Howard Watches by Hamilton
In 1931 Hamilton bought the goodwill and trademarks of the E.Howard Watch Co. The common story is that Hamilton periodically produced a limited number of "Howard" watches, primarily to protect their interest in the trademark. The Hamilton-Howards include a dozen 10-size pocket watches (grade H917) finished in 1939 and 1,075 wristwatches (14/0 barrel movement, grade H980) produced in 1942 and 1946-1949. The wristwatches may have been produced in these somewhat larger quantities to also test the marketability of the brand. These 17-jewel movements are marked "E. Howard Watch Co., Lancaster, Pa., USA"
Research Courtesy Jerry Treiman
The H980 wristwatches were assigned serial numbers HW001-HW1075 although one source indicates that only 1,021 Howard wristwatches were produced. The first examples were cased in solid gold but the bulk were cased in 10K gold-filled cases by Wadsworth.
The H917 was numbered in its own sequence -- HWR1 to HWR12. The grade H917 is basically the same as the 917 except for the markings and serial numbers. The case is a Keystone 10K gold filled case that is very similar to that used on regular production gr.917 watches of the same era.
Jerry Treiman Collection