Who made the CEH Co. Cases were they strickly for Howards? Also are all Keywind E Howards Key Set from the back?? Thanks

Hi Bob,

Yes, all keywind Howards are both wound and set from the rear. This is one of several reasons why they require special cases. "C.E.H.&Co." stood for "Charles E. Hale & Company." "CEH&Co." cases are most often found housing Model 1858 Type D and Type E (Series II) and very early (S# < 6,000) Model 1862 (Series III) Howard movements, or contemporary Waltham movements (M57, M59, M60-62). Crossman informs us that Chas. E. Hale & Co. was "succeeded in business" in the early 1860's by Wheeler, Parsons & Co., which later became Wheeler, Parsons & Hayes sometime in the 1880's. W.P. & Co. was a large jewelry wholesaler and probably never made their own cases. Hale's successor's trademark was "W.P.&Co.," but many of their cases had a separate, somewhat cryptic marking on the underside of their cuvette, which may have been the actual maker's mark.
Chas. E. Hale & Co. was most likely a similar type of business. In both instances, the Hale or W.P. & Co. private labels probably were put on cases by the actual makers at their customer's requests.

George Townsend, to whom horology owes a great debt for his life's work, unfortunately popularized the incorrect notion that all "E. H. & Co." cases were made by Hale. (He believed that the "E.H.&Co." marking started out as "C.E.H.&Co.," and in his words, "...later the 'C' was dropped..." But this doesn't make a lot of sense when closely examined. Why would the Howard company wish to mark it's cases "C.E.H.&Co.?") Townsend was probably led to this false conclusion by the purely coincidental fact that the "E.H. & Co." marking came into wide use at about the same time the Hale trademark disappeared. However, we know Hale did not make all "E.H. & Co." cases, if indeed he made any at all, for several reasons:

1. The "C.E.H. & Co." marking and the "E.H. & Co." marking were in use simultaneously.
2. The "E.H. & Co." private label trademark, usually located on the inside of the rear case lid, is often found together with the true maker's mark, located on the interior surface of the cuvette. I have seen at least 4 or 5 different maker's marks appearing together with the "E.H. & Co." private label, but I have never seen "E.H.&Co." together with either "C.E.H. & Co." or "W.P. & Co." (Indeed, as discussed above, Hale and W.P.&Co. likely did not actually make watch cases.)
3. The "E.H.&Co." marking continued in use til 1903, long after Chas. E. Hale & Co., and even W.P.&Co., had been "succeeded in business."

Clint

Wow Thanks a million for all the great info.