The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-09-15
DELICATE MAINSPRINGS.
Quick TO FEEL THE EFFECTS OF
HEAT AND COLD.

So Sensitive That They VIII Succumk
Just as Easily to Freezing or Sunstrokt
as Will Man - Costs SO to Put q
handspring in Fine Swiss Watches
'Mainsprings are very much like
people," remarked New York watch
maker recently to a writer for the
Star. "They are as susceptible to ex'
trenes of heat and cold as human be-
ings. When the thermometer is hover
ing around the freezing point or dane
ing away up in the nineties the sensi'
tive little handspring will succumt
just as easily to freezing or sunstroke
as man.
During the hot weather of the past
month T have received over four hun
dred watches which required new
mainsprings, and other jewelers. have
had as many or more timepieces which
needed similar repairs. You see, this
uncertain piece of mechanism is sup
posed to be adjusted to meet the vari.
Gus degrees of temperature, but when
the changes are great and come sud.
denly there is nothing that can prevent
them from swapping. Many are made
in Switzerland of the very finest quail
ity of steel, absolutely flawless. Very
often the matchmaker can detect bac
spring before putting it in watch
either by its color or the softness o.
its spring. These have been too tight
ly tempered in making, and instead Of
being subjected merely to a red heat
the fire has been brought to white
heat, thus weakening the strength o
the metal.
"The finest watches that are handled
by reliable dealers in the United State
are put through cooking and freez
5 ing process before they are sold. TO:
the purpose of testing their reliabilit!
in all temperatures. The watch is frs
placed in little metal box, which i!
made air tight. Then strong ga
fame is turned on the under surface
of the box, and is kept there for one o.
two hours, so that the watch is so no
at the end of that time that it could no
be touched with the bare hands.
From this it is Immediately take1
and put into another metallic box
which is buried in a vessel containing
ice. There the costly watch is allowed
to freeze for an equal length of time
when it's treatment ceases, and the ex
animation is made. If during this ex
cessive test the watch has ticked mer
rily on without deviating fractiona
part of second, it is put back in tht
case and marked guaranteed for two
years. The handspring is the frs
piece of mechanism that succumbs tt
the test. If it survives nothing neei
be feared.
"Mainsprings are, however, abou
the only part of watch that jewelel
cannot successfully diagnose. They
can guarantee any of the numberles'
little wheels or pivots or balances tha
60 to make up the anatomy of The
watch, but the handspring has as yet
bafled the most skillful makers o.
watches of all countries. 1t is not sc
much the severe extremes of the
weather that prove fatal to the spring
as it is the process of changing from
/heat to cold, or vice versa.
''Many people who have been the
possessors of new watches but short
time often come to me much annoyed,
declaring that they have paid a large
price for their timepieces, and the
handspring has broken after only
weeks use.
"'That is nothing,'I T tell them.
fWe jewellers have them snap in our
cases before the watch has even been
shown for sale' Others imagine that
they might have wound their watches
too tight, but this does not harm it.
1t is rather the jerky, hurried wind
ing that will eventually tell on the
temper of the metal. Besides, every
good stem-winder has stop placed in
the stem that prevents the winding of
watch too tight.
'The cost of new handspring is
small. 1t is the putting them in, the
labor expended, that costs. It costs
from S12 to S15 to put handspring in
the finest Swiss watch, while in a
cheap American make it costs only
from fifty cents to 81.
"a gentleman purchased $3.50
watch from me about year ago and
shortly after he left New York on q
tour around the world. He returned
about three weeks ago, brought his
watch back to me and paid me this
compliment: Here's watch, said
he, that I paid you $3.50 for year
ago, and while I was travelling around
it lost three minutes. You guaranteed
it and I want you to make it good. )
The watch was placed in my window
with this card beside it:
"This watch lost only three min
utes in a year in a tour around the
world. Price, S275.'"
"Did you sell it?"
eyes, within two days" "-Washing
ton Star.