Need some help identifying this watch , it was part of a 40 watch collection i received. It has a gorgeous dial and is marked harward special on the dial and the movement. it also says "JR Sheaffer and son . Bloomfield illinois. If anybody knows anything about this watch please let me know. I am also open to offers or it will go on the auction soon.Thanks!!!!

its missing second hand, but runs perfect

movement

Kevin,
This is a nice 1903 Hamilton Private label 926.

Grade: 926

Movement Serial Number:294413
To Finishing Dept: Dec 4, 1903
Run Quantity: 1,000
Total Production: 82,406
Size: 18s
Jewels: 17j
Movement Configuration: Openface
Movement Finish: Nickel
Model: 1
Movement Setting: Lever
Plate: Full Plate
Regulator: Micrometer
Adjusted: Yes
Adjusted to Positions: Unknown
Adjusted to Temperature: Yes
Railroad Grade: No

Thanks Dave, The part about the movement i did know, im interested in the private label part.Do you know what Harward special means or who jr shaffer and sons are? how many of these watches are around.

Sorry Kevin,

I'm sure others here might find something for you.

Walter, the Sheaffer Pen Sheaffer was the son of a J.R. Sheaffer.

Assuming of course this is the right J.R. as I didn't read much further than the above.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_A._Sheaffer

There was a jeweler in Bloomfield Iowa by the name of Jacob R. Sheaffer. According to census records he was born about 1838 in Ohio. The earliest I find him listed in Bloomfield is 1870. He is still listed in 1910.

He did have a son Walter so it looks like the same family that Lorne listed.

Also there was a family in Bloomfield Iowa with the last name of Harward, one was a Charles Harward who has a dry good store in 1870.

Tom is right. J. R. was the Father to Walter Sheaffer. Walter became famous for the Sheaffer fountain pens.

Jacob Royer (J.R.) had a tough time but came back from bankruptcy and established 2 jewelry stores in Iowa. You can read a lengthy biography of the Sheaffers at the following URL:

http://www.sheaffertarga.com/S...20of%20sheaffer.html

wow!!! thanks for the info. Anybody have a idea on the value?

Times are tough right now in the watch market and money seems to be scarcer !!

Personal label watches on the average tend to bring less than a regular issued company watch such as a Hamilton Special would be much more desirable than a Harward Special. There is no way to know how many Harward Special's were ordered and made like yours with the exact same markings on the dial & movement perhaps 10, perhaps 100, perhaps more..... Only a small or limited group of dedicated collectors show an interest in personal label watches.

If the dial has no hairline cracks in the porcelain and the watch keeps good time I would say at auction it would be a $200-500 watch today depending on bidding interest. If the dial has even one hairline crack then the price drops and would be cut in half.

Since private label watches were a form of "free" advertising for jewelers and such I would venture to guess that the Sheaffer's & Harward's may have been business associates as they were from the same small town it appears in Iowa thanks to Tom Brown's research. The town and farming community today encompasses 2.28 square miles and has a population of 2,640 people in the southeastern edge of Iowa near the Missouri border.

regards,
bb

Kevin-

As buster said, I would value it at around $200-500 mattering if there are any cracksin the dial or not. I bought one recently last fall of the same only in a little harder grade (929) wiht a mint dial. I paid just over $500 to get it. I grew up in Iowa so I have a want for any private labels from the state

Jared

Here's the dial on mine.

and movement. Fairly similar pattern to the lettering.

The Harward special came with numerous designs/colors. These are beat all to heck, but if anyone is interested in the history of the firm, they are yours.