Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1893-08-02
Take Care Of Your Watch.

NOT one peTSou III u inOusa"u '""@'
proper care of watch: said watch
maker to a New York Times reporter
Good watches are ruined by careless
treatment they receive from their owners.
and the makers are abused when they get
out of order. The modern watch is
wonderfully intricate and most delicate
piece of mechanism. 1t is composed of
9S pieces, and over 1000 operations are
used in its manufacture. 1t takes 306.-
600 of the small screws to make pound.
The hairspring is strip of steel about
nine and a.half inches long, is l-10OO OF
an inch wide, and 27.10,000 of an inch
thick. A 2O1OOO part of an inch diff
ference in the thickness OF the strip makes
difference in the running of a watch of
about six minutes an hour.
"To keep the going of watch as
regular as possible, it must be subjected
to regular treatment-that is TO say, II
should be wound up at the same time OF
day, and during the time that II should
be laid down or hung up regularly, ac-
cording to habit, as the movement of
every watch is more regular when 1t Is
hung up or laid down then when 1t is
worn in the pocket.
81 always advise my customers to wind
their watches in the morning, not only
because they generally rise more regular
ly than retire, but also because a main
spring fully wound up in the morning
will more readily overcome the distur-
Dances which affect the correct going of a
watch during the movement occasioned
in it on ones person in the daytime.
"In w ,ches having double case, that
over the glass should never be left open.
An attentive observer will find that if a
watch is left open, even for one night.
the glass will be covered with thin film
of dust, which will gradually work its
way into the works, even through the
tiniest openings in the case, and thus
cause disturbances. Nor should
watch be placed directly out of the
pocket against a cold wall, or worse yet,
on a still colder marble slab, and for
that reason a protective mat or wash
leather cover is always desirable when a
watch is not kept in pocket.
"The capacity of a watch for keeping
good time is very much governed by Its
construction and its more or less perfect
finish. 1t cannot be expected Of the best
horizontal watch that it should always
keep good time, and even less so of the
inferior make of machine-made watches
which are nowadays manufactured and
and sold for $40, $40 and $50, in such
large numbers.
"1he changes of oil, the variations IN
temperature, the diversity or humidity OF
atmosphere, all greatly affect the going of
watch. Indeed, it is only the most per.
feet finish which neutralizes the adverse
influences to the greatest degree. AS a
matter Of fact, no watch keeps perfectly
correct time, and even the best chronom-
eters used in observatories and on board
ship must be regulated according to Ia
b.es which are kept to fix the variations
to which all watches are liable.
"a watch should be cleaned regularly
once year. If this precaution Is not
taken in time the oil decomposes, gets
mixed with the particles Of dust which
enter the works Of the best closed watch,
begins to act as a grinding material and
wears out the working parts. The best
watch will be ruined in one or two
months in this way, aud will never keep
such good time as before.