The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-02
STEM SETIING WATCHES
A New Device to 30 Applied to
These Modern Time
Pieces.
Invented BIZ Mr.. HigRinbotham, Of
tho seth Thomas Watch
Company.

Company.
The Accidental Displacement OF the Hands
Obyiated-The First OF the stcms
Winding wAtchcs.
A patent has been granted TO Charles r.
H%igginbotham, superintendent o. the Seth
Thomas Watch company, Of Thomaston,
Conn.,, for q stem-sstting device working
BY gravity that not only does away with
the cumbersome method of pulling OUT u
slide in the case, but il considered q great
Improvement over the dovice where the
stcm is pulled out, for that process can be
accomplished accidentally in the pocket,
seriously disturbing the watch. Mr.. Hig-
ginbotham was formerly master watch
maker OF the Hamden works in this city,
and, according to the Springfield Repub-
lican, invented the first practical stem
winding device in the country. 1t is less
than twenty years since stem-winding
watches began to come into general use.
Previous to that time a few were manufac-
tured, but their high price and their lisbil-
r 10y " kCb Shu "a 0&AoA Aes
from attaining popular favor. 1t
remained for American manufacturers to
demonstrate that q stem winding and set
ting watch could be constructed upon such
sound mechanical principles that the wind
ing mechanism would wear rs long as any
other part of the watch, and yet be 80 simple
that it could be furnished at a moderate
price. This was only accomplished after
repeated failures. and the first successful
one was produced in this city about the
year 1873 by the New York Watch company.
From that time forward stem-winders con-
I inued to grow in popular favor until the
key-winding watch has been laid aside with
the4allow candle and finder boxes. VIII en-
s~tem-winders began to be used the prevail
ing fashion waa hnntinR-cased watches, but
Of late q change has taken place in the pop
ular taste and now the majority of watches
carried are Open-faced.
In all modern watches both the winding
and the setting are effected by turning the
crown or knob which is located at the PEN
dent of the case, the internal mechanism
being SO arranged that it can be shifted at
will from the winding to the setting en-
gagement or the reverse. Various devices
have, from time to time, been used to of
feet the change from n to engagement to
the other. In hunting cased watches this
was easily provided for, as the operating
device was protected from accidental dis
placement by the front lid, and could only
Uo 6llOAOyCN HA0A Ia Woo Op0usa
When it came be applied to the open-face
. new requirement presented itself. Some
device was called for that could be used
without necessitating opening the case. and,
rs a consequence, what ia known as the
pendent set'' was devised. In this form the
mechanism is shifted by putting out the
CROWN, to which is attached the stem arbor,
a limited longitudinal motion being pro-
vided for that purpose. It has, however,
one serious defect; the liability to becoms
accidentally shifted in the pocket. To OBJ
viate this difficulty the inventive skill of
the past ten years, but until now nothing
has been oontrived to fully meet the require
ments of simplify and certainty Of action.
The patent granted Mr.. Higginbo than
provides q means 80 simple and at the same
time 80 effective that it seems to leave
nothing more to be desired. In this device
the force Of gravity is used in connection
with the longitudinal motion OF the stem
to shift the mechanism to tho setting en-
gagement. The only wav in which, it can
BE operated IT an is i by holding pse,iti the Ne:
with the pendent directly down. After be-
ing thus overturned the watch Gun be hold
in any convenient position to set, and by
an ingenious arrangement the mere act of
placing the watch in an upright position to
return to the pocket automatically discon-
meets it from the setting engagement. 1t
will thus be seen that the accidental dis
placement of the hands is entirely obviated,
for as the watch being always carried in
the pocket with the pendent upward, it can
only be thrown into the setting engage
ment by the wearer standing on his head, a
position which, to ssy the least, he is not
very likely to assume, and even in that case
upon regaining his feet the mechanism, as
before explained, will resume the winding
engagement.
Mr.. Higginbotham's patent claim con-
~ NJ u, - Ala -.-a.. &C.,
stem-winding and stem-setting watch, the
combination, with q rotable stem, of wind
ing and setting m~echanicism and an inter-
mediate part located between the said stem
and the setting mechanism. the said part
being constructed and arranged to respond
placed in a predetermined position, and
thus effect q change in the operative con-
ditions with in the watch with respect to
the STEM" Under this general principle
he has carried out several devices. BY one
of these the watch to be set, must be put in
an inverted position and while held there
there, the stem pulled out, and after
setting the hands, thrust back again and
the watch restored to its normal condition
in the vest pocket. BY another the
stem has to be pulled out before inverting
the watch in order to reach the setting
mechanism, and the stem can be pushed
back to the winding gear when the watch is
in any position. A third device is purely
automatic, the setting condition being So
cured by gravity when the watch is placed
with the pendent DOWN and vertical. The
winding function is restored by putting
back the watch. The first of these three
devices is considered the most practical.
and watches are already being made with it
by tho Seth Thomaa company. The i'm
portant part of this device is u gravity
coupler or link, attached to the setting cam
that swings down when tho watch is in
verified, and when it reaches a vertical posi-
ton or nearly SO the curved catch on the end
engages itself to a pin on the setting bar.
Then the stem arbor is pulled out, the pro-
cesa engaging the Intermediate setting
wheel on one ond of tho yoke with the set
ting vince! proper. When the hands have
been set the stem is pushed back. and the
intermediate winding wheel at tho other
end of the yoke engsges main winding
wheel once more, the intermediate setting
wheel being set free. This ia tho mechani-
cal process, but where gravity is used with
out pulling out or pushing in the stem {
cam fills tho place Of the little coupler
The devices have been thoroughly tested
n prove durable RS we'll as practical, ant
not at all likely to get out Of order.
Pulitzer's Chicago Paper.
CHICAGO. Jan. IA short time ago th
Chicago World company. with a capita
stock of $4,000 was incorporated unde
the laws 0f this atate Tho Euapi,, Jo,,