

The Keystone Watch Case Co. purchased the rights to use the Howard name on watches sometime around 1903, reportedly to provide a market for their better grades of cases. At first, the firm had watches built under the E. Howard name by the American Waltham Watch Co., which Keystone-Howard then marketed. The watches were labeled "E. Howard Watch Co."

Its said that Keystone "finished" these watches at the New York Standard Watch Co., a firm, based in New Jersey, already owned by Keystone. However, it may be that the "finishing" may have simply meant mounting a dial and placing the movement in a case. The reason for the quotation marks is that the term "finish" in the watch industry usually refers to the process of turning a set of raw movement parts into a smoothly functioning movement, as well as adding whatever decorating that was to be done. The overall quality of watches produced by Standard was well below the high grade watches that Keystone-Howard offered and the New York Standard plant may not have had the necessary capability of such fine work.

Back in 1901, the Philadelphia Watch Case Co. had purchased the U.S. Watch Co. at Waltham, see:
<span class="ev_code_brown">elginwatches.org/scans/non_elgin_articles/m_1901_philadelpha_buys_US_watch_co.html</span>
<span class="ev_code_blue">To view, go to the </span><span class="ev_code_brown">Elgin Watch Collectors Site Home Page</span> <span class="ev_code_blue">at</span> <span class="ev_code_brown">elginwatches.com</span>, <span class="ev_code_blue">then copy and paste the address in your browser's address bar and click on </span>'Go'.
In 1904, Keystone, Philadelphia and a number of other watch case companies merged, continuing under the Keystone name. Thus, Keystone acquired a watch factory in Massachusetts in 1904. By 1905, Keystone-Howard had patented a 16-size, 17-jewel, three-quarter plate movement design which they began making in both hunting-case and open-face versions under the “E. Howard Watch Co.” name. Keystone-Howard stopped manufacturing watches around 1930, a victim of the Depression. The rights to the Howard name for use on watches was then sold to Hamilton.

Pictures and some catalog information on Keystone-Howard watches can be viewed at the excellent E. Howard Watch Co. (http://www.awco.org/EHowardWatch/index.htm) website. Additional pictures and more information can be viewed at Howard Pocket Watches 1858-1930 (http://www.oldwatch.com/howard.html). Its believed that all Keystone-Howard watches were furnished in Howard-signed gold, or gold-filled Keystone or Crescent (a Keystone company) cases. Keystone-Howard’s railroad grade watches are discussed in some detail in the NAWCC Bulletin, April 1999, pages 191-206.

Good luck,

[Dr. Jon]

Your Keystone Howard has a nice unusual feature, the Geneva stop work on the winding wheel.