An illinois Question: The price guide page 283 lists grade 175 RR grade with a RR inspectors name on movement and dial. I have two of these movements. Each is the same with the exception of the serial numbers.Dial is marked The Edward Butler and the movement is marked: The Edward B Butler Special, both 16 size 17 jewels getty huntercase.The third watch is also a grade 175 but un-marked 16 size 17 jewels huntercase getty.The listing in the book is confusing with the values. Are they all the same values or just the value for the RR watch marked with the name? Thank-you, Neal Nicely

I have had a couple of the Edward Butler Getty watches.

I have checked on this sites: RailRoad watch Inspectors Forum. LINK

And could not tie him to ever being more than a Jewelry Store. If you have any literature that shows that he was a Rail Road Watch Inspector. Please show a photo of the ad.

I also looked in the Illinois Big Book By Bill Meggers. It does not show him as being a RRWI for any railroad.

Eugene --
I also recently acquired an Edward Butler grade 175 and am just now reading the correspondence between you and Neal Nicely from several months ago. Have you been able to turn up any more information on Mr. Butler or on the status/value of these decent grade 175s? This particular timepiece is accurate to w/in 10 sec day, servicing unknown.
Thx,
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I think Edward B. Butler was part of the Butler Brothers based in Chicago Il. They were a large retail and mail order business.

The brother were Edward B. Butler & George Butler. I find them listed back into the 1880's in the Chicago City Directory.

I found an article where Edward died in 1928 in Chicago. It states that he & his brother opened their 1st store in Boston & were the 1st in this country to be in the mail order business. They opened the store in Chicago, they also had stores in New York, Minneapolis, Dallas, and San Fransisco. Edward was born in Lewiston Maine on Dec. 16, 1852.

Good information, Tom. Thank you. There's some historical value in what you stated, but I reckon neither of the Butlers were RR inspectors.

Separately, do you have any information for a Mr. Bothwell, out of San Jose, CA.?
This is another private label double-signed "jobber" watch.
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All I could find is there was a Charles Allen Bothwell who owned his own jewelery store in San Jose. He was born about 1863 in California. I find him listed as a jeweler beginning approximately 1900.

I don't find a listing of him being a watch inspector but that doesn't mean he wasn't. I haven't updated my list in a while, I am now up to 54 pages of inspectors but in this research each time I think I have found all I am going to I will run across some more.

Interesting. Your research is much appreciated, Tom.

I'd like to hear from other collectors who've acquired watches from the San Francisco to San Jose corridor, or the Peninsula, as it is known here in California.