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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Serial-number guide

E. Howard & Co. / Howard Watch Company Serial Numbers

Needs research

What a E. Howard & Co. / Howard Watch Company serial number can establish, what it cannot, and how to record a date estimate another researcher could check.

Diagram

maker or gradeserialcase hallmarksimport and assay marks
Schematic: where markings are found. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Method

Reading the number, step by step

  1. 1. Find the movement number

    As with the other American manufacturers here, movement serials and case numbers are independent sequences; this matters especially for Howard given the added complication of the brand-name discontinuity between the two company eras.

  2. 2. Understand what it encodes

    Movement serial numbers from the original E. Howard & Co. era are documented in specialist reference works on the company and can suggest an approximate production era; later Keystone-Howard production is a separate research question and should not be dated against the earlier company's tables.

  3. 3. Judge how precise the date can be

    Needs-research: confirm which 'Howard' era a given watch belongs to before applying any serial table, since applying the wrong era's table would misdate the watch entirely.

  4. 4. Check the records behind the tables

    The Howard name was used across more than one distinct company history (the original Boston-based E. Howard & Co. and a later, unrelated Keystone-owned 'Howard' brand), and surviving factory documentation differs between these periods; NAWCC-affiliated researchers treat the two eras separately when compiling serial information.

Quick facts

Manufacturer
E. Howard & Co. / Howard Watch Company
Dating confidence
Estimate only — see notes
Editorial status
Needs research

Sources & references

  1. NAWCC published research distinguishing E. Howard & Co. from later Keystone-Howard production
  2. Specialist reference works on E. Howard & Co. watches and clocks

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.

Limits

What the number does not prove

Questions

Frequently asked

Where is the serial number on a E. Howard & Co. / Howard Watch Company watch?
As with the other American manufacturers here, movement serials and case numbers are independent sequences; this matters especially for Howard given the added complication of the brand-name discontinuity between the two company eras.
What do E. Howard & Co. / Howard Watch Company serial numbers mean?
Movement serial numbers from the original E. Howard & Co. era are documented in specialist reference works on the company and can suggest an approximate production era; later Keystone-Howard production is a separate research question and should not be dated against the earlier company's tables.
How accurate is dating a E. Howard & Co. / Howard Watch Company watch by serial number?
Needs-research: confirm which 'Howard' era a given watch belongs to before applying any serial table, since applying the wrong era's table would misdate the watch entirely.
Where are E. Howard & Co. / Howard Watch Company production records held?
The Howard name was used across more than one distinct company history (the original Boston-based E. Howard & Co. and a later, unrelated Keystone-owned 'Howard' brand), and surviving factory documentation differs between these periods; NAWCC-affiliated researchers treat the two eras separately when compiling serial information.

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