The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1884-01-18
POINTS ABOUT WATCHES,


SA0 KxA6E E4OAAN0 e'@
In AMERICA.
How Pocket Timopieces are Made
BerS ana In EurOpe-The ntise Oh
u Great Industry!
In these days, when the majority OF the
adult population carry watches, says the
New York Star, it is difficult to realize
that half century ago watches were
rarity i'd this country. Fifty years ago
not more than one man IN twenty Carried
watch, and women were se.dem KNOWN
to indulge in the luxury OF pockes
limepiece. In 1880 the few watches
used in the United States were imported
from Europe. None were of home manu-
tacture. A Geneva watch was consld
cred the ne plus ultra Of luxury In our
grandfathers' days, and the possessor was
regarded with degree OF respect
amounting almost to veneration Watches
fifty years ago were clumsy affairs. Their
shape was very much like that OF tur-
hip. The cases were heavy and ungain-
". and the works were clumsy. 1t could
not be expected that such watches would
keep very correct time but they were
deemed marvels of mechanism.
The first watch ever made in America
is the property of Mr.. E. Howard, OF
William street. this city. 1t is about as
heavy as the English watches OF NIFTY
years ago, although there is nothing
clumsy about it. Its weight and size
are due to the fact that having been
made to run eight days, it has two maln-
springs. The idea Of the makers was
that It would be desirable novelty to
have watch which would run week,
and which would in this respect be diff
: ferent from watches of every other make.
It was soon found, however, that the
public did not respond favorably to the
eight-day idea. The watches OF this
kind were soon abandoned for those
which have but main spring and barrel,
and are wound every day.
This ''tirst watch' was made in 1850,
: and has been running ever since. The
: pinions and "leaves" of this watch are
a highly polished, and the pinions are
round and hard and run perfectly true.
5 1t has ratchet tooth escape. Its jewels
0 are ruby, sapphire and chrysolite, and
Q are polished and chamfered, the holes
being opened from both sides. The
: center and barrels are pushed with Ger
i man silver. From its present condition
! there seems no reason why it should not
be lust as good watch thirty years hence
> as now. It is valued trophy Of Ameri-
, can skill.
$ Mr.. Howard furnished the Star re-
porter the following historical facts in
n regard to the origin Of watches in Europe.
He said:
. CATER long experimenting and many
: disappointments Peter Hele, an ingenious
d mechanic of Nuremburg, produced in 149(
! his first and famous pocket clock II
= was in oval shape, and hence gave rise
I to the name Of Nuremberg Egg b,
v which watches were for some time called
- This watch was six inches wide and Mint
inches long. There is no record Of how
much it weighed. Jacob Zech, of Prague
made famous watch in 1925. 1t still
exists, the case being covered with
wealth of curious cmblematical decora
tons and engraving It is in circula
n case of gilt brass, nine and one-quarte
inches in diameter and five inches high
In the days of Henry VIII, of England
" watches of curious construction wer
: made for monarchs and for few of tn
y wealthy, but were too costly to com
he into general use. In the time Q
Queen Elizabeth many of the peopl
about her court wore watches, not on
a in dozen of which was able to kee
ar time correctly. Most Of these watche
made up in external establishment whs
they lacked in accuracy as time keepers.
ne Switzerland became in time the cente
a. of the matchmaking industry. On
Charles Cusin went, 1887. from Autun, !
Burgundy, to escape religious persecr
err ton. He established himself at Genev,
81 and is believed to have been the fri
=, Swiss matchmaker His watches wei
III clumsy and heavy, but sold for the
le, weight in gold They had the cumbror
fusee chain, and no two of them woul
keep time together The next step
ed Matchmaking was the invention of tn
" coiled handspring for the balance vince
~ The honor of this invention is divide
=. between Huyghens, the great Dutch o
Oh tronomer, and DR.. Hooke, who, abol
1868, presented to Charles H., of Emf
=, land, watch containing this improv
y ment. About this time Nicolas Faccio,
all Geneva, learned how to pierce rubies an
other gems with minute holes, SO as
use them for bearings. Before this tin
ld- pivots had run in metal bearings, and su
it fered from the wear. The introductit
nm of the Jewels made the watch radio
improvement on what it had been, boz
in accuracy and durability.
Ids Next came the compensation balanc
- introduced somewhat over century ag
W. Harrison and Berthoud both claimiI
lat the honor Of its invention. Its circur
his ference was in two sections, the ends
~ which were fastened to q cross-bar
steel. The outer rim was OF brass al
the inner of steel. The contraction al
asst expansion of the two metals compe
- stated exactly, and secured accurac
80 Prior to this time even the best
for watches had been very inaccurate thing
nv Some of them would vary as much
half an hour a day.
Between the Swiss and the Engli
the competition in matchmaking b
been lively. Systematic division
labor and the very low price of livi
hia have done much for the industry
OF matchmaking in Switzerland. Ye'
ins ago the Swiss overran the English mari
all with their watches, which were ligh
till and far less clumsy than the English, q
ties quite as accurate.
ore AQueer Tomb.
the In the ancient burying ground at FL