Featured Can anyone tell me about this E. Howard & Co beauty

Serial number 48506
Stem wind and time set but mounted in a heavy brass case

 

Cant help,but thats so cool!

 

Those two guys must have been famous when this was made. It's not the Wright Brothers, but it must be Somebody.

 

Thanks All
the image is the remaining mystery
It was made in Sept 1883 -
N is the largest size movement - corresponds to the standard 18s or size 18 in use by most other manufactures.

Any ideas about how to identify the people on the dial

 

Possibly E. Howard & Son (Co.)?

 

Made in Sept of 1883??? The clothes and hat on the man pictured on the dial look much later than then. Like sometime after 1900.

 

Well, my sight is so off that I would not have known it was men in the photos unless some one mentioned it was two men...................

 

Maybe the picture was added later?

 

Maybe 1883 was a patent number?

 

This watch has been removed from it's original case and placed in the stand at a later date. It likely had a gold case that was sold for scrap along the way. The photos were an option available to personalize a watch dial done after it was sold or perhaps by the jeweler selling it. They were probably well to do but not necessarily famous subjects. 1883 is the date of manufacture according to records of E Howard's serial numbers.

 

Yes, seems right, and the new desktop case is well made.

I like it as a desktop time piece and will keep it as is for now, but my days are numbered (I have IPF) and when I am ready to sell it will it sell better in a standard case and if yes, what kind of case?

Your thoughts welcome-

Best

Mo

 

it's a fine case
leave it there
sell it now

 

I would sell it as it is. E Howard collectors are picky and you would likely never find a correct case for it. A watch that is an obvious re case in a sub standard case has no more value then one mounted in a stand like this one in the instance of a watch like an E Howard. Many of their cases were gold and have been scrapped. There will be a market for it as it is.

 

I am not an E Howard person but after a little quick research in my watch books it appears that an E Howard 18 size is actually slightly larger then the 18 sizes manufactured by other American watch makers so it would only fit in an E Howard case. Sometimes cases can be interchangeable among the early watches taking into account variables such as lever position among other things but this would require an E Howard case only. That is why someone has made the nice display case because finding a case proved difficult
.

 

Maybe a present from a father to his son.