Pocket Watch Experts - 14K E Howard PW - Thoughts?

Larry S · Aug 9, 2025

Greetings… This very cool watch is in amazing condition but isn’t running. Its been in my friend’s family, mothers side, for a century or more. I’ve advised him to take it to our local watchmaker, MJ to get it serviced. I’d very much appreciate any insights based on experience and an estimate of its value. The clipper ship seems to indicate some association with shipping but his genealogy efforts show no associations in the family tree. He plans to leave it to his son but I am pushing him to get it serviced now. (He jokes that he has ten years left) … Thanks!

Canuck · Aug 9, 2025

Value? The hunter case likely weighs about 40 to 50 grams. With gold at its current market value, you be the judge. The E Howard company produced three grades of movement. Hound (unadjusted), horse (adjusted), and stag (railroad grade). This movement has a stag engraved on it. I was unable to read the s#, but I would guess it was made circa 1885.

Larry S · Aug 9, 2025

Canuck
Value? The hunter case likely weighs about 40 to 50 grams. With gold at its current market value, you be the judge. The E Howard company produced three grades of movement. Hound (unadjusted), horse (adjusted), and stag (railroad grade). This movement has a stag engraved on it. I was unable to read the s#, but I would guess it was made circa 1885.

Interesting … that’s about what I told him it was worth. So no collector value beyond melt?

Canuck · Aug 9, 2025

There are as many opinions as to the worth of this watch as there are people who might offer an opinion. With the melt value as a starting point, offers from anyone genuinely interested should start from there. I love the watch, but not enough to pay what I’d have to, in order to acquire it! How about you?

Larry S · Aug 9, 2025

Canuck
There are as many opinions as to the worth of this watch as there are people who might offer an opinion. With the melt value as a starting point, offers from anyone genuinely interested should start from there. I love the watch, but not enough to pay what I’d have to, in order to acquire it! How about you?

Same … I fear his kids might just see a lump
Of gold. I will tell him that an auction would be the way to ascertain upside should it come to that. I was smitten as soon as I got it open.

pdxleaf · Aug 10, 2025

Larry S
I was smitten as soon as I got it open

Isn't this why we're all still here?
A friend couldn't ask for anything more.

That ship has a scrimshaw vibe. Seems like there'd be way to find out the family connection. There's probably a good story here. Not everyone had 14k watches.

DaveK · Aug 10, 2025

RE the ship, The watch could have been won in a poker game, or received as a frequent-flyer gift from a seaside brothel, or received in exchange for honest work done. 140+/-years is a long time for any avenue of acquisition to have happened. If your friend is going to keep it, then I’d get it serviced now, parts aren’t getting any easier to find.

Canuck · Aug 10, 2025

DaveK
RE the ship, The watch could have been won in a poker game, or received as a frequent-flyer gift from a seaside brothel, or received in exchange for honest work done. 140+/-years is a long time for any avenue of acquisition to have happened. If your friend is going to keep it, then I’d get it serviced now, parts aren’t getting any easier to find.

Parts difficult to locate? Especially on an E Howard watch. At the turn of the 20th century, E Howard & Co. encouraged owners of watches that required repair, return them to the factory owing to the lack of total interchangeability of parts for their watches. I have one much like the subject watch. I needed a balance staff for it some years ago. Had to end up making a balance staff for it!

The latter day company (E Howard Watch Co.) likewise is hard to find parts for.

TexOmega · Aug 10, 2025

pdxleaf
Isn't this why we're all still here?
A friend couldn't ask for anything more.

That ship has a scrimshaw vibe. Seems like there'd be way to find out the family connection. There's probably a good story here. Not everyone had 14k watches.

Lovely pocket watch, extremely high end for the era. Nice family heirloom, hopefully.

Got me to thinking….love me some scrimshaw...a gift/remembrance of a trip to Bar Harbor 40 years ago.

On Wooly Mammoth Ivory by Peter Lajoie