Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Pennsylvania-Based RGM Revives the E.F. Bowman Name with the Model 501-EFB
RGM Watch Co. reconnects with a remarkable chapter of Pennsylvania horology with a traditionally styled wristwatch inspired by a 1920s Patek Philippe made for E.F. Bowman & Sons.
For RGM Watch Co., the return of the E.F. Bowman name reconnects the Lancaster-based independent with a local watchmaking legacy that goes back to the 19th century, and one that has a direct connection to RGM founder Roland G. Murphy. RGM, based in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, is reviving the name from within the same regional horological tradition rather than just borrowing a historical American name. The Model 501-EFB, based on an existing platform, offers contemporary mechanical construction with details intended to recall Bowman’s past watches.
The E.F. Bowman Name
Ezra F. Bowman was born in Lancaster County in 1847 into a family of Swiss descent and developed an early interest in mechanics and watches. Instead of following the usual seven-year apprenticeship system, his father arranged an intensive two-year training period with a Swiss watchmaker. This experience influenced not only Bowman’s career but also his later approach to educating watchmakers.
Bowman opened his jewellery and watch shop at 106 East King Street in Lancaster in 1877. What started as a retail business expanded into wholesale, supplying regional shops with watches, tools and other materials. When his sons joined the business, it became known as Ezra F. Bowman’s Sons, and the company also developed a reputation for watch and jewellery repair. Bowman’s interest in practical horology eventually extended to manufacturing. In 1879, he established the E.F. Bowman Watch Company. He worked with watchmaker and movement designer W.H. Todd, from the Adams & Perry Watch Company and its successor, the Lancaster Watch Company.
The manufacturing operation was small, with only around 50 pocket watches believed to have been produced between 1879 and 1882; the movements were largely handmade, and everything except the balance was reportedly produced in-house. Bowman ultimately abandoned manufacturing and sold the machinery and operation; his greater legacy would instead come through education and the long-running jewellery business.
Bowman began teaching watchmaking informally in the late 1870s, partly because he believed lengthy apprenticeships were an inefficient way to acquire technical skills. By around 1887, the school was formally associated with him and eventually became known as the Bowman Technical School. Watchmaking, jewellery repair and engraving formed the core of its curriculum, establishing an important centre for horological education in the United States. The school and jewellery business eventually moved into a dedicated building at the corner of North Duke and East Chestnut streets in 1912. The jewellery store remained open until 1992, while the school’s final class graduated that same year. This history is quite relevant because Roland Murphy attended the Bowman Technical School in the early 1980s.
The Bowman Wristwatch by RGM Watch Co.
Based on the same platform as a model produced with Teddy Baldassarre, the Model 501-EFB measures 39mm across, 48mm from lug to lug and 11.3mm thick, including its box-style sapphire crystal. The American-made 316L stainless steel case has a flat sapphire crystal on the back. Its restrained proportions, threaded bezel and conventional lugs provide a traditional frame for the dial. Water resistance is 50m.
The watch’s white Grand Feu-fired enamel dial is inspired specifically by a 1920s Patek Philippe pocket watch originally made for Ezra F. Bowman & Sons. The historical watch provides reference for the new model’s dial and blued-steel hands for the hours, minutes, and subseconds, taking a 100-year-old pocket-watch aesthetic to a clean three-hand wristwatch. The railroad-style track runs the dial’s periphery, with a smaller one for the recessed running seconds at 6 o’clock.
The watch is powered by the ASE 200 automatic micro-rotor movement by Schwarz Etienne, finished by RGM. The calibre runs at 21,600 vibrations/hour and provides an 86-hour power reserve. Through the rear sapphire crystal, its rhodium finish, Côte de Genève and perlage are visible, along with a solid-gold micro-rotor plaque made by RGM.
The Model 501-EFB is worn on an alligator strap. The watch will debut on September 25, 2026, during the Lancaster Watch Weekend. The stainless-steel version is priced at USD 16,950; gold or platinum cases can be ordered upon request, too. For more, visit rgmwatches.com.
