Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-11-04
Watches.

Watches, by reason of their fragile
construction, and the variations to which
they are liable, can after all only obtain
limited perfection in their perform
ance therefore, we must not be aston
lshed to find them subject to certain
variations These variations, which are
not easy to correct, need not prejudice
the quality Of watch, as will be proved
by the following example Two watch
es, we viii suppose, have been put to
the same time by an excellent regulator.
AT the end of a month, one of these
watches Is quarter of an hour too fast
the other is exactly right to time.
10 which Of these two watches
would we give the preference? :?
Perhaps to the one which is exactly
right. But In making such choice, we
nevertheless incur the risk of abandon
ing good watch for bad one. The
tlrst watch has, we assume, gained thirty
seconds a day; and, according to this
rate, 1t has gained quarter Of an hour
IN thirty days. What must be done to
make this watch go well? Alter the
regulator inside from fast to slow, or get
careful matchmaker to do it for you,
thereby altering its daily rate. Let us
now admit that the other watch has been
affected during the month by irregular
going, which has occasioned it some
times to gain, at other times to lose to
certain extent daily. 1t may easily oc-
cur that at the end of a month this
gaining and losing compensate each
other, and by this means the
watch indicates the exact hour at the
time we look at it. Such watch can
never be relied upon. The fact is that
watch which gains In regular manner or
losesin a regular manner is superior to
any whose variation is uncertain, and
where its variation comes to be familiar
the little companion may vie with the
most delicately adjusted ships chronom-
eter. A skillful matchmaker one day
thus reasoned with a customer who com
planned of his watch. "You com
plain" said he, "that your watch
gains a minute month. Well. then.
you will congratulate yourself when you
have heard me. You are aware that
in your watch, the balance, which
is the regulator, makes five oscillations
every second, which is 432, 900 day :;
SO that your watch, exposed to all the
vicissitudes which heat and cold occasion
it, the varying weight Of the air, and the
shaking to which it is subjected, has not
varied more than minute month, or
two seconds day. Ithas only acquired
with each vibration of the balance a va
ration of the two hundred and sixteen
thousandth part of a second. Judge,
then, what must be the extreme perfec-
ton Of the mechanism Of this watch Y
A watch cannot go for an indefinite
period without being repaired or
cleaned. At the expiration of a certain
time, the oil dries up, dust accumulates,
andwear and tear are heinevitable results
to the whole machinery, the functions be-
coming irregular, and frequetly ceasing
to act altogether. A person possessing
watch of good quality, and desirous Of
reserving it as such, should have it
eaned every two years at least. But
care should be taken to confide this
cleaning or repairing to careful hands /;
an inexperienced workman may do great
injury to watch even Of the simplest
construction. Chambers Journal.