Special pre-production Eames? Or did it lost it's "Herman Miller" sticker?  

No sticker......black...
No sticker......black arms......must be a a rare prototype

Would be a surprise if...
Would be a surprise if that's true.. Is there any background information regarding the early years of designing, development & production? Want to know more about this version, especially because of the black armrests. Noticed the pedestal is partially black too.

Allright..
Got some information here:
An EA 116, quote:
"Special EA 116 chair designed by Charles & Ray Eames, Herman Miller. Pretty slim and sober model. This special edition has black armrests and black vinyl upholstery witch makes a very nice contrast with the polished aluminum frame."
Source: http://www.deconet.com/product/293744/Rare-black-vinyl-covered-with-blac...
and an EA 124, quote:
"Original Early Eames EA124 Chair by Hille
A very early Eames EA124 Chair by Charles and Ray Eames manufactured by Hille Uk.
Original Green Naugahyde, powder-coated black armrests and the early fin base with cast base stretcher and round feet pads."
Source: http://www.joshthomasdesignhouse.co.uk/showroom/original-early-eames-ea1...

Looks like I'm having some...
Looks like I'm having some really nice info here. Here an url to the first brochure published by Herman Miller:
http://eamesdesigns.com/library-entry/eames-aluminum-group/
As far as I can see on those black/white pics, the published EA124 chair in this brochure has the same black armrests as mine.....

Anyone some thoughts about...
Anyone some thoughts about this?

Isn't that base execution one
for an eames lounge (670)?
I've never seen this base on an aluminum group.
Maybe this is a marriage? How did you acquire this
piece?
Where are you exactly?

I bought it from a dutch...
I bought it from a dutch "craigslist"-website. He described is as an "old original Eames 124 chair, fabricated around 1958, from one of the first USA-editions." He added to the ad that the chair still got all of the original parts like screws and chair feet and it's never been repaired or modified, so the seller wrote.
This seller sells an aluminum chair with the same base: http://www.deconet.com/product/293744/Rare-black-vinyl-covered-with-blac...
I'm from the Netherlands.

bj
Yes, this base design -- the "contract" base -- is used by Vitra for their 670 (Herman Miller uses a different base for theirs). But it was also used on all Aluminum Group chairs for the first decade of production (1958-1968).

I see, thanks fstfw!
Great you could score this in the netherlands!
There aren't much of these around, here (I'm in Belgium myself), except desk versions: they have thrown hundreds/thousands of these in the skip, back in the eighties...

Most likely it is a European...
Most likely it is a European Herman Miller licensed version produced by Fehlbaum (vitra), ICF or Hill. All these manufacturers had a license to produce Eames chairs (mainly fiberglass chairs and aluminum group chairs). Based on used screws and bracket / handle rear back, I think it is a production of ICF or Hill.
Contact us by email (joink dot nl) if you want more info.
Are you sure it's a leather and not a vinyl upholstery?

i`ve got the same chair
hi, first excuse my english 😉
two weeks ago i´Ve got the same EA 124 in a set with two EA 116 and the 90cm coffee table,like in the early herman miller prospect from 1959, in black vinyl without a pillow.
My chairs are labeled by clear red/orange sticker herman miller collection / designer charles eames. But they`ve no number stamp in aluminum and
the EA 124 have no spreader under the seat.

find some news
find some news about this base.
First chair it was used was the PKC - 1 in 1958.
This base with black enamel on the sides and the aluminum left bare on top,was used also for the first edition of aluminum group chairs,next base versions were chromed or polished and the tilt swivel chair have a spreader under the sead. So i think your and my chair / chairs are very early reclining chairs ,made by
Herman Miller.