Reintroducing...E.F. Bowman

Some news from Lancaster PA. RGM (Roland Murphy) have introduced, or possibly reintroduced E.F. Bowman watches.

Courtesy of E.F. Bowman

For those of you (like me) unaware, E.F.Bowman was Ezra F. Bowman. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania he apprenticed with a Swiss watchmaker, cofounded an ultimately unsuccessful watch company - Adams & Perry Watch Co. He later opened a jewelry store, and even a watchmaking school.

While it would be easy to assume that this was just the revival of a name, it is, in fact, based upon the RGM 501.

Obviously more to come ; )

Courtesy of E.F. Bowman

RGM is the new steward of the E.F. Bowman legacy, and this new offering shows all the quality and care you would expect from the Mt. Joy PA based brand.

Here are the pertinents, straight from the
source - RGM Model 501-EFB

Constructed using timeless techniques that were used in fine mechanical watches of the past, like the original American-made E. F. Bowman pocket watches of the late 1800s.

The 1920s Patek Philippe pocket watch pictured below, which Patek Philippe originally made for Ezra F. Bowman & Sons, inspired the unique dial and hands of the new Model 501-EFB wristwatch.

Dial: White Grand Feu fired enamel

Hands: Blued steel

Movement Caliber: RGM-finished Swiss-made ASE 200 micro-rotor automatic, 33 jewels, 21,600 vph. Rhodium radial finish - perlage, with RGM made solid gold plaque on the winding rotor. 86-hour power reserve.

Functions: Hour / Minute / Second /

Case: 316L Stainless Steel, 39 mm x 11.3 mm at the top of the crystal. Box-style Sapphire crystal front and flat back crystal, 20mm lug width, and water-resistant to 5-ATM. Case length from lug end to lug end: 48mm. Gold or Platinum can be special ordered.

Weight: 2.5 oz. in stainless steel

Priced at $16,950

Something Interesting Is Coming...

From Chicago -

Courtesy of Cornell Watch Company

This one might be just under the radar, but I suspect that is about to change in the new year.

May I introduce you to the 1870 CE, from the Cornell Watch Company.

The Cornell Watch Company does not have a ton of information on its website, but just enough to whet the appetite for what is meant to be coming in 2024! And while there is more to the (hi)story of the brand, we're going to save that for another time. This new offering is plenty to keep us occupied for the time being.

Courtesy of Cornell Watch Company

The dial is enamel (Grand Feu), and the hands are blued.

The case measures 39 mm, and is of stainless steel -

Courtesy of Cornell Watch Company

The movement hails from La Chaux-de-Fonds (or nearby, anyway) produced by Schwarz Etienne.

The strap is from the Twin City atelier of Velle Alexander.

Courtesy of Cornell Watch Company

Now although based in Chicago, the Cornell Watch Company has turned to perhaps the most important man in US watch making - Roland Murphy of RGM in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

I will be reaching out to the folks at Cornell to see if they can share more details with us.

Stay tuned!

The 350-TZBD “Timezone Big Date”

From RGM -

Courtesy of RGM

The case is stainless steel, and measures 38.7 mm in diameter.  Hours, minutes, seconds, big date, and second time zone indication.

Here are the pertinents -

Technical Data – 350-TZBD 

Movement:

RGM/ETA 2892-A2 automatic 
Timezone and big date module 
21 jewels
28,800 vph
Rhodium Plated 
Côtes de Genève 
Perlage 

Features 

Case:

316L stainless steel
Curved sapphire crystal front 
Sapphire crystal back

Dimensions

Diameter: 38.7mm
Height: 12mm
Width between lugs: 20mm 

Dial: 

Black with Super-Luminova markers 
Arabic numerals
Centered big date
Second time zone
Rhodium hands with Super-Luminova 
Sweep second hand

Crown:

Traditional stainless steel


Strap:

Brown leather with contrast stitching Strap 

Price: 
US$3,700

Straight Outta' Bari

So you are the second generation.  Those who came before you created a pretty successful watch brand.  Do you play it safe, or do you seek your own path?

Courtesy of Giovine 

Well, for Antonio Giovine and his brother Alfredo having seen the success of Lancaster it would be easy to play it safe.  But that wasn't in the plan.

For those of you who are not yet acquainted, allow me to introduce you to Giovine.
A 45 mm stainless steel case, quartz movement offering hours, minutes, seconds and date.
This is the MICHELANGELO TEMPO LEATHER.  

Best of all, the price - 149 Euros.  That's a lot of watch fun for very little cash!