E. Howard Watch Co. Boston

[oldtec]

I inherited a pocket watch from my father's estate that belonged originally to his older brother and possibly to my grandfather before that. The case is engraved with my uncle's initials but the medallion on the watch chain was from the Long Island Railroad Athletic Association, circa 1927 (my grandfather was a railroad blacksmith).

The case is 14k white gold, the serial number on the watch works is 22094 and indicates 17 J. It appears that the end of the hour hand has broken off and is free-floating beneath the crystal. In its present condition, it does not keep time.

I have tried using Google to acquire some information about this timepiece and found NAWCC. I am hoping that one of you knowledgeable collectors can shed some light on this mystery. I would love to know when the watch was made and how common or rare it is. Many thanks for reading my post and for any help that you may provide.

 

[Tom McIntyre]

Your 10 size E. Howard Watch Co. watch could date from 1927. I do not believe we have an accurate serial number to date correlation for these watches. They are in their own serial number sequence, independent of the larger watches from the company. This model was made in 17, 19 and 21 jewels. It is technically a rather advanced example of American watch making. If you are using Internet Explorer, you can view this PowerPoint presentation on the E. Howard Watch Co. and how it developed. http://awco.org/EHowardWatch/BridgesMiddlesex_files/frame.htm. The presentation does not work well with other browsers.

 

[oldtec]

Thank you kindly for your reply. I followed the link to the presentation that you suggested and I believe that the watch showcased on slide 28 very closely resembles mine. I have begun to search for NAWCC watchmakers in my area and have found a couple that I plan to contact for repair estimates. If possible, I hope to restore this to working order and pass it along to my own son as a keepsake. It will be a terrific memento from a grandfather who passed on in 1935, twelve years before I was born. Thanks again!