The E. Howard & Co. Story

Howard & Company takes its name from Edward Howard, a mechanical genius and founder of the company in the mid 19th century. Howard's greatest concern was that each and every clock bearing his name be made to his uncompromising standards. He insisted upon and further developed only the most reliable designs, using only the highest quality materials available. Howard Clocks were originally purchased by those requiring extremely reliable timepieces -- railroads, jewelers, and observatories. The functional design of a Howard Clock -- a modestly unadorned clock with simple glasses -- made it the logical selection for banks, offices, and schools as well. Purchases were made for a wide variety of government buildings; the National Lighthouse Service acquired many for coastal timekeeping. Today, Edward Howard's tradition of fine craftsmanship is carried on. The great majority of the work performed on each clock is still done by hand. Each clock case is crafted from select solid hardwoods. Depending on the particular model, Howard Clocks are made of either Honduras mahogany or black walnut. Each case is cut, assembled, sanded, and finished by hand. Because of the subtle variations in the texture and grains of the wood hues, no two Howard clocks are completely alike. Each is a unique timepiece that recalls an era of high artistry and reflects the discriminating taste of the owner. The heart and life of each clock is the famous Howard movement. The beauty of the movement is that it is precisely made to the same specifications as the design that was perfected in 1842 by Edward Howard, but with superior materials to those available over 100 years ago. Considerable hand work is required in the processing and finishing of each movement. Today, as formerly, only the finest materials are used in construction. The plates are of substantial hard brass. When the wheels and pinions are cut, special attention is given to the forms of the teeth and leaves, which must be finished correctly to provide smooth power transmission. The verge is made from the best hardened tool steel available, and the impulse faces are hand lapped. Each Howard movement is carefully tested for accuracy before and after casing. For over 100 years, other clockmakers have copied the Howard movement but have never been able to equal its accuracy and reliability. Born in 1813 in Hingham, Massachusetts, Edward Howard was not yet 18 when he became the gifted protege of Aaron Willard, Jr., a master craftsman with a clock manufacturing plant in Roxbury. There Howard met and became friends with a fellow apprentice, David P. Davis. Throughout the 1830's, under Willard's instruction, the two young men became thoroughly skilled in making the Massachusetts clocks of their day. It was here that Howard, deeply influenced by the master clockmaker, learned the uncompromising standards of quality that would guide him through his own manufacturing career. When they had completed their apprenticeship, Howard and Davis were invited to join the firm of Luther Stephenson, a prominent scale and balance maker. Soon, however, the two younger men were ready to go into business for themselves. When they did, in 1847, they concentrated their efforts on producing clocks of exceptional quality. As Howard applied himself to refining the eight day movement, their reputation for making precision timepieces spread. For the next ten years, under the name Howard and Davis, their clientele grew to include homeowners, businesses, and institutions throughout New England and beyond. At the same time, Howard took a growing interest in diversification. He had many ideas for new products, and enjoyed discussing them with friends whose judgment he respected. One of these was Aaron Dennison, a watchmaker for the well - known jewelers, Currier and Trott. On their walks in the Boston common, Howard and Dennison had often pondered the fact that no two watches by the same maker were alike. They knew that because of these differences, watches were costly to produce, difficult to repair, and too expensive for the average consumer to afford. Dennison had visited Springfield, Massachusetts, where rifles were being manufactured with interchangeable parts. Accordingly, in 1850, Howard and Dennison set up a building solely for this purpose. Because of this venture, the two men are today considered the fathers of the American watch. Several years passed, however, before their idea came into its own. In the meantime, differences arose between the partners as Dennison's interest in the rate of production came up against Howard's insistence on quality. His refusal to compromise on high standards of workmanship gave Howard the reputation of being a reactionary and obstructionist in his field. He was convinced, however, that profitability and integrity of the product could be achieved in manufacturing under his guidance. His opportunity to prove this came in 1857, when both David Davis and Aaron Denison left the firm to devote their efforts to other related ventures. For the first time, Howard was free to conduct a business in accordance with own ideas, and the E. Howard & Company trademark was adopted. In the years that followed, Howard's clocks and watches became an integral part of the way Americans kept time. Factories that operated on strict production schedules used Howard clocks to help maintain them. The major railroads came to depend on Howard timepieces in their stations and dispatchers' offices. Scientists in observatories, laboratories, and schools relied on Howard regulators to calculate even the most precise experiments. For churches, city halls, and courthouses, Howard made tower clocks that usually became the most reliable source of time in the surrounding areas. The San Francisco Ferry building, the Boston Custom House, and buildings similar to these were also equipped with the company's tower clocks. Jewelers used Howard street and post clocks to advertise the accuracy of their products. Today, many of these clocks are still keeping time well within one minute per week, although some are over 100 years old. Between the 1930's and the 1960's, interest in inexpensive electric clocks surpassed the desire for the classic beauty of Howard's weight driven timepieces. As a result, the company discontinued wall clock manufacturing in 1958. Fortunately, this was not the end of Howard clocks. In the 1970's, a segment of the American public not content with low-priced but short lived merchandise turned its interest to the durable, hand crafted products of the past. As the demand increased the Howard company responded by once again producing weight driven clocks of traditional design.

More on E. Howard & Co.

For more information on the Simon Willard 95A, including detailed pictures, click here. To go back to the main E. Howard & Co. page, click here.

Copyright 2001 La Crosse McCormick