Huntsville gazette., 1889-10-19
TREATMENT OF, WATCHES.
An Expert Tells How 1ime-Pieces Can Be
Kept in Perfect Order.

An Expert Tells How lime Pieces Can Be
Kept in Perfect Order.
Having obtained a really serviceable
article you should, in order to pro-
duce satisfactory results, follow out
these rules: Wind up your watch
every day at the same hour. This is
generally done at the hour we retire
to rest, or, perhaps, better still. at the
hour we rise. Avoid putting watch
on marble slab or near any thing ex-
cessively cold The sudden transition
from heat to cold contracting the metal
may sometimes cause the handspring
to break. Indeed, the cold coagulates
the Oil. and the wheel works and piv-
OTIS working less freely affect the regu-
larity of the time-keeper.
When we lay our watch aside we
ought to slope it on watch case so as
to keep it nearly in the same position it
has in the pocket. In laying aside your
watch be sure that it rests on its case.
BY suspending it free the action of the
balance may cause oscillation, which
may considerably interfere with its go
ing.
If you would keep your watch clean
you must be quite sure that the case
fits firmly and never put it in any
pocket but one made of leather.
Those pockets which are lined with
cloth, cotton or calico, give, by the
constant friction, quantity of fluff.
which enters most watches, even those
the cases Of which shut firmly.
If the watch is not "keyless" one
the key should be small, in order that
we may feel the resistance of the stop
work; then we can stop in time with
out forcing any thing. A 1t is also nee
essary that the square of the key
should correspond with that of the
watch. If it be too large it may in a
short time cause the wind up square
to suffer from undue wear and tear,
the rectifying of which is rather ex-
pensive. The hands of an ordinary
much risk. 1t is, however, always bet
ter to move the hands forward to ad-
just your watch to correct time.
A skillful matchmaker one day thus
complained of his watch: 'You COM
planned" said he, "that your watch
gains minute a month. Well then,
you will congratulate yourself when
hoT
that in your watch, the balance, which
is the regulator, makes five oscilla-
tions every second, which is $4,000
a 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
a minute month or two seconds a
day. 1t has only acquired with each
vibration of the balance variation of
the 216, 000th part of second. Judge,
then, what must be the extreme per-
fection of the mechanism of this
watch"
A watch can not go for an indefinite
period without being repaired or
cleaned. At the expiration of GER
tain time the oil dries up, dust accu-
mulates, and wear and tear are inevi-
table results to the whole machinery,
the functions become Irregular, fire.
quently ceasing to act altogether. A
person possessing a watch of good
quality, and desirous Of preserving it
as such, should have it cleaned every
two years at least. But care should
be taken to contide the cleaning or re-
pairing to careful hands; an incapable
workman may do great injury to a
watch even of the simplest construc-
tion.-Chambers' journal.