I am looking for information on the collectibility of my model 1862 E. Howard & Co. gold pocket watch with Reeds patent, serial #22010. I am told that it is a size 18, manufactured between 1861-1871, and that it is a series III, 15 jewel watch, in its W. P. & Co case #1043. It is key wound and in perfect working order and aesthetic condition. Unfortunately this site will not allow me to upload photographs due to size limitations. However, I am happy to email photographs it someone has information they are willing to share with me.

I enjoy the watch and carry it often. However, when I last had it serviced by a specialist a collector friend recommended, I was approached by several people interested in buying the piece for amounts I would have thought unheard of prior to reading about some of the items discussed on this forum. Now I am uncomfortable walking around with my watch on a daily basis, and only wear it on special occasions.

If anyone has information about this watch please respond and let me know if it is of interest from a collection perspective, or if I should just enjoy it and pass it down to my nephew. Thank you in advance for your advice.

If you want to email the photos I can resize and post them for you. Click on my profile for the email address.

If you have a Mac computer I can tell you how to resize, Here. If a PC someone else may chime in.

You can also change the image size in your camera settings to VGA which will give proper size images for this forum.

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I'm not an expert on early Howards but the Price Guide (which you can get at a discount if you become an IHC member) shows a list of initials for most of the Solid Gold Watch Case Companies used by E. Howard & C0.

On that list is W P & Co = Wheeler Parsons & Co.

Were it me I would enjoy it and one day pass it on.

I think the I finally created a file size in line with requirements. This is the movement of the E Howard & Co series III, 15 jewel, size 18 in the W P & CO 14K gold double hunter case. From the serial number (22010) I believe it to have been manufactured in the mid 1860's.

Can anyone tell me if this is what is referred to as a Mershon regulator? Anything else I can learn about this watch will be appreciated.

Looks like a Mershon to me.

That rigging on the right of your pic that looks like a Maltese cross is called a stop works, I am unable to expand on the explanation below:

The stop-works and the fusee mechanism were both intended to address the problem of isochronism; the stop-works by limiting the mainspring to its "mid-range" i.e. not allowing either a fully-wound or fully-unwound condition, and the fusee by "equalizing" the pull of the mainspring by passing its power through a stepped fusee-barrel which compensated for the unequal pull of the spring.

Image from PWDB