Correct! Old watch new to me, but not nearly as old as many found here!
These really are beautifully made and finished watches. We recently talked a little about "bridge model" watches and noted that the peak of this style are made with "true" (i.e. fully separate) center bridges, like your Howard.
mb.nawcc.org
Actually, I just wrote a bit of pre-history to your Keystone-Howard, discussing the brief period after the original E.Howard & Co. stopped making watches and contracted with Waltham to make their movements, into the period when Keystone was preparing to produce their own E. Howard Watch Co. watches, including these lovely bridge models. https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/waltham-howard-research.126865/
pocketwatchdatabase.com
Judging by the estimated production of hunting-case, Series 0 watches shown in the E. Howard Watch Co., just over 2,800 HC movements were built (vs. 12,500 OF).
| No. of Stars | Term | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| ***** | Rare | 1-25 |
| **** | Scarce | 100 |
| *** | Very Few | 350 |
| ** | Sparse | 1,000 |
| * | Uncommon | 2,500 |
It is pendant-set. The watch is keeping excellent time. Is it correct that these will run approximately 12 hours on a wind?
No, it should run at least 30 hours from fully wound, possibly more. Is the crown returning to the winding position fully after you set the hands?
Thanks for posting the numbers on the Series 0, Kent. I understand that the watch may not be "uncommon" or "scarce", as per Shugart/Engles and Gilbert. Perhaps they need another star rating for "relatively uncommon". ;-)
MrRoundel:Thanks for posting the numbers on the Series 0, Kent. I understand that the watch may not be "uncommon" or "scarce", as per Shugart/Engles and Gilbert. Perhaps they need another star rating for "relatively uncommon". ;-)
I had mentioned that my scarcity feeling was based on how it seemed to me (Personal observations implied, methinks.) rather than consulting factory records, etc. So I feel compelled to add that a look through the posted images of Series 0's on pocketwatchdatabase.com (As a sanity check.), I see a ratio of 2 HC configurations against 27 OF, FWIW. The factory numbers you, Kent , are showing, amount to ~82% of total production. So ~7 out of 8 made were OF. The statistics from the observation of the 29 examples of Series 0's on the database, end up closer to being 93% OF, or better than 9 of 10. If the actual production records matched the observations on PWDb images, which would be highly unlikely, there would only be 875 HC movements to 11,625 OF, making it at least Shugart "sparce". Granted, there are many other variables related to who posts what and where, but it sort of bears out my personal observations, i.e., I'm not as crazy as I look.
I'm not claiming that the factory numbers aren't correct, only that it seems, via personal experience, that there is a larger differential between the HC and OF than is indicated. Perhaps people with HC movements don't sell them as often, or are less likely to post images of them. We'll never know.
I'm OK if anyone wants to point out math errors, etc. I never took a statistics class, so I just derived numbers from basic math.
Out of morbid curiosity, what do you, Kent , show on production number for the 12s HC/OF Keystone Howards. Thanks again. Cheers.
Ed and I have spent over 35 years collecting data on roughly 65,000 surviving watches, about 6,000 being those made by Keystone Howard.
As first watches go, you picked a good one.
